Minnie the Moocher

Transcribed from Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, recorded December 23, 1930.
From Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 1930-1931; The Chronogical Classics 516.

Folks, now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

[Call and response scat chorus differs every time. The following is simplified:]
Hi-de-hi-de-hi-di-hi!
Ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho!
He-de-he-de-he-de-he!
Ho-de-ho-de-ho!

Now, she messed around with a bloke named Smoky,
She loved him though he was cokie,
He took her down to Chinatown,
He showed her how to kick the gong around.

Now, she had a dream about the king of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needin',
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
A diamond car with a platinum wheel.

Now, he gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses;
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
And she sat around and counted them all a billion times.

Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.

Transcribed from Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, recorded December 18, 1933.
From Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 1932-1934; The Chronogical Classics 544.

Folks, now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

[Call and response scat chorus differs every time.]
Hi-de-hi-de-hi-di-hi!
Ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho!
He-de-he-de-he-de-he!
Ho-de-ho-de-ho!

She messed around with a bloke named Smoky,
She loved him though he was cokie,
He took her down to Chinatown,
And he showed her how to kick the gong around.

She had a dream about the king of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needin',
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
A diamond car with a platinum wheel.

He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses;
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
She sat around and counted them all a million times.

Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.

Now, here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a low-down hoochie-coocher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

Ho-de-ho-de-ho
Ho-de-ho-de-ho
Hi-de-hi-de-hi
Hi-de-hi-de-hi
Bodoo-la-doo-la-doo-ba-doo
Bodoo-la-doo-la-doo-la-doo
Ho-de-ho-de-ho
Ho-de-ho-de-ho

She messed around with a bloke named Smokey,
She loved him though he was cokey.
He took her down to Chinatown,
And showed her how to kick the gong around.

Oh, the gong around!
Oh, the gong around!
Wit-da-slow-joe-vi
Wit-da-slow-joe-vi
Bod-de-doden-boddle-oh
Bod-de-doden-boddle-oh
Ho-de-ho-ho-ho-ho
Ho-de-ho-ho-ho-ho

She had a dream 'bout the king of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needing,
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
A platinum car with diamond studded wheels.

Hi-de-hi-de-hey!
Hi-de-hi-de-hey!
O-de-bot-doo-doo!
O-de-bot-doo-doo!
Ba-doo-ba-doo-ba-doo-bottle!
Ba-doo-ba-doo-ba-doo-bottle!
La-Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

Poor Min, dead Min, oh, Minnie-Min.

Return to the Works of Cab Calloway.
Return to the Jazz and Blues Lyrics Page.
Read about the Betty Boop cartoon Minnie the Moocher.
 

Published 12/5/98.
Updated 12/28/01.

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