The Ames Brothers got their beginning in Malden, where all four were born. The act consisted of Joe (born 3 May 1921), Gene (born 13 February 1923), Vic (born 20 May 1925 - died 23 January 1978) and Ed (born 9 July 1927).
Born into a non-professional but musical family, the boys were brought up on classical and operatic music. Their parents, David and Sarah Urick, were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who read Shakespeare and semi-classics to their nine children from the time they were old enough to listen.
The brothers formed a quartet with a cousin Lennie, and had been touring United States Army and Navy bases entertaining the troops and were offered a job at the Foxs and Hounds nightclub, one of the fanciest clubs in Boston. This one week engagement turned into several months when the word got around of their appearance. At the time, they were going by the name of the Amory Brothers, a name taken from Vic's middle name and they were becoming quite popular in the area. It was at this time that Joe decided to rejoin the group. He said they were just having too much fun together for him to miss out. Taking their act to New York they got a job with bandleader Art Mooney. One day while at Leeds Publishing Company in search of a song called "Should I" that their mother had asked them to sing, Milt Gabler of Decca Records heard them singing it and had them cut a few sides for Decca Records just before the ban which started in January, 1948.
A year later when the ban was lifted, the Ames Brothers were the first artists to record for Coral Records. The name Amory was shortened to Ames. They were swept into national top billing with their first hit record, "Rag Mop," in January, 1950. Doing radio shows for free at times just for the experience, they later became regulars on such shows as The Arthur Godfrey Hour. One of the first acts to appear on the original Ed Sullivan Show when it was known as Toast of the Town, they made their debut with him when the show was telecast live from Wanamaker's Department Store.
Soon, they were the top paid group in nightclubs and supperclubs everywhere and their popularity on television was nationwide. In 1956 they starred in their own show, The Ames Brothers Show, which was seen on Friday nights. It was the first syndicated television show to be shown in foreign countries.
Over their fifteen year career the prolific Brothers notched up 50 U.S. chart entries, 21 of them on the Coral label before signing with RCA Victor. The group disbanded in the 1960s but Ed Ames went on with a successful singing and acting career, including playing Daniel Boone's sidekick, Mingo, on the successful Daniel Boone television series (1964-1970).
They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Ragmop
The Ames Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P
Mop
M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop!
A
I say A-B
A-B-C
A-B-C-D
A-B-C-D-E
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H
I
I say M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P
Mop
M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
R
I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop!
The lyrics to The Ames Brothers' "Ragmop" are a playful combination of nonsense syllables, letters, and words that are strung together to create an upbeat and catchy tune. The song starts with the repetition of the letters M-O-P, which seems to be a reference to a mop. The singer then moves on to the letters R-A-G, which is likely short for rag. The combination of these two cleaning tools creates the titular phrase "Ragmop," a phrase that the singer repeats throughout the song.
The rest of the song continues in this nonsensical vein, with the singer reciting a series of letters that eventually spell out the entire alphabet. Meanwhile, the backing music provides a lively and energetic beat that encourages listeners to dance along. The song's lyrics and upbeat tempo make it a fun and playful addition to any party or playlist.
Line by Line Meaning
M
I am going to spell out the word 'mop'
I say M-O
The first three letters of the word is M-O
M-O-P
The first three letters are followed by the letter 'P'
M-O-P-P
The 'P' is repeated again to make it four letters
Mop
The word is 'Mop'
M-O-P-P
The first four letters of 'Mop' are M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
I am repeatedly saying the word 'Mop'
R
I am now going to spell out the word 'rag'
I say R-A
The first two letters of the word is R-A
R-A-G
The first two letters are followed by the letter 'G'
R-A-G-G
The 'G' is repeated again to make it three letters
Rag
The word is 'Rag'
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
The words 'Rag Mop' are created by combining the spellings of 'Rag' and 'Mop'
Rag Mop
The name of the song is 'Rag Mop'
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
Rag Mop
The name of the song is repeated
A
I am now going to spell out the alphabet
I say A-B
The first two letters of the alphabet is A-B
A-B-C
The first two letters are followed by the letter 'C'
A-B-C-D
The 'C' is followed by the letter 'D'
A-B-C-D-E
The 'D' is followed by the letter 'E'
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H
The 'E' is followed by the letters 'F', 'G', and 'H' to complete the alphabet
I
I am going to spell 'mop' again
I say M-O
The first two letters of 'mop' are M-O
M-O-P
The 'O' is followed by the letter 'P'
M-O-P-P
The 'P' is repeated again to make it 'MOPP'
Mop
The word I spelled again is 'mop'
M-O-P-P
The first four letters of 'Mop' are M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
I am repeatedly saying the word 'Mop'
R
I am going to spell out 'rag' again
I say R-A
The first two letters of 'rag' are R-A
R-A-G
The 'A' is followed by the letter 'G'
R-A-G-G
The 'G' is repeated again to make it 'RAGG'
Rag
The word is 'Rag'
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
The words 'Rag Mop' are created by combining the spellings of 'Rag' and 'Mop'
Rag Mop
The name of the song is 'Rag Mop'
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
Rag Mop
The name of the song is repeated
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
Rag Mop
The name of the song is repeated
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
Rag Mop
The name of the song is repeated
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
Rag Mop
The name of the song is repeated
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
This is an instrumental part of the song with no lyrics
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
The words 'Rag Mop' are repeated as the chorus of the song
Rag Mop!
The name of the song is shouted with enthusiasm
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEACON ANDERSON, JOHNNIE LEE WILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@orionova
Learned this song in grade school in the early 80s. I have a toddler now who wants to play with the mop, and I've started singing this to him. He's now trying to sing along.
@user-kf5eg2ko6g
I was also in grade school in the 80s. Lol. I remember this song when we did our first grade play in music class. Mrs. Preston from McKinley Elementary in Tulsa, Oklahoma! She played the piano while we R-A-G-G M-O-P-P'ed it up. 😂
@mcscott1st
In the 80's!!!! Darn, I remember this from the early 60's and could not believe YouTube had more than 1 version!!!
@casewhite5048
At the hop to
@kevinlamitie8210
I learned this song growing up in my Granmas.that n ALLY OOP.✌️🙏
@larrywilliams9368
Same here lol born in 81
@lourock_
My grandfather used to love this song. Bless his soul! anytime I listen to it, it brings me back to a much simpler time. 🥲
@kevinlamitie8210
There was more MORALITIY N RESPECT.CLASSICOLD FASHION PROPPER STANDARDS.
@Maryballelli
My mother got me hooked on this song. She even gave me the 78!! Miss u ma.
@mandatethis8024
My mother and her sisters used to sing this , what a blast to the past.