The song of the day for Sunday, April 13, 2014 is “Revolvin’ Jones.”

About This Song

“Revolvin’ Jones” was written in 1940 by Willard Robison. I’ll let Alec Wilder describe Willard Robison, from Wilder’s wonderful book American Popular Song:

Everybody loved him and many tried to help him, among them John Mercer. Mildred Bailey revered him and sang every song of his she could lay her hands on. I became aware of him in the late twenties when he recorded for Perfect Records. … He did manage, during his almost euphoric life, to write a few successful songs … but generally his songs were known only to a few singers and lovers of the off-beat and the non-urban song. He had a special flair for gentleness and childhood, the lost and the religious. I suppose it’s not part of the growth of popular music, nor perhaps were any of Robison’s songs. But if they could so much bolster John Mercer’s conviction that there was more to write lyrics about than city life, that the world of memory, of remembered sayings and scenes, was as evocative as the whispered words of lovers, then he did make a contribution.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Revolvin’ Jones” for the album On The Glory Road, which was packaged and ready to release in 1962, but was canceled at the last moment. Thankfully, the album was included in the 2011 Complete Collection box set and now also available for download from iTunes. I love hearing Tony Bennett having so much fun singing this song. The charming arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

http://open.spotify.com/track/71qRlRZ4z8dRBuFKlzh4Fu
“Revolvin’ Jones,” as well as album On The Glory Road, is available from iTunes.

Lyrics

To help you enjoy this little-known song, here are the lyrics …

Before he died, Jones warned his bride
When I’m gone, you behave
For every time you trifle, I’ll roll over in my grave
Long he’d been gone when she called upon the man that calls the roll
When she told him Joneses last request
He cried Bless Your Soul

We’ve got him sister, held down by heavy stones
Up here we call that twister Mister Revolvin’ Jones
We thought he came from the land of the big cyclones
For heaven’s never humdrum with that Revolvin’ Jones

Let his cloud bed stop rolling
Tell Jones to sit up straight
Then the crowd said we told him, look who’s strolling through the gate
We forgive you sister for the vows you didn’t keep
Now Revolvin’ Jones can rest his bones and we’ll all get some sleep

Fifty years he’s been turning and watching at the gate
Ain’t your ears kind of burning, he’s been talking kind of late
We forgive you sister and that’s no idle jest
Now Revolvin’ Jones can rest his bones and we’ll all get some rest