Only the lyrics of the singles which differ from the album versions or which are not available on any main release (the ones in boldface) appear on this page.
A&R Studios, NYC
1969
FZ—lead guitar/vocal
Roy Estrada—bass
Don Preston—keyboards/electronics
Ian Underwood—alto sax
Bunk Gardner—tenor sax
Motorhead Sherwood—baritone sax
Jimmy Carl Black—drums
Arthur Dyer Tripp III—drums
You know your mama
And your daddy
Saying I'm no good for you
They call me dirty
From the alley
Till I don't know what to do
I get so tired of sneakin' around
Just to get to your back door
I crawled past the garbage
And your mama jumped out
Screaming: "Don't come back no more"
I can't take it
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to burn your dad
I get real mean
When it makes me mad
Ay!
Later I tried to call you
Your mama told me you weren't there
She told me don't bother to call again
Unless I cut off all my hair
I get so tired of sneakin' around
Just to get to your back door
I crawled past the garbage
And your mama jumped out
Screaming: "Don't come back no more!"
I can't take it
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to burn your dad
I get real mean
When it makes me mad
Ay!
Later I tried to call you
Your mama told me you weren't there
She told me don't bother to call again
Unless I cut off all my hair
I get so tired of sneakin' around
Just to get to your back door
I crawled past the garbage
And your mama jumped out
Screaming: "Don't come back no more!"
I can't take it
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to kill your mama
My guitar wants to burn your dad
I get real mean
When it makes me mad
Ay!
Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA,
March 20 & May 26, 1973
FZ—guitar & Lead Vocals
Kin Vassy—lead Vocals ("Yippy-Ty-O")
Ralph Humphrey—drums
Sal Marquez—trumpet & Vocals
George Duke—keyboards & Synthesizer
Tom Fowler—bass
Bruce Fowler—trombone
Ruth Underwood—marimba, Vibes & Percussion
Ian Underwood—flute, Clarinet, Alto & Tenor Sax
Jean-Luc Ponty—violin & Baritone Violin
Tina Turner, Debbie & Lynn (The Ikettes)—backing vocals
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss
Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
That I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
To somebody else
But then, on the other hand I would
Keep the wax
'N melt it down
Pluck some Floss
'N swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top
That's why I'm movin' to Montana
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dental Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss
I plucked all day an' all nite an' all
Afternoon
I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
His name is Mighty Little
He's a good hoss
Even though
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way
I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dental Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big
An' ride him all along the border line
With a
Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Well I might
Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night
And then I'd
Get a cuppa cawfee
'N give my foot a push
Just me 'n the pygmy pony
Over by the Dennil Floss Bush
'N then I might just
Jump back on
An' ride
Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Yay-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' . . .
Basic track:
Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK
February 27-28, 1978
FZ—lead guitar, lead vocals
Adrian Belew—rhythm guitar, vocals
Tommy Mars—keyboards, vocals
Peter Wolf—keyboards, butter
Patrick O'Hearn—bass, vocals
Terry Bozzio—drums, vocals
Ed Mann—percussion, vocals
Napoleon M. Brock—background vocals [?]
André Lewis—background vocals [?]
Randy Thornton—background vocals [?]
Davey Moire—background vocals [?]
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
I don't know much about dancin'
That's why I got this song
One of my legs is shorter than the other
'N both of my feet's too long
'Course now right along with 'em
I got no natural rhythm
But I go dancin' every night
Hopin' one day I might get it right
I'm a
Dancin' fool
(Dancin' fool)
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I'm a
Dancin' fool
(Dancin' fool)
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I hear that beat, I jump outa my seat
But I can't compete, 'cause I'm a
Dancin' fool
(Dancin' fool)
I'm a
Dancin' fool
The disco folks all dressed up
Like they's fit to kill
I walk on in 'n see 'em there
Gonna give them all a thrill
When they see me comin'
They all steps aside
They has a fit while I commit
My social suicide
I'm a
Dancin' fool
(Dancin' fool)
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I'm a
Dancin' fool
(Dancin' fool)
I'm a
Dancin' fool
The beat goes on
And I'm so wrong
The beat goes on
And I'm so wrong
The beat goes on
And I'm so wrong
The beat goes on 'n I'm so wrong
The beat goes on 'n I'm so wrong
The beat goes on 'n I'm so wrong
The beat goes on 'n I'm so wrong
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
Dancin' fool
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
Dancin' fool
Yowsa, yowsa, yowsa
I got it all together now
With my very own disco clothes, hey!
My shirt's half open, t'show you my chain
'N the spoon for up my nose
I am really somethin'
That's what you'd probably say
So smoke your little smoke
Drink your little drink
While I dance the night away
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I'm a
Dancin' fool
I'm a
Dancin' fool
(He's a
Dancin' fool)
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
I may be totally wrong but I'm a fool-uh! (Yeah!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
I may be totally wrong but I'm a
I may be totally wrong but I'm a fool-uh! (Yeah!)
Hey darlin', can I buy ya a coupla drinks?
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
Lookin' for Mister Goodbar? Here he is . . .
Wait a minute, I've got it, you're an Italian!
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
Hah?
Yer Jewish?
Oh, love your nails
(Ki-ni-shinai!)
You must be a Libra
Your place or mine?
O'Hearn: Heh heh heh ye-yes!
Village Recorders, LA
April 1979
FZ—lead guitar, vocals
Warren Cuccurullo—rhythm guitar, vocals
Denny Walley—slide guitar, vocals
Ike Willis—lead vocals
Peter Wolf—keyboards
Tommy Mars—keyboards
Arthur Barrow—bass, guitar, vocals
Ed Mann—percussion, vocals
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums, combustible vapors, optometric abandon
Jeff—tenor sax
Marginal Chagrin—baritone sax
Stumuk—bass sax
Craig Steward—harmonica
(It makes its own sauce . . . if you add water.)
It wasn't very large
There was just enough room to cram the drums
In the corner over by the Dodge
It was a fifty-four
With a mashed up door
And a cheesy little amp
With a sign on the front said
"Fender Champ"
And a second-hand guitar
It was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar
We could jam in Joe's Garage
His mama was screamin',
"Turn it down!"
We was playin' the same old song
In the afternoon 'n sometimes we would
Play it all night long
It was all we knew, 'n easy too
So we wouldn't get it wrong
Even if you played it on a saxophone
We thought we was pretty good
We talked about keepin' the band together
'N we figured that we should
'Cause about this time we was gettin' the eye
From the girls in the neighborhood
They'd all come over 'n dance around like . . .
So we picked out a stupid name
Had some cards printed up for a coupla bucks
'N we was on our way to fame
Got matching suits
'N Beatle Boots
'N a sign on the back of the car
'N we was ready to work in a Go-Go Bar
One two three four
Let's see if you've got some more!
People seemed to like our song
They got up 'n danced 'n made a lotta noise
An' it wasn't 'fore very long
A guy from a company we can't name
Said we oughta take his pen
'N sign on the line for a real good time
But he didn't tell us when
These "good times" would be somethin'
That was really happenin'
So the band broke up
An' it looks like
We will never play again . . .
Guess you only get one chance in life
To play a song that goes like . . .
Turn it down!
Turn it down!
I have children sleeping here . . .
Don't you boys know any nice songs?
Well the years was rollin' by
Heavy Metal 'n Glitter Rock
Had caught the public eye
Snotty boys with lipstick on
Was really flyin' high
'N then they got that Disco thing
'N New Wave came along
'N all of a sudden I thought the time
Had come for that old song
We used to play in Joe's Garage
And if I am not wrong
You will soon be dancin' to the . . .
The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you gotta load or unload, go to the White Zone . . .
I said the years was rollin' by, yeah
The years was rollin' by . . .
(I'm calling the police!)
So the years was rollin' by . . .
(I did it!)
So the years was rollin' by . . .
(They'll be here . . . shortly!)
By, by, the years was rollin' by . . .
The Palladium, NYC
October 31, 1978
FZ—lead guitar
Denny Walley—slide guitar
Tommy Mars—keyboards
Peter Wolf—keyboards
Ed Mann—percussion
Arthur Barrow—bass
Patrick O'Hearn—bass
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums
FZ: Happy Halloween everybody!
All compositions by Frank Zappa except as noted