Chords for Jelly Roll Morton on the Mardi Gras Indians (1938)
Tempo:
86.125 bpm
Chords used:
C#
Fm
E
F
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Ongay [C#]-ha, Ongay-ha, Ongay-ha.
That would be some of the boys when they would be traveling in the city of New Orleans.
That is during the Mardi Gras.
They prepared for the Indian tribes.
I never known any more than four or five tribes in the whole city of all the thousands of people that were there.
And these people, they had the idea that they wanted to act exactly like the old Indians did in the years gone by.
And they wanted to live true to traditions of their style.
If they happened to meet a friend of a tribe or a friendly tribe to them, they would pitch in and start dancing.
Now, this was one of the biggest feats that ever happened during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Even when the parades that cost millions of dollars would be coming along,
if a band of Indians was coming in, why, the parade wouldn't have anybody there.
Everybody would flock to see the Indians.
They would dance and they would sing and they would go on just like the regular Indians.
They would be armed with thick tissues, spears and tommyhawks and so forth.
And incidentally, sometimes some of them would break the rules and have some real material to fight with, with steel and so forth and on.
Some even had pistols.
And I have known many cases where there have been killings in the city of New Orleans with the Indian bands.
Now, here's the way they would sing when they would be dancing.
They'd form a ring and one would get in the center and he'd start his kind of an Indian dance.
And he'd be singing, throwing his head back and downward and stooping kind of over and bending his knees and doing a kind of a jug dance, I'd call it.
And they would say, tu-we-baka-we, and a whole bunch would answer back.
[Fm] A-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu [C#]-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
See, they would have a kind of a rhythm with their heels, like this.
Tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, [E] tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah [F]-n-de.
A-la-ka-yo-ko, a-la-ka-wo, [C#] o-tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
And they would say other things.
They would stop for a minute and throw their head back and say, a-la-ka-yo, a-la-ka-we, a-hoo-we-baka-we, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
Now, there would be from time to time, if they didn't meet a friendly tribe towards them, which I thought when I was a child, it was really Indians.
I thought they had the paints and everything else on them just like the Indians would, some with the blankets and so forth and so on.
Women never was in these masquerades at all.
Then meet a real enemy, the enemy would walk up to, that is, what you call the spy boys.
They would use them about two blocks ahead.
I had a little experience in it myself.
I happened to be a spy boy.
There was always kids that did the spying.
These were real men that did this Indian dance and played the Indians.
And their main object was to make the enemy bow.
And they would use this word.
When the spy boys would meet another spy boy, they'd say, bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.
I don't remember all the words they used to use.
And they'd point their fingers to the ground, bow-wow.
And if they wouldn't bow, then they'd use the Indian call, woo-woo-woo-woo-woo.
And when they'd use that Indian call, why, that was the calling of tribes.
And then many a time, these Indian things came up,
That would be some of the boys when they would be traveling in the city of New Orleans.
That is during the Mardi Gras.
They prepared for the Indian tribes.
I never known any more than four or five tribes in the whole city of all the thousands of people that were there.
And these people, they had the idea that they wanted to act exactly like the old Indians did in the years gone by.
And they wanted to live true to traditions of their style.
If they happened to meet a friend of a tribe or a friendly tribe to them, they would pitch in and start dancing.
Now, this was one of the biggest feats that ever happened during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Even when the parades that cost millions of dollars would be coming along,
if a band of Indians was coming in, why, the parade wouldn't have anybody there.
Everybody would flock to see the Indians.
They would dance and they would sing and they would go on just like the regular Indians.
They would be armed with thick tissues, spears and tommyhawks and so forth.
And incidentally, sometimes some of them would break the rules and have some real material to fight with, with steel and so forth and on.
Some even had pistols.
And I have known many cases where there have been killings in the city of New Orleans with the Indian bands.
Now, here's the way they would sing when they would be dancing.
They'd form a ring and one would get in the center and he'd start his kind of an Indian dance.
And he'd be singing, throwing his head back and downward and stooping kind of over and bending his knees and doing a kind of a jug dance, I'd call it.
And they would say, tu-we-baka-we, and a whole bunch would answer back.
[Fm] A-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu [C#]-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
See, they would have a kind of a rhythm with their heels, like this.
Tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, [E] tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah [F]-n-de.
A-la-ka-yo-ko, a-la-ka-wo, [C#] o-tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
And they would say other things.
They would stop for a minute and throw their head back and say, a-la-ka-yo, a-la-ka-we, a-hoo-we-baka-we, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
Now, there would be from time to time, if they didn't meet a friendly tribe towards them, which I thought when I was a child, it was really Indians.
I thought they had the paints and everything else on them just like the Indians would, some with the blankets and so forth and so on.
Women never was in these masquerades at all.
Then meet a real enemy, the enemy would walk up to, that is, what you call the spy boys.
They would use them about two blocks ahead.
I had a little experience in it myself.
I happened to be a spy boy.
There was always kids that did the spying.
These were real men that did this Indian dance and played the Indians.
And their main object was to make the enemy bow.
And they would use this word.
When the spy boys would meet another spy boy, they'd say, bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.
I don't remember all the words they used to use.
And they'd point their fingers to the ground, bow-wow.
And if they wouldn't bow, then they'd use the Indian call, woo-woo-woo-woo-woo.
And when they'd use that Indian call, why, that was the calling of tribes.
And then many a time, these Indian things came up,
Key:
C#
Fm
E
F
C#
Fm
E
F
Ongay [C#]-ha, Ongay-ha, Ongay-ha.
_ _ _ That would be some of the boys when they would be traveling in the city of New Orleans.
That is during the Mardi Gras.
They prepared for the Indian tribes.
I never known any more than four or five tribes in the whole city of all the thousands of people that were there.
And these people, they had the idea that they wanted to act exactly like the old Indians did in the years gone by.
And they wanted to live true to traditions of their style.
If they happened to meet a friend of a tribe or a friendly tribe to them, they would pitch in and start dancing.
Now, this was one of the biggest feats that ever happened during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Even when the parades that cost millions of dollars would be coming along,
if a band of Indians was coming in, why, the parade wouldn't have anybody there.
Everybody would flock to see the Indians.
They would dance and they would sing and they would go on just like the regular Indians.
They would be armed with thick tissues, _ spears and tommyhawks and so forth.
And incidentally, sometimes some of them would break the rules and have some real material to fight with, with steel and so forth and on.
Some even had pistols.
And I have known many cases where there have been killings in the city of New Orleans with the Indian bands.
Now, here's the way they would sing when they would be dancing.
They'd form a ring and one would get in the center and he'd start his kind of an Indian dance.
And he'd be singing, throwing his head back and downward and stooping kind of over and bending his knees and doing a kind of a jug dance, I'd call it.
And they would say, tu-we-baka-we, and a whole bunch would answer back.
[Fm] A-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu [C#]-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
See, they would have a kind of a rhythm with their heels, like this. _ _
_ Tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, [E] tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah [F]-n-de.
A-la-ka-yo-ko, a-la-ka-wo, [C#] o-tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
And they would say other things.
They would stop for a minute and throw their head back and say, a-la-ka-yo, a-la-ka-we, a-hoo-we-baka-we, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
Now, there would be from time to time, if they didn't meet a friendly tribe towards them, which I thought when I was a child, it was really Indians.
I thought they had the paints and everything else on them just like the Indians would, some with the blankets and so forth and so on.
Women never was in these masquerades at all.
Then meet a real enemy, the enemy would walk up to, that is, what you call the spy boys.
They would use them about two blocks ahead.
I had a little experience in it myself.
I happened to be a spy boy.
There was always kids that did the spying.
These were real men that did this Indian dance and played the Indians.
And their main object was to make the enemy bow.
And they would use this word.
When the spy boys would meet another spy boy, they'd say, bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.
I don't remember all the words they used to use.
And they'd point their fingers to the ground, bow-wow.
And if they wouldn't bow, then they'd use the Indian call, woo-woo-woo-woo-woo.
And when they'd use that Indian call, why, that was the calling of tribes.
And then many a time, these Indian things came up,
_ _ _ That would be some of the boys when they would be traveling in the city of New Orleans.
That is during the Mardi Gras.
They prepared for the Indian tribes.
I never known any more than four or five tribes in the whole city of all the thousands of people that were there.
And these people, they had the idea that they wanted to act exactly like the old Indians did in the years gone by.
And they wanted to live true to traditions of their style.
If they happened to meet a friend of a tribe or a friendly tribe to them, they would pitch in and start dancing.
Now, this was one of the biggest feats that ever happened during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Even when the parades that cost millions of dollars would be coming along,
if a band of Indians was coming in, why, the parade wouldn't have anybody there.
Everybody would flock to see the Indians.
They would dance and they would sing and they would go on just like the regular Indians.
They would be armed with thick tissues, _ spears and tommyhawks and so forth.
And incidentally, sometimes some of them would break the rules and have some real material to fight with, with steel and so forth and on.
Some even had pistols.
And I have known many cases where there have been killings in the city of New Orleans with the Indian bands.
Now, here's the way they would sing when they would be dancing.
They'd form a ring and one would get in the center and he'd start his kind of an Indian dance.
And he'd be singing, throwing his head back and downward and stooping kind of over and bending his knees and doing a kind of a jug dance, I'd call it.
And they would say, tu-we-baka-we, and a whole bunch would answer back.
[Fm] A-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu [C#]-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
See, they would have a kind of a rhythm with their heels, like this. _ _
_ Tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, [E] tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah [F]-n-de.
A-la-ka-yo-ko, a-la-ka-wo, [C#] o-tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
And they would say other things.
They would stop for a minute and throw their head back and say, a-la-ka-yo, a-la-ka-we, a-hoo-we-baka-we, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de, tu-we-baka-we, a-hoo-tah-n-de.
Now, there would be from time to time, if they didn't meet a friendly tribe towards them, which I thought when I was a child, it was really Indians.
I thought they had the paints and everything else on them just like the Indians would, some with the blankets and so forth and so on.
Women never was in these masquerades at all.
Then meet a real enemy, the enemy would walk up to, that is, what you call the spy boys.
They would use them about two blocks ahead.
I had a little experience in it myself.
I happened to be a spy boy.
There was always kids that did the spying.
These were real men that did this Indian dance and played the Indians.
And their main object was to make the enemy bow.
And they would use this word.
When the spy boys would meet another spy boy, they'd say, bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.
I don't remember all the words they used to use.
And they'd point their fingers to the ground, bow-wow.
And if they wouldn't bow, then they'd use the Indian call, woo-woo-woo-woo-woo.
And when they'd use that Indian call, why, that was the calling of tribes.
And then many a time, these Indian things came up,