Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967-8 in San Franci… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967-8 in San Francisco, California, USA. The band features Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of (mainly) mid-1970s hit singles that continue to be staples of the classic rock radio format.

Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.

In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.

In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.

Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.

Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.

John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.

Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.

Ooh Poo Pah Doo
Steve Miller Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, oh, oh, yeah
I wanna play my
Ooh, poo, pah, doo

Baby, they don't call me no more
Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Baby, don't call me no more

And I walk that line
Till I create a disturbance in your mind

Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Baby, don't call me no more
Ooh, yeah, yeah, right now, baby
Baby, don't call me no more

And I walk that line
Till I create a disturbance in your mind

Create a disturbance in your mind
Create a disturbance
Ooh, yeah, yeah, right now, baby
[Incomprehensible]

And I walk that line
Till I create a disturbance in your mind

Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Baby, don't call me no more
Oh, my, my, my, my, my, my baby
Don't you know they call me no more?

And I walk that line
Till I create a disturbance in your mind

Oh, I'm gonna ring up a bell in your ears
Ring up a bell in your, oh, right now, baby
Don't you know [Incomprehensible]

Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Ooh, poo, pah, doo
Ooh, poo, pah, doo

Oh, oh, oh
Poo, pah, doo

Oh, I'm gonna ring up a bell in your ears
Ring up a bell in your ears
I gotta ring up a bell in your ears
Ring up a bell in your ears

Oh, oh, oh
Poo pah , poo pah, poo pah doo
They don't call me no more
Poo pah doo

Oh, my, my, my, my, my, my baby
Poo, pah, doo
Baby, baby, don't you know they, yeah?
Poo, pah, doo

And I walk that line
Till I create a disturbance in your mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" by Steve Miller Band express frustration and a desire for attention from a lover who has stopped calling. The repeated phrase "ooh poo pah doo" can be seen as an expression of exasperation and a need to make a bold statement to get the attention of the person who is being addressed. The lyrics also include a reference to "walking the line" until a disturbance is created in the mind of the person being addressed, suggesting a persistent and determined effort to win back their attention.

Overall, the song conveys a sense of restlessness and dissatisfaction, as the singer feels ignored and powerless in the face of a disinterested lover. The repetition of the "ooh poo pah doo" refrain and the insistent references to ringing bells and creating disturbances suggest a desire to shake things up and take more control in the situation.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, oh, oh, yeah
The singer is excited and eager to perform

I wanna play my Ooh, poo, pah, doo
The singer wants to perform a particular song called 'Ooh Poo Pah Doo'

Baby, they don't call me no more Ooh, poo, pah, doo Baby, don't call me no more
The singer's lover has stopped contacting them and they are upset about it

And I walk that line Till I create a disturbance in your mind
The singer is determined to do something that will bother or upset their lover

Create a disturbance in your mind Create a disturbance Ooh, yeah, yeah, right now, baby [Incomprehensible]
The singer wants to cause their lover to think about them and feel emotional, even if they're not sure how to do it

Ooh, poo, pah, doo Baby, don't call me no more Ooh, yeah, yeah, right now, baby Baby, don't call me no more
The singer wants their lover to pay attention to them and contact them again, but they're not sure how to make that happen

Oh, my, my, my, my, my, my baby Don't you know they call me no more? And I walk that line Till I create a disturbance in your mind
The singer is asking their lover why they don't contact them anymore and is determined to do something to get their attention

Oh, I'm gonna ring up a bell in your ears Ring up a bell in your, oh, right now, baby Don't you know [Incomprehensible]
The singer is saying that they will make a loud noise or create a big impact to get their lover's attention

Ooh, poo, pah, doo Ooh, poo, pah, doo Ooh, poo, pah, doo Ooh, poo, pah, doo
The chorus repeats the title of the song, 'Ooh Poo Pah Doo'

Oh, oh, oh Poo, pah, doo
The singer is excited about the song and repeats the title

Oh, I'm gonna ring up a bell in your ears Ring up a bell in your ears I gotta ring up a bell in your ears Ring up a bell in your ears
The singer repeats their desire to make a big impact and get their lover's attention

Oh, oh, oh Poo pah , poo pah, poo pah doo They don't call me no more Poo pah doo
The singer repeats their frustration that their lover isn't contacting them and repeats the title of the song

Oh, my, my, my, my, my, my baby Poo, pah, doo Baby, baby, don't you know they, yeah? Poo, pah, doo
The singer repeats their desire for their lover to contact them and repeats the title of the song

And I walk that line Till I create a disturbance in your mind
The singer repeats their determination to do something to get their lover's attention

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JESSIE HILL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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