Java Jive
Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. Thompson made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He left the group in 1971 and began recording with his wife as Richard & Linda Thompson, before their marriage dissolved in 1983. Since then, Thompson has maintained a critically-acclaimed solo career.

He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.

Java Jive
Richard Thompson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I love coffee, I love tea
I love the java jive and it loves me
Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (boy!)

I love java, sweet and hot
Whoops mr. moto, Im a coffee pot
Shoot the pot and Ill pour me a shot
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup

Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug
And Ill cut a rug just snug in a jug
A sliced up onion and a raw one
Draw one -
Waiter, waiter, percolator

I love coffee, I love tea
I love the java jive and it loves me
Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup

Boston bean (soy beans)
Green bean (cabbage and greens)
Im not keen about a bean
Unless it is a chili chili bean (boy!)

I love java sweet and hot
Whoops mr. moto Im a coffee pot (yeah)
Shoot me the pot and Ill pour me a shot
A cup, a cup, a cup (yeah)

Slip me a slug of the wonderful mug
an Ill cut a rug just as snug in a jug
Drop a nickel in the pot joe
Takin it slow
Waiter, waiter, percolator

I love coffee, I love tea
I love the java jive and it loves me




Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, boy!

Overall Meaning

"Java Jive" is a playful and catchy ode to coffee and tea. The lyrics describe the singer's deep love for coffee and tea, and how the beverages seem to reciprocate the affection. The play on the word "bean" in the second verse points out the variety in coffee and how some bean types are favored over others. The nonsensical phrases ("whoops mr. moto, I'm a coffee pot," "slip me a slug from the wonderful mug") add to the lighthearted and whimsical tone of the song. Overall, "Java Jive" paints a carefree and fun picture of enjoying coffee and tea with friends.


Line by Line Meaning

I love coffee, I love tea
The singer likes both coffee and tea.


I love the java jive and it loves me
The singer enjoys a particular drink called the "java jive" and it makes them happy.


Coffee and tea and the java and me
The singer likes all three drinks and consumes them.


A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (boy!)
The singer emphasizes their desire for a cup of these drinks.


I love java, sweet and hot
The singer likes sweet and hot java which they refer to as coffee.


Whoops mr. moto, Im a coffee pot
The singer feels like a coffee pot and refers to a person named "Mr. Moto."


Shoot the pot and Ill pour me a shot
If someone shoots the pot, the singer will pour themselves a shot of coffee from it.


A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup
The singer repeats their desire for a cup of coffee.


Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug
The singer asks for a drink from a wonderful mug.


And Ill cut a rug just snug in a jug
If they get their drink, the singer will be happy and dance around in a confined space.


A sliced up onion and a raw one
The singer comments on the existence of sliced and raw onions.


Draw one - Waiter, waiter, percolator
The singer asks the waiter for a brewed coffee called percolator.


Boston bean (soy beans)
The singer mentions Boston bean, which is soybean.


Green bean (cabbage and greens)
The singer refers to green bean as cabbage and greens and does not like it as much.


Im not keen about a bean
The singer is not a big fan of beans in general.


Unless it is a chili chili bean (boy!)
The singer will only like a bean if it is a chili chili bean.


Slip me a slug of the wonderful mug
The singer again asks for a drink from a wonderful mug.


an Ill cut a rug just as snug in a jug
The singer will be happy and dance around in a confined space if they get their drink.


Drop a nickel in the pot joe Takin it slow
The singer asks someone to put a nickel in the pot and make the coffee slowly.


Waiter, waiter, percolator
The singer asks the waiter for percolator coffee again.


I love coffee, I love tea
The singer declares their love for coffee and tea once again.


I love the java jive and it loves me
The singer reasserts their happiness with the java jive.


Coffee and tea and the java and me
The singer once again states their affection for coffee, tea, and java.


A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, boy!
The singer emphasizes their desire for a cup of these drinks by ending the song with "boy!"




Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Astro Gremlin

Thanks to Zararity list with times added by me!

"Sumer Is Icumen In" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 2:30
Interview 4:40
"King Henry" (trad., arr. by Thompson) talk 7:40 song 9:50
"So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo" (Orazio Vecchi, arr. by Thompson) talk 14:27 Joke at 15:24 song 16:25
"Bonnie St. Johnstone" (trad., arr. by Thompson) talk 19:20 song 21:00
"O Sleep Fond Fancy" (Thomas Morley) talk 26:53 song 27:40
"Remember O Thou Man" (Thomas Ravenscroft) 29:50
"Shenandoah" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 33:50
"Blackleg Miner" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 39:00
"I Live in Trafalgar Square" (C.W. Murphy) 43:25
"There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast" (from The Mikado) (W.S. Gilbert/Arthur Sullivan, arr. by Thompson) 47:45
"Java Jive" (Ben Oakland/Milton Drake) 50:50
"Night and Day" (Cole Porter) 54:30
"Orange-Coloured Sky" (Milton DeLugg/William Stein) 1:00:54
"Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (Granville "Stick" McGhee/J. Mayo Williams) 1:03:20
"A-11" (Hank Cochran) 1:06:28
"See My Friends" (Ray Davies) talk 1:10:59 song 1:11:50
"Friday on My Mind" (George Young/Harry Vanda) 1:16:39
"Tempted" (Chris Difford/Glenn Tilbrook) 1:20:14
"Oops!… I Did It Again" (Max Martin/Rami Yacoub) 1:25:09
"Cry Me A River" (Arthur Hamilton) 1:30:15
"1985" (Jaret Reddick/John Allen/Mitchell Scherr) 1:35:50
Interview 1:39:40
"Sam Hall" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 1:41:42



All comments from YouTube:

Peter Guglietta

This man has more music in his pinky than 90% of other musicians have in their entire catalog. Brilliant.

David T

@succytash Best lives show I have ever seen were Richard Thompspn (multiple shows) and Stevie Wonder in 1976. Amazing musicians.

succytash

Best live show I ever saw was Richard at Irving Plaza mid nineties. Blew me away.

honeychurchgipsy6

@Tom Hodges - Ha Ha - RT was made to play guitar - those hands must be worth a fortune!!

Tom Hodges

It's how his pinky can stretch to that X X 12 12 6 6 Gm7 chord

bernard lefkowitz

Peter Guglietta r

2 More Replies...

Astro Gremlin

Thanks to Zararity list with times added by me!

"Sumer Is Icumen In" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 2:30
Interview 4:40
"King Henry" (trad., arr. by Thompson) talk 7:40 song 9:50
"So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo" (Orazio Vecchi, arr. by Thompson) talk 14:27 Joke at 15:24 song 16:25
"Bonnie St. Johnstone" (trad., arr. by Thompson) talk 19:20 song 21:00
"O Sleep Fond Fancy" (Thomas Morley) talk 26:53 song 27:40
"Remember O Thou Man" (Thomas Ravenscroft) 29:50
"Shenandoah" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 33:50
"Blackleg Miner" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 39:00
"I Live in Trafalgar Square" (C.W. Murphy) 43:25
"There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast" (from The Mikado) (W.S. Gilbert/Arthur Sullivan, arr. by Thompson) 47:45
"Java Jive" (Ben Oakland/Milton Drake) 50:50
"Night and Day" (Cole Porter) 54:30
"Orange-Coloured Sky" (Milton DeLugg/William Stein) 1:00:54
"Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (Granville "Stick" McGhee/J. Mayo Williams) 1:03:20
"A-11" (Hank Cochran) 1:06:28
"See My Friends" (Ray Davies) talk 1:10:59 song 1:11:50
"Friday on My Mind" (George Young/Harry Vanda) 1:16:39
"Tempted" (Chris Difford/Glenn Tilbrook) 1:20:14
"Oops!… I Did It Again" (Max Martin/Rami Yacoub) 1:25:09
"Cry Me A River" (Arthur Hamilton) 1:30:15
"1985" (Jaret Reddick/John Allen/Mitchell Scherr) 1:35:50
Interview 1:39:40
"Sam Hall" (trad., arr. by Thompson) 1:41:42

Average Chick

God bless!

Billiam

Hard to believe RT has dropped down on the "100 Greatest Guitarist" list at Rolling Stone. Have these raters ever seen him live? Acoustic or electric, Richard is one of the greatest of all time.

Billiam

@john jarpe Totally know what you mean. Two guitar players that I know from the first note are RT and Mike Bloomfield, the two closest to my heart and soul. You do know that Richard did the soundtrack for "Grizzly Man" the film by Werner Herzog. It's perfect.

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