Chords with lyrics
MINNIE THE MOOCHER by Cab Calloway
Transcribed from Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, recorded December 18, 1933.
From Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 1932-1934; The Chronogical Classics 544.
(FIRST VERSE)
(
E minorEm)Folks, now here's the story 'bout (
A minorAm)Minnie the (E minorEm)Moocher,
(A minorAm)She was a red-hot (B7/11 ?)hootchie- (E minorEm)cootcher,
(E minorEm)She was the roughest, (A minorAm) toughest frail,
(B7/9)But Minnie had a heart as big as a (E minorEm)whale.
(SCAT CHORUS)
(---------------------------------------------|E minorEm)Hi-de-hi-de-hi-di-hi! (repeat in E minorEm)
(---------------------------------------------|A minorAm)Ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho! (repeat in A minorAm)
(B7/11)He-de-he-de-he-de-he! (repeat in B7/11-|
(A minorAm)Ay-ee-ay-ee-ay-ee(E minorEm)ay!
(END LINE)
(E minorEm)Poor Min, (A minorAm)poor Min, (B7/11)poor.........(E minorEm) Min.
This is a transcription from an orchestrated version that was mainly
comp/vamping through the minor progression. Vocals and a trumpet lead
line made up most of the melody, sang and played in an E minorEm scale. These
chord changes were the ones implied by the scales and common structure
in this style of progression.
The chords: E minorEm = 022000, A minorAm = X02210, B7/11 = X21200
These chords should be played as seen fit around the vocal phrasing.
A augmentedA bit of information on some of the lyrics: A augmentedA "frail" was slang for
woman back then, The King of Sweden was a notorious playboy of the
day, a "cokie" was...well what do you think it was? (Duh!) Anyway...
On the "End Line", the last "poor" should be extended as long as
practical. I have several versions, on all of them it is extended
and on one version the word "po-o-o-o-o-r" is held well over forty
seconds in length, the last "Min" then sang in an exaggerated bass
voice, with a final E minorEm chord wind-up.
MINNIE THE MOOCHER by Cab Calloway
Folks, now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
[Call and response scat chorus differs every time.]
H----------------|i-de-hi-de-hi-di-hi! (Chorus repeats line)
H----------------|o-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho! (Chorus repeats line)
H----------------|e-de-he-de-he-de-he! (Chorus repeats line)
Ay-ee-ay-ee-ay---|ee-aye!
She messed around with a bloke named Smoky,
She loved him though he was cokie,
He took her down to Chinatown,
And he showed her how to kick the gong around.
She had a dream about the King of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needin',
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
A augmentedA diamond car with a platinum wheel.
He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses;
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
She sat around and counted them all a million times.
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.
Other versions of Minnie The Moocher
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Minnie The Moocher by Cab Calloway
