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Gator Blood Lyrics

Hammer on a skillet up they come
Showman whanging on a ballyhoo drum
Watch out, people I'm a greedy man
Swallowed all the fishes in the frying pan
Blood, gator blood, I got gator blood

Chicken on a hotplate gobbledegook
Come on up, honey and take a look
Mighty fine weather this time of year
Shake a tail feather you chicken you hear
Blood, gator blood, I got gator blood

Chicken on a hotplate it's gonna dance
Gonna lose these chickens my first chance
Don't you know I'm a flim flam man
A chicken show it ain't worth a damn
Gator blood, I got gator blood

I got a country boy, he's a bird who sings
Butter paddle, buck 'n wing
Kid's got a winner bonafide hit
I'm gonna have my dinner on a spit
Blood, gator blood, I got gator blood

Hoopla, humbug, howdy-do
Gonna make you into chicken stew
Alligator in the mud
Don't you know I got gator blood
Gator blood, I got gator blood

Never lend a dollar to your good friend Tom
Hogwash Holler is where he's from
If you got treasure all in a vault
And he gets you, baby that's your own fault
Gator blood, I got gator blood
1 Meaning

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Cover art for Gator Blood lyrics by Mark Knopfler

He's maybe a snake-oil salesman, maybe's got a cure-all-y'all's-ills potion - some kind of old-fashioned scammer, beating on a skillet with a hammer to attract attention (up they come"), a "showman whanging on a ballyhoo drum" ("ballyhoo: blatant or sensational promotion; hoopla, hype, plug, promotional material, publicity.") Sweet-talking and chatting up his prey (Come on up, honey...mighty fine weather...") He's a "flim-flam man;" a con man, with nothing of real value, just a lot of hoopla and humbug - "this chicken show ain't worth a damn.". He's got a singing boy who's part of the show; he's actually pretty good, has a real hit record - draws a crowd for this fast-talking salesman.

Negative
Subjective
Disgust
Deception
Scammer
Showman
Hoopla
Flim-flam

@Cherokeeridge I have since read that this song is specifically about "Colonel" Tom Parker - the fast-talking flim-flam man who controlled Elvis Presley, the country boy with the hit record. Parker (as far as I know) was never an actual travelling salesman with a worthless product, but he was a con-man for sure, and MK draws the parallel so delightfully.

@Cherokeeridge "In addition to general deceiving or tricking, the verb "flimflam" is often used specifically to refer to swindling someone out of money" - which Parker definitely did to Elvis.

 
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