The All American Boywords and music by Bill Parsons and Orville LunsfordSinger on the 45 single was really future country star Bobby Bare. He'd been drafted into the Army in 1958 and left this demo behind. It was inadvertently released as being sung by one of its writers, Bill Parsons.(SPOKEN IN A SING-SONG PATTER RATHER THAN SUNG)Gather 'round, cats, and I'll tell you a story About how to become an All American BoyBuy you a gittar and put it in tuneYou'll be rockin' and rollin' soon.Impressin' the girls, pickin' hot licks, and all that jazzI-I bought me a gittar a year ago Learned how to play in a day or soAnd all around town it was well understoodThat I was knockin' 'em out like Johnny B. GoodeHot licks, showin' off, ah number one.Well , I 'd practice all day and up into the nightMy papa's hair was turnin' whiteCause he didn't like rock'n'rollHe said "You can stay, boy, but that's gotta go."He's a square, he just didn't dig me at allSo I took my gittar, picks and allAnd bid farewell to my poor ole paAnd I split for Memphis where they say allThem swingin' cats are havin' a ballSessions, hot licks and all, they dig meI was rockin' and boppin' and I's a gettin' the breaksThe girls all said that I had what it takesWhen up stepped a man with a big cigar He said "come here, cat--I'm gonnna make you a star.""I'll put you on Bandstand, buy ya a Cadillac, sign here, kid."I signed my name and became a star Havin' a ball with my gittarDriving a big long Cadillac and fightin' the girls off ma backThey just kept a'comin', screamin', yeah-they like itSo I'd pick my gittar with a great big grinAnd the money just kept on pourin' inBut then one day my Uncle SamHe said (sound of 3 footsteps) "Here I am""Uncle Sam needs you, boy I'm-a gonna cut your hairah-Take this rifle, kidGimme that gittar" yeah.Transcribed by Ronald E.
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