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Sweet Gene Vincent Lyrics
Blue Gene baby
Skinny white sailor, the chances were slender, the beauties were brief
Shall I mourn your decline with some Thunderbird wine and a black hankerchief?
I miss your sad Virgina whisper, I miss the voice that called my heart
Sweet Gene Vincent
Young and old and gone
Sweet Gene Vincent
Who, who, who slapped John?
White face, black shirt
White socks, black shoes
Black hair, white strat
Bled white, died black
Sweet Gene Vincent
Let the blue caps roll tonight
At the Sock Hop Ball in the union hall
Where the bop is their delight
Here comes duck-tail Danny dragging uncanny Annie, she's the one with the flying feet
You can break the peace, daddy sickle grease the beat is reet complete
And the jump back honey in the dungarees, tight sweater and a pony-tail
Will you guess her age when she comes backstage, the hoodlums bite their nails
Black gloves, white frost
Black crepe, white lead
White sheet, black knight
Jet black, dead white
Sweet Gene Vincent
There's one in every town
And the devil drives till the hearse arrives
And you lay the pistol down
Sweet Gene Vincent
With nowhere left to hide
With lazy skin and ash-tray eyes
And perforated pride
So farewell, mademoiselle knicker-bocker hotel
Goodbye to money owed
But your leg still hurts and you need more shirts
You got to get back on the road
Shall I mourn your decline with some Thunderbird wine and a black hankerchief?
I miss your sad Virgina whisper, I miss the voice that called my heart
Young and old and gone
Sweet Gene Vincent
Who, who, who slapped John?
White socks, black shoes
Black hair, white strat
Bled white, died black
Let the blue caps roll tonight
At the Sock Hop Ball in the union hall
Where the bop is their delight
You can break the peace, daddy sickle grease the beat is reet complete
And the jump back honey in the dungarees, tight sweater and a pony-tail
Will you guess her age when she comes backstage, the hoodlums bite their nails
Black crepe, white lead
White sheet, black knight
Jet black, dead white
There's one in every town
And the devil drives till the hearse arrives
And you lay the pistol down
With nowhere left to hide
With lazy skin and ash-tray eyes
And perforated pride
Goodbye to money owed
But your leg still hurts and you need more shirts
You got to get back on the road
Song Info
Submitted by
twotonepoet On Aug 05, 2002
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Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Gene Vincent was from Norfolk, Virginia and enlisted in the US Navy - hence the reference to the "Skinny White Sailor" with the "Virginia whisper".
"Who slapped John" was Dury's favourite Gene Vincent song.
I've never heard that Who Slapped John was Dury's favourite, he chose another for Desert Island Discs for instance.
The song is about rock ‘n’ roll tragedy Gene Vincent, Vincent suffered a motorbike accident that left his left leg in callipers (very similar to Dury’s) and caused him sufficient pain, while in hospital he bought his hit Be Bop A-Lula off another patient. After being in the same car-crash that killed Eddie Cochran his leg became worse and became addicted to alcohol and pain killers before eventually dying of an ulcer in his mothers arms, his last words were ‘you can call the ambulance now momma’
He's what i have
Blue Gene Baby – this is the first line of Blue Jean Bob, sung almost identically to how it is in the original Skinny white sailor – Gene Vincent used to be in the Navy Who, who, who slapped john? – reference to the song ‘Who Slapped John’ the B-side of Blue Jean Bop. Let the Blue Caps roll tonight – The Blue Caps were Gene Vincent’s backing band ala The Crickets. She’s the one with the flying feet – a line lifted wholesale from Be Bop A Lula and you jump back honey in the dungarees, tight sweater and a pony tail – references to two more Gene Vincent songs ‘Jump Back Honey Jump Back’ and ‘Red Blue Jeans and a Pony Tail’
and the devil drives ‘till the hearse arrives - I’m pretty sure this is a reference to Vincent’s song ‘Race with the Devil’ and you lay that pistol down – if you haven’t heard Gene Vincent sing Pistol Packin’ Momma your worthless life isn’t complete, anyway it’s from that song. More to come
This is pretty much all my own research and unverified for the most part, but i think it's all correct or near enough, some lines have double meanings related to Vincent's life.
MeX