Oh! they say some people long ago Were searching for a diff'rent tune One that they could croon As only they can They only had the rhythm so They started swaying to and fro They didn't know just what they had And that is how the blues really began They heard the breeze in the trees Singing weird melodies And they made that The start of the blues And from a jail came the wail Of a down hearted frail And they played that As part of the blues From a whippoorwill out on a hill They took a new note Pushed it through a horn 'til it was born into a blue note And then they nursed it, rehearsed it And gave out the news That the southland Gave birth to the blues!