Blues in the Night
Words & Music by Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen, 1941
Recorded by Rosemary Clooney, 1952 (#17)
Written for a film called Hot Nocturne, this song became so popular that the movie
was re-titled Blues in the Night
[A]
My mama done tol' me, when I was in kneepants,
[A7]
My mama done tol' me, "Son,
[D7]
A woman'll sweet talk, and give ya the big eye,
[B7] [E7] [A]
But when the sweet talkin's done,
[E7] [Am7] [E7]
A woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing who'll leave ya t' sing
[A] [D9] [A]
The blues in the night."
Refrain:
[A7] [E7] [Am7] [D7]
Now the rain's a-fallin', hear the train a-callin',
[A]
"Whoo-ee." (My mama done tol' me,)
[D9] [Dm6] [E7]
Hear that lonesome whistle blowin' 'cross the trestle,
[A]
"Whoo-ee." (My mama done tol' me.)
[E7]
A whoo-ee-duh whoo-ee,
[B7] [E7] [A] [D9] [A]
Ol' clickety clack's a-echoin' back the blues in the night.
[D9] [Dm6]
The evening breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
[E7] [C7] [B]+ [F#7-5] [Am6] [B7] [E7] [Dm6] [E7]
And the moon'll hide it's light when you get the blues in the night;
[D9] [Dm6] [E7] [C7] [B]+
Take my word, the mockingbird'll sing the saddest kind of song,
[F#m7]-5 [Am6] [B7] [E7] [Dm6] [Gm6] [E7]
He knows things are wrong, and he's right.
From Natchez to Mobile, from Memphis to Saint Joe,
Wherever the four winds blow;
I've been in some big towns and heard me some big talk,
But there is one thing I know:
A woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing who'll leave ya t' sing
The blues in the night.
Refrain:
Coda:
[A] [A7] [B7] [E7]
Oooo - oooo - oooo, oooo - oooo - oooo,
[B7] [E7sus4] [A]
My mama was right, there's blues in the night.
