Dr. John - Mess Around Lyrics






Yeah yeah
Yeah, you all get down, and mess around

Ah this is my little style of boogie
It's what you call radiatin', a radiatin'
You know what I'm saying
Yeah everybody go ahead, and get down
I go home and break down

You know someone's got that backyard BBQ
Everybody's doin' it baby, something new
We're gonna mess around
Gonna get down, and mess around
Yeah gonna mess around

See that little girl, with the diamond nng
She's surely knows how, to do her thing
She'll know, how to mess around
She'll gonna get down, and mess around
Everybody go ahead and get down
Now I'm gonna play a little piano for you
Ah go ahead, and play that saxophone

Go ahead and you take Sally, and I'll take Sue
Gonna do the funky thing, baby, me and you
We're gonna mess around
Everybody get down, and mess around
Everybody go ahead, and get down
You all got to do the mess around

You all break down, yeah now
Break down, and mess around
Just gimme that real good thing

Keep doin' my thing, been messin' around
You're doing that funky thing
When you're doing that mess around
Everybody break down
Get down, oh, everybody do it
Go ahead and mess around
Go for that story and get down
I said everybody get down
Everybody do that little mess around
Oh mess around, get down and mess around





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Dr. John Mess Around Comments
  1. P.... R....

    I used to think I could learn to play these tunes by watching Dr.John's videos, but he uses EVERY finger to play so many notes without moving his hands that it's hard to follow along! Amazingly gifted musician, for sure! I even purchased Happy Traum's "Dr. John Teaches New Orleans Piano 1 & 2" VHS cassettes several years ago. Those videos inspired me to forget about learning and just sit back, listen and enjoy his talent.

  2. n.... t....

    glidin', stridin', ridin', rollin' , and slippin' with the good doctor. i hope t' meetcha up there.

  3. O.... ....

    Piano was Dr. John's 2nd instrument. That's like finding out that English was Shakespeare's second language

  4. A.... B....

    Sounds like "Cow Cow Blues" by Cow Cow Davenport (1925) is the basic melody, structure and underpinnings, and then "Mess Around" is layered on the top, and also at the endings/cadences of some of the phrases. Let me go hear "Mess Around" in the original version as I'm not familiar with blues piano past around 1938. However, just from right now, I hear at least 3/4 "Cow Cow Blues" in this. Probably 1/4 of this performance is "Mess Around" plus Dr. John's own ideas.

  5. D.... P....

    great left hand.

  6. T.... S....

    Amazing musician & all round cool cat. I’m belatedly reading his biography Under A Hoodoo Moon & what a great read it is... packed full of so many funny stories & off the wall characters, and I’m only on chapter three!

  7. R.... S....

    If you want some good healin' music, don't mess around, call the Doc...playin' with Ray up in Heaven now, man could you imagine that, talk about a Godsend, love ya Doc-R.I.P. brother and thanks for all the great music....

  8. M.... M....

    Mosted respect. Legend in my life time. RIP Dr. John.

  9. N.... C....

    RIP wonderful artist

  10. D.... C....

    RIP Doctor, King of the
    Night Trippers!

    D.... C....

    The I hate to say it but..."OG Night Tripper" GOAT keyboards.

    D.... C....

    @MichaelN MichaelN OG indeed, but what's the GOAT? Fraid I'm not hip to that.

  11. S.... t....

    My God, what we've lost, please make it safe to heaven above

    S.... t....

    Sherry the gypsy Salzman yes.

  12. 1.... ....

    Doc, I've been a fan since the GrisGris album. Rock In Peace, Heaven just got a lot funkier.

  13. G.... M....

    Rest In Peace Dr John

  14. S.... ....

    R.I.P. Mack Rebenack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkvHxO_QkT0

  15. R.... A....

    Mac was the living breathing definition of lagniappe ! 💜💚💛🌿 Gwan which yo bad to the bone self , Mr Gris Gris . Have a wild trip .

  16. T.... H....

    RIP Dr John you absolute legend

  17. S.... P....

    Rest in Paradise Dr

  18. l.... ....

    RIP Dr. John rest easy and thanks for all the good music. Glad I got to see you live.

  19. A.... G....

    He is actually playing alot of licks from Tipitina in this video. Sounds Wonderful

  20. S.... ....

    I’ve never seen anyone play like him,except for Liberace.

  21. M.... L....

    mission for 2019 ... learn this ...

  22. M.... L....

    such a bad cat ...

  23. M.... L....

    astonishing @ 1:20 ... where the hell did that come from ... virtuosity ... need to meet this man ...

    M.... L....

    Sounds like tibitina

  24. B.... d....

    Simply the best.

  25. M.... K....

    "Let not your right hand know what your left hand is doing." -- Mr Righty and Mr Lefty are a Jazz Duo, bass, rhythm and lead...………..add Mr Singer Vox

  26. a.... ....

    i gotta practice that left hand----dr j in his prime

  27. w.... ....

    I have been playing this and some of his other stuff for a few years (sheet music at jazzinotes.com and bluespianosheets.com), and it is damn hard to generate a groove like that. Despite the endearingly rough sound there is considerable technical skill here. Some of the rolling runs are awkward if you try to play them exactly as he did (which is fortunately not necessary). I don't know if I ever played chordal octave bit at 2.00 accurately at full speed. My respect for him as a pianist went up when I read his book, which gives the impression that he doesn't really identify as a solo pianist. And when I listened to the whole 2 dvd set from which this vid was taken ('Dr John teaches New Orleans piano') my respect increased because it seems that a high percentage of what he did was improvised. You just have to listen to the tutorial bits where he repeats pieces slower. He often plays them differently (even replaying stuff in a different key). I would love to know how much of this recording was improvised.

    w.... ....

    Where did you find sheet music for this piece? Had a look at the website you listed but couldn't find this one.

  28. U.... B....

    Sounds as good as John Candy's version on the dash of the Chrysler LeBaron Town and country.

  29. i.... ....

    A great example of American music, which was written by Ahmet Ertegun, a Turk. (Minus the beautiful embellishments in this rendition)

    i.... ....

    nice work for a record company owner!

    i.... ....

    Did Ertugan really create it or did he steal it from somewhere? I have my doubts. He was a businessman, a record producer, he owned Atlantic Records. But was he a really good piano player too? Because only a damned good boogie piano player - like a Professor Longhair or Alan Tousaint or Dr. John - could have composed something like “Mess Around”. I’m not accusing Ertogan of anything but unless he could really play piano in the New Orleans boogie style, I doubt he could compose this music.

    i.... ....

    Steven Yourke This is actually the Cow Cow Blues by Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport from Alabama, from 1925.

  30. D.... D....

    https://merylstreeplife.blogspot.co.id/2012/02/jamie-lynn-spears-was-pregnant-in-16.html

  31. B.... J....

    Ray would be proud.

  32. j.... s....

    This is absolutely amazing. How is music like this not somehow played to everyone? Amazing to listen to, amazing to watch, amazing to think all that sound is coming from one person. Wow.

  33. N.... S....

    Saw him when I was 13, gave up piano + took up guitar

  34. m.... m....

    id cut off both my hands to be able to play like that



    wait no

    m.... m....

    michael moone but it would've been better without the 'wait. no'. Rhythm you see.

    m.... m....

    michael moone But then you couldn't play at all! May I suggest something a little further down but sacrifice only one, usually, the left one.

  35. S.... ....

    What a player .

  36. M.... ....

    ... No way he's human.

    M.... ....

    Så skulle man kunna spela

    M.... ....

    Sven Olof Ahlström

    Mycket bra bror!

  37. C.... F....

    Mac, is the Best, Cousin figel

  38. p.... w....

    Has anyone got him playing Stagger Lee? I can only find a version without video and one with Elton John....

  39. a.... v....

    where can i find the sheets?

    a.... v....

    +alex vdb 


    Bluespianosheets


    Your welcome.

    a.... v....

    +nath909 you are a hero sir

  40. V.... H....

    Without the vocal, this is Cow Cow Davenport's Cow Cow Blues, including the descending bass lines, and the hook at the end 

    V.... H....

    Jan Randall at the beginning he says that it is Cow Cow Blues mixed up with the Mess Around

  41. M.... R....

    anyone know if that other riff he uses at the top is from some other tune?

    M.... R....

    Matt Randall there's a lot of riffs and licks from tipitina in this song

    M.... R....

    Of his Tipitina version, of course

  42. C.... G....

    Has anyone got him playing swanee river boogie, I've heard he plays it fast but I can't find it on YouTube.

    C.... G....

    OK, I will upload that video soon.

  43. D.... S....

    unbelievable

  44. M.... C....

    Bray Wyatt. 

    M.... C....

    fuckin epic!

    M.... C....

    he got the whole piano in his hands!

  45. J.... A....

    Great piano work, although Ray Charles did it much better.

    J.... A....

    Ray Charles didn't give it that 'Nawlins' feel though.

    J.... A....

    Jacek A. Placek no. from a pianist. this is great.

  46. h.... w....

    who does not like to mess around? -love this man

  47. J.... S....

    This is wonderful.  Nothing here is very difficult to do.  It's a lot of octaves and sixths.  The difficulty is in the loose rhythm and being able to internalize the raw feel... and I can't do this tune.

    J.... S....

    You have to have been from New Orleans. Eat , drink & sin in New Orleans. It's a combo of knowing what it means , to miss New Orleans & you gotta write out each note to memorize the rhythmic syncopation. Then you have control.

    J.... S....

    Elements of musical simplicity do not equate em with technical ease or lack of difficulty.

    J.... S....

    BOBBY D I guess I’m fucked then.

  48. J.... A....

    Ya its called play it on a piano and it will sound amazing!

  49. t.... b....

    Dr johns made me wanna learn the piano! I love him he's brilliant!!

  50. G.... B....

    You know your right, gona drag my self to the piano now!

  51. I.... V....

    Да не за что) Приятно увидеть своих)

    I.... V....

    Yeah you rite!!!

  52. A.... N....

    Молодец! Спасибо)

  53. B.... S....

    Shortly after this, the piano caught fire.

  54. I.... V....

    I don't know. A lot of Dr. John videos was here recently, but it was deleted by YouTube. It is only one that I saved on my disk.

    I.... V....

    This vid and the deleted ones are on the 2 dvd set 'Dr John teaches New Orleans piano'. Highly recommended if you like this.

  55. G.... B....

    feck it, i give up, the base is too hard for me

  56. s.... ....

    is this in audio format in high quality anywhere??

  57. T.... B....

    what the hell! @ 0:30.

    T.... B....

    Git wit it