Although a handful of their subsequent singles charted, the Bobettes never again approached the success of "Mr. Lee." The group disbanded in 1974.
Mr. Lee
The Bobettes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three, four, five, look at him jive
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee
His name is Mr. Lee
I met my sweetie
His name is Mr. Lee
He's the handsomest sweetie
That you ever did see
My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee
My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee
'Cause I love you so
And I'll never let you go
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee
Here comes Mr. Lee
He's coming for me
Here comes Mr. Lee
He's coming for me
He's my lover boy
Let's jump for joy
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff
'Cause you're gonna be mine
Till the end of time
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee
The Bobettes' song "Mr. Lee" is a classic example of 1950s rock and roll music. The lyrics tell the story of a girl named Betty who has fallen in love with a man named Mr. Lee. The song uses repetition to drive home the message of the lyrics, with the chorus repeating Mr. Lee's name over and over again. The lyrics describe Betty's infatuation with Mr. Lee, and her desire to be with him forever.
The song has a joyous and upbeat tone, with the lyrics reflecting the sense of excitement and happiness that comes with falling in love. Despite the simplicity of the song's lyrics, there is a sense of sincerity and honesty in the way that Betty expresses her feelings for Mr. Lee. The repetition of the chorus helps to drive home the point that she loves him, and nothing can stop her from being with him.
One interesting aspect of "Mr. Lee" is that it was actually written by three men: Helen Miller, who was only 18 years old at the time the song was written, and two of her friends who were also teenagers. Another interesting fact is that the song was originally written for a male singer, but the Bobettes decided to sing it themselves and added harmony to make it their own.
Additionally, "Mr. Lee" hit number one on the rhythm and blues charts in 1957 after its release. The song was later covered by several other artists, including the Beach Boys and Diana Ross. It is also noted for being one of the first songs to feature an all-female, African American group.
Chords (as played on guitar):
Intro/Chorus: G - C - D - G
Verse: G - C - G - D
Note: The original recording of the song may have been in a different key or used different chord voicings.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
The singer is drawing attention to Mr. Lee and asking the listeners to look at him
Three, four, five, look at him jive
The singer describes Mr. Lee's lively and upbeat dancing
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee Oh, Mr. Lee Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee Oh, Mr. Lee Mr. Lee
The singer repeats Mr. Lee's name multiple times, emphasizing his importance
I met my sweetie His name is Mr. Lee
The singer introduces Mr. Lee as her sweetheart and reveals his name
He's the handsomest sweetie That you ever did see
The singer expresses her admiration for Mr. Lee's good looks
My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee 'Cause I love you so And I'll never let you go
The singer confesses her love for Mr. Lee and promises to never let him go
Here comes Mr. Lee He's coming for me Here comes Mr. Lee He's coming for me He's my lover boy Let's jump for joy
The singer is excited to see Mr. Lee and describes their joyful reunion
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff 'Cause you're gonna be mine Till the end of time
The singer encourages Mr. Lee to do his best and declares her intention to be with him forever
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee Three, four, five, look at him jive One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee Three, four, five, look at him jive
The singer repeats the earlier lyrics to reinforce the audience's attention on Mr. Lee's dancing
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee Oh, Mr. Lee Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee Oh, Mr. Lee Mr. Lee
The singer once again emphasizes Mr. Lee's importance by repeating his name multiple times
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EMMA RUTH POUGHT, HELEN GATHERS, JANNIE POUGHT, LAURA E. WEBB, REATHER E. DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronald Herrera
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive!!
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee ....
I met my sweetie ...
His name is Mr. Lee
I met my sweetie ....
His name is Mr. Lee
He's the hansomest sweetie
That you ever did see ....
My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee
My heart is achin' for you Mr. Lee
'Cause I love you so ....
And I'll never let you go ....
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee .....
Here comes Mr. Lee
He's coming for me ....
Here comes Mr. Lee
He's coming for me .....
He's my lover boy
Let's jump for joy !!
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff ....
'Cause you're gonna be mine
Till the end of time ....
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive!!
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive!!
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee ....
RoseyRoses
Lol! I'm 13 and my gym teacher always plays this song during class so while everyone else is talking about how lame the music he plays is, I'm playing volley ball while humming and singing along to it! 😂 it's been stuck in my head for a while and I'm so glad I finally found out what the name of it was!!!👏👏👏
Gabe Jurewicz
We had a resident named Mr Lee, I would see him in the hall and say Mr Lee Mr Lee! He'd say "1, 2, 3!"
rem1028
I would have love a gym teacher playing this music
Lee Presley
Did your gym teacher also play that song,
"Get up and do some mopping"
Pallavi Bhatia
@Moose Hole 😄😉
Adam Feldman
God Bless your gym teacher🙌
UNC
This song just has so much energy. The girls are so locked to the tempo. I love the “ Hup” after the slow rising “wannn two three”. The musicians are playin that thang. Just neighborhood girls from Manhattan. Mr Lee was their teacher.
John Colas
This is the first song I heard after 13 wks of musical isolation during Marine boot camp at MCRD San Diego--it was blaring from the jukebox in the Camp San Onofre slopchute!
AndrewPlays Piano
nice story. can't imagine being without music that long
Theresa McEaddy
One of my all time favorites. I like the defnition each females voice has.