Old Songs

Way down upon the Swanee River

They had a special kind of song

To help them push the work along

They'd hum it to the rhythm

of the old die-sel

And don't you know that

something happened

When they'd sing it to the snappin'

Of a Chattanooga shoe-shine boy!

They're givin' a down-blast of rhythm

They'd blow the rhythm

That was the birth of the blu-ues!

Charleston! Charleston!

Just look what the wonder's done:

Jazzy! Snazzy!

Swingin to the singer in a blue bar band

"I dream of Jeannie with the

light bro-own hair"

And there's no-o-o place

like ho..ome

"I mean I've been wanderin'

high and low to find a good old record!

A good gold record I could dig to hear!"

"But it's clear that these days

they just don't make 'em!

Some folks break 'em just to spite me!"

"You know that they've taken

my memory lane and made it a

six-lane freeway,"

Telling me:

Baby, it's the way to fly! high!

We-ell, I know when I'm beat

Lawd, I don't get much

"sle..e..e..eep.."

I'm going where I'm better known..

I need those..

Old songs, o-old songs

"I hop and bop far;

I wander near and far, for.."

Old songs, solid go-o-old songs

"They take me back way..

Into my young days,

Those o-old songs"

(Oo.. oo. ..)

"You and I are older now

and very far apart"

(Very far apa..a..art..)

"Still it's true, the thought of you

Does strange things to my heart"

(Strange things to my hea..a..art..)

"All the songs are made today

With fewer loves than mine..

But, baby, just as long as I can hear

The songs of yesteryear

I get along just fine!

I wanna hear those:"

Old songs, o-old songs

I need a melody

That wakes memories

Like those all songs

"Now, brother, you cant try and

tell me you like new songs

better than tried-and-true songs??!

I know that I never, I never had one of

them yet put a smile on my face

I know that I never had one of them yet

that would give me a case of the

low-down urges!"

The blue of the night

meets the cold of the day

Now they're the songs that really say

the things I wanna to say

They mean

a lot to me,

They really

got to me,

when I was younger!

We used to sit down long ago,

And hum a melody so soft and low

I still can hear the songs we

used to sing,

And all this rock and roll, you know:

It doesn't mean a thing to me!

All the world is sad,

And blue without you, baby

"But, baby,

(I love you)

just as long as I can hear the

songs of yesteryear,

(and I feel blue!)

I'm ju-ust fine!

I wanna hear those old songs"

I hear an old-time song,

It makes me hum along

It makes me think of happy days!

An' all in every way's are now

a happenin' song;

I cannot go on without you!

And o-o-o-old songs,

Solid go-o-o-old songs!

I need a melody:

Nothing means as much to me!