Were searching for a diff'rent tune
So they started swayin' to and fro
And they made that, the start of the blues
One, that they could croon as only they can
Then they rehearsed it
Until it was worn into a blue note
They rehearsed it
That the Southland gave birth to the blues
They didn't know just what to use
And then they nursed it
They nursed it
And from a jail came the wail of a down-hearted frail
Pushed it through a horn
And then sent out that news
Singin' weird melodies
This is how the blues really began
They only had the rhythm
And they sent out that news
They heard the breeze in the trees
From a whippoorwill way upon a hill
And they played that as a part of the blues
They took a new note