Transcribed from vocals by Ethel Waters, recorded
August 25, 1925.
From Ethel
Waters 1925-1926, The Chronogical Classics, vol. 672.
Lucy Lee from Tennessee,
Went and bought a radio set;
She also had a household pet,
The loudest-speakin' papa I've
heard yet;
He talked tough, acted rough,
And he strutted terribly proud,
He'd rave and shout out loud;
He always sounded like a crowd;
One night he bawled her out about
her radio,
This made Miss Lucy angry and she
told him so.
She said:
Loud-speakin' papa, you better speak
easy to me;
Someday you'll shout and then no
doubt,
I'm gonna turn your dial and tune
you out,
'Cause I don't have to listen to
your noise and din.
There's plenty other stations I
can tune right in,
So loud-speakin' papa, you better
speak easy to me!
Get what I'm saying:
You better speak easy to me!
You listening now to station WIFE,
Your mama is announcin', listen
carefully:
If you get mama angry, as sure
as you're born,
I'm gonna twist your aerial, and
bust your horn;
I don't like your broadcastin'
anyhow,
Your program's gettin' stale; it's
full of static now;
You know your mama's got an awful
powerful set,
And there ain't nothin' nowhere
that I can't get!
So loud-speakin' papa, you'd better
speak easy to me!
Someday you'll shout and then no
doubt,
I'm gonna turn your dial and tune
you out,
I've got a strong suspicion that
you cannot last,
'Cause you're wearin' out your
storage batteries mighty fast,
So loud-speakin' papa, you'd better
speak easy to me,
Pipe down, sailor! you'd better
speak easy to me!
Transcribed from vocals by Danny Hall and Harry
"Ukulele" Mays, recorded October 1925.
From: Hokum
Blues 1924-1929, The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order
of Ukulele Bob Williams, The Two of Spades, Louise Ross, Danny Small &
Ukulele Mays, The Pebbles, Feathers and Frogs, Swan and Lee; Document Records,
DOCD-5370.
[Spoken]
Say, boy, Miss Lucy bought a radio
last night.
Did she, boy?
Yes, and her old man bawled her
out;
And for bawling her out, boy, you
should have heard what she told him.
What she tell him, boy?
This is what she told him:
Lucy Lee from Tennessee,
Went and bought a radio set;
She also had as a household pet
The loudest-speakin' papa that
I've heard yet;
He talked tough, acted rough,
And he strutted terribly proud,
He'd rage and shout out loud,
He always sounded like a crowd;
One night he bawled her out about
her radio,
That made Miss Lucy angry and she
told him so.
What she say, boy?
She said:
Loud-speakin' papa, you better speak
easy to me;
Someday you'll shout and then no
doubt,
I'm gonna turn your dial and tune
you out,
'Cause I don't have to listen to
your noise and din.
There's plenty other stations I
can tune right in,
So loud-speakin' papa, you better
speak easy to me!
You better speak easy to me!
[Scatting]
You're listening now to station
WIFE,
Your mama is announcin', listen
carefully:
If you get mama angry, just as
sure as you're born,
I'm gonna twist your aerial, and
I'm gonna bust your horn;
I don't like what you're broadcastin'
anyhow,
Your program's gettin' stale; it's
full of static now;
And you know your mama's got an
awful powerful set,
And there ain't nothin' noways
that your mama can't get!
I've got a strong suspicion that
you will not last,
You're wearin' out your storage
batteries mighty fast,
So loud-speakin' papa, you'd better
speak easy to, you'd better speak easy to me!
Return to the Heptune Jazz and Blues Lyrics Page.
Published 12/2/99.
Updated 2/1/00.
Ethel Waters starred in both the stage and film version of Cabin in the Sky. The movie also starred Lena Horne and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington had minor roles. Waters commented in her remarkable autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, that she didn't enjoy making the movie -- too much behind-the-scenes back-biting.
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