SLEEPY TIME DOWN SOUTH
(Clarence Muse / Otis Rene / Leon Rene)
Recorded by: Andrew Adair; Louis Armstrong; Mildred Bailey;
Bob Barnard; Billy Baur; Sidney Bechet; Heather Bennett;
Terence Blanchard; Blue Note Six; Ruby Braff; Teresa Brewer;
Ray Brown Trio; Dave Brubeck; Joy Bryan; Benny Carter;
Kevin Clark; John Coates Jr.; Nat King Cole;
Concord Super Band; Danish Radio Jazz Orch.;
Wild Bill Davidson; Jimmy Dean; Dukes of Dixieland;
Dutch Swing College Band; Roy Eldridge; Duke Ellington;
Rick Fay; Pete Fountain; Carroll Gibbons; Jim Gibson;
Dizzy Gillespie; Benny Goodman; Bobby Hackett;
Bengt Halberg; Lionel Hampton; Gene Harris; Al Hirt;
Billie Holiday; Harry James; Marvin Jenkins; Leroy Jones;
Frankie Laine; Jan Lundgren; Humphrey Lyttleton;
Fraser McPherson; Made in the Shade; Wynton Marsalis;
Dean Martin; Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orch.;
The New Leviathon Oriental Foxtrot Orch.;
New York All Stars; Joe Newman; Jimmie Noone;
Nuevo Manteca; Tiger Okoshi; Original Dixieland Jazz band;
Joe Pass; Bent Persson; The Pfister Sisters; Louis Prima;
The Rampart Street Paraders; Lou Rawls;
The Red Onion Jazz Band; Buddy Rich; Paul Robeson;
Bob Rockwell; Kermit Ruffins; Arturo Sandoval;
Doc Severinsen; Ray Sherman; Carol Sloane; Sonny Stitt;
The Street Urchins; Byron Stripling; Dick Sudhalter;
Swedish Swing Society; Clark Terry; Mel Tormé; Warren Vaché;
Joe Venuti & his Orch.; Bob Wallis & his Storeyvillle Jazzmen;
Ethel Waters; George Wren; Steve Wells; Paul Weston;
Paul Whiteman; Christian Winther.
Pale moon shining on the fields below,
Folks are crooning songs soft and low,
Needn't tell me so, because I know,
It's sleepy time down south.
Soft winds blowing through the pinewood trees,
Folks down there live a life of ease,
When the twilight brings the evening breeze,
It's sleepy time down south.
Steamboats on the river a-comin' and a-goin',
Splashing the night away,
Hear those banjos ringin', the folks are all a-singin',
They dance till break of day.
Dear old southland, with its dreamy songs
Takes me back there where I belong,
How I'd love to be in mother's arms
When it's sleepy time down south.
*****
(As sung by Billie Holiday)
Homesick, tired, all alone in a big city
Why should eveybody pity me?
Nighttime falling, and I'm yearning for Virginia
Hospitality within ya calls me
Pale moon shining on the fields below
Folks are crooning songs soft and low
Need not tell me so,
Because I know it's sleepy time down south
Softs winds blowing thru the pinewood trees
Folks down there live a life of ease
When the twilight brings the evening breeze
It's sleepy time down south
Steamboats on the river, a coming, a going
Splashing the night away
Hear those banjos ringing,
The folks are all singing
They dance till break of day
Dear old Southland with its dreamy songs
Takes back there where I belong
I'll find heaven in my mothers arms
When it's sleepy time down south
*****
(As sung by Dean Martin)
Pale moon shining on the fields below
Folks are crooning songs soft and low
Needn't tell me so because I know
It's sleepy time down south
Soft winds blowing through the pinewood trees
Folks down there like a life of ease
When old mammy falls upon her knees
It's sleepy time down south
Steamboats on the river a coming or a going
Splashing the night away
Hear those banjos ringing, the people are singing
They dance til the break of day, hey
Dear old southland with his dreamy songs
Takes me back there where I belong
How I'd love to be in my mammy's arms
When it's sleepy time way down south
Dear old southland with his dreamy songs
Take me back there where I belong
How I'd love to be in my mammy's arms
When it's sleepy time down south
Sleepy time down south
*****
(As sung by Louis Armstrong)
Now the pale moon's shining on the fields below
The Folks are crooning, soft and low
You needn't tell me, boy, because I know
When it's sleepy time down south
Soft winds blowing through the pinewood trees
The folks down there live a life of ease
When old mammy falls on her knees
When it's sleepy time down south
Steamboats up the river a coming or going
Splashing the night away
You hear those banjos ringing, all the people all singing
They dance till the break of day, oh
Dear old southland with his dreamy songs
Takes me back there where I belong
Right here in my mammy's arms
When it's sleepy time way down south
(Instrumental Break)
Dear old southland with it's dreamy songs
Take me back there where I belong
Right here in my mammy's arms
When it's sleepy time
Sleepy time down south
Yes, Lawd!
*****
(Contributed/Transcribed by Bill Huntley - November 2005)
