Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Louis Jordan, 1946

 
 

One night farmer Brown
Was takin' the airs
Locked up the barnyard
With the greatest of care
Out in the henhouse
Somethin' stirred
When he shouted "Who's there?"
This is what he heard

There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So quiet yourself
And stop that fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
We chickens tryin' to sleep
And you bust in
And hobble, hobble hobble hobble
With your chin

There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
You're stompin' around
And shakin' the ground
You're kickin' up an awful fuss
We chicken's tryin' to sleep
And you bust in
And hobble, hobble hobble hobble, it's a sin

Tomorrow is a busy day
We got things to do
We got eggs to lay
We got ground to dig
And worms to scratch
It takes a lot of settin'
Gettin' chicks to hatch

There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So quiet yourself
And stop that fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
Kindly point that gun
The other way
And hobble, hobble hobble off and hit the hay

Tomorrow is a busy day
We got things to do
We got eggs to lay
We got ground to dig
And worms to scratch
It takes a lot of settin'
Gettin' chicks to hatch

There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So quiet yourself
And stop that fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
Kindly point that gun
The other way
And hobble, hobble hobble off and
Hit the hay

"Hey Daddy
What do ya say?"
It's easy pickens
Ain't nobody here but us chickens

 
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He was known as "The King of the Jukebox", and Louis Jordan certainly turned out the hits - 58 charted songs between 1942 and 1951. Some notable titles include Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby, Caldonia, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie (made into a chewing gum song), and that wonderful Christmas duet, Baby, It's Cold Outside, (with Ella Fitzgerald). At least four of these hits were million sellers. According to Billboard, he was the fifth most successful African-American musician of all time, ranking up with greats such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

Louis Jordan started his career in 1938 with the Tympany Five. This Harlem-based band enjoyed moderate local success with Keep A-Knockin', Sam Jones Done Snagged His Britches, and You Run Your Mouth and I'll Run My Business. He signed with Decca records Sepia Series in 1941. This was a special release of 35 cent records that were considered to have cross-over potential (Black and White audiences)

Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens stayed on top of the R&B charts for 17 weeks in 1946. Perhaps your parents or grand parents danced to this song...