Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.
Frankie And Johnnie
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy, how they could love!
Swore to be true to each other,
True as the stars above!
'Cause he was her man,
But he done her wrong!
One night Frankie happened to pass by the hotel;
And who did she see but her lovin' man
Lovin' up old Nellie Bligh!
She caught her man
Doin' her wrong!
Well, she went round the corner to her favourite pawn shop;
This time she didn't go there for fun!
'Cause when she left, underneath her long red kimono,
She was totin' a forty-four gun!
She was gunnin' for her man
Who was doin' her wrong!
Then back Frankie dashed to that hotel,
Started yankin' the bell!
She said, "Stand back, you madam and floozies,
Or I'll blow each and every one of you straight to hell!
I want my man
Who's done me wrong!".
Johnnie, in panic, mounted the staircase,
Screamin', "Oh Frankie, don't shoot!"
Three times she pulled a trigger on a forty-four gun,
The gun went, "Root-toot-toot!".
She nailed her man
Who'd done her wrong!
So they put her away in a dungeon,
Way up in a dark dingy cell
In the south east corner of a jail,
Where the wind seemed to blow straight from hell!
For killin' her man
Who done her wrong!
But the day Frankie mounted the scaffold,
She was just as calm as any gal could be!
And raising her eyes to heaven she cried,
"Lord, I'm comin' to thee!
I'm sorry I killed my man
Who done me wrong!".
The song "Frankie and Johnnie" is a story of betrayal, jealousy, and murder. The song describes the love between Frankie and Johnny as being true and unwavering like the stars above. However, one night Frankie catches Johnny with another woman, Nellie Bligh, and discovers that he was cheating on her. Filled with rage and heartbreak, Frankie goes to a pawn shop and gets a .44 gun then goes back to the hotel where she finds Johnny with another woman. Frankie threatens everyone present and demands to see Johnny. Johnny tries to beg for mercy and runs up the stairs, but Frankie shoots him three times, killing him instantly. As a result, Frankie is sentenced to life in prison, and as she mounts the scaffold, she asks for forgiveness for killing the man who had done her wrong.
The song is based on a real-life incident that happened in St. Louis in 1899. The lyrics of the song have been changed over time, and many different versions of the song exist. Some versions of the song have the lyrics where Johnnie survives the gunshots, and some have Frankie killing herself instead of being hanged. The song has been covered numerous times by various artists, including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan.
Line by Line Meaning
Frankie and Johnny were sweethearts,
Frankie and Johnny were lovers
Boy, how they could love!
They had a deep love for each other
Swore to be true to each other,
They made a promise to be loyal to each other
True as the stars above!
Their love was genuine and pure
'Cause he was her man,
Johnny was Frankie's boyfriend
But he done her wrong!
Johnny cheated on Frankie
One night Frankie happened to pass by the hotel;
One night, Frankie walked by a hotel
Just casually glanced into a window so high,
She looked up at a high window
And who did she see but her lovin' man
She saw Johnny
Lovin' up old Nellie Bligh!
Johnny was romantically involved with Nellie Bligh
She caught her man
Frankie saw Johnny with another woman
Doin' her wrong!
Johnny was being unfaithful
Well, she went round the corner to her favourite pawn shop;
Frankie went to her favorite pawn shop
This time she didn't go there for fun!
She was not there to have fun
'Cause when she left, underneath her long red kimono,
When she left, she was carrying something under her kimono
She was totin' a forty-four gun!
She was carrying a .44 caliber gun
She was gunnin' for her man
Frankie had intentions of killing Johnny
Who was doin' her wrong!
She was angry because Johnny was being unfaithful
Then back Frankie dashed to that hotel,
Frankie quickly returned to the hotel
Started yankin' the bell!
She started ringing the bell
She said, "Stand back, you madam and floozies,
She demanded that the women in the hotel step back
Or I'll blow each and every one of you straight to hell!
She threatened to kill them all
I want my man
Frankie wanted Johnny
Who's done me wrong!".
She was angry because Johnny had cheated on her
Johnnie, in panic, mounted the staircase,
Johnny was panicked and went up the staircase
Screamin', "Oh Frankie, don't shoot!"
Johnny pleaded with Frankie not to shoot
Three times she pulled a trigger on a forty-four gun,
Frankie fired her .44 caliber gun three times
The gun went, "Root-toot-toot!".
The gunshots were heard as "root-toot-toot"
She nailed her man
Frankie shot and killed Johnny
Who'd done her wrong!
Johnny had been unfaithful and cheated on Frankie
So they put her away in a dungeon,
Frankie was put in jail
Way up in a dark dingy cell
She was put in a dark and damp cell
In the south east corner of a jail,
Her cell was in the southeast corner of the jail
Where the wind seemed to blow straight from hell!
The conditions in her cell were terrible
For killin' her man
She was in jail for killing Johnny
Who done her wrong!
Johnny had cheated on her
But the day Frankie mounted the scaffold,
The day Frankie was taken to be executed
She was just as calm as any gal could be!
Frankie was surprisingly calm
And raising her eyes to heaven she cried,
She looked up to the sky and said
"Lord, I'm comin' to thee!
She said she was going to heaven
I'm sorry I killed my man
Frankie apologized for killing Johnny
Who done me wrong!".
She acknowledged that Johnny had cheated on her
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PD TRADITIONAL, SANFORD SCHMIDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gwynnielsen5081
I love Sammy and everything that he did. A truly great performer.
@PickleMick90
so hard to find this version, i have it on CD but trying to find it when your else where outside your CD collection is near impossible
thanks fr the upload, brilliant
@issacbanks7498
#JeffPiegari I love this song!
@issacbanks7498
#JP this is my favorite song "Frankie & Johnnie" by Sammy Davis Jr.