All American Boy

(album: "Detroit City" And Other Hits - 1963)

Gather round cats and I'll tell you a story
'Bout how to become an all American boy
Buy you a guitar and put it in tune
You'll be a rocking and a rolling soon
Impressing the girls picking hot licks and all that jazz.

Ah, I bought me a guitar a year ago
Learned how to play in a day or so
And all around town it was well understood
That I was knocking 'em out like Johnny B. Goode
Hot licks showing off, ah, number one.

Yeah, I practiced all day and up into the night
My papa's hair was turning white
'Cause he didn't like rock'n roll
He said, ''You can stay boy but that's gotta go.''
He's a square he just didn't dig me at all.

So I took my guitar picks and all
Bid farewell to my poor ol' pa
Split for Memphis where they say y'all
Them swinging cats are having a ball
Sessions hot licks and all, they dig me.

I was rocking and a bopping and I was getting the breaks
The girls all said that I have what it takes
When up stepped a man with big cigar
He said, ''Come here cat, I'm gonna make you a star.
I'll put you on bandstand, buy you a Cadillac, sign here kid.''

I signed my name and became a star, having a ball with my guitar
Driving a big long Cadillac and fighting the girls off of my back
They just kept a coming, a screaming, yeah they liked it.

So I picked my guitar with a great big grin
And the money just kept on pouring in
But then one day my Uncle Sam he said, (bang bang) ''Here I am.
Uncle Sam needs you boy, I'm a gonna cut your hair off.
Ah, take this rifle kid, give me that guitar, yeah...''