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Who Put The Benzedrine In Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine

from Hey, Can You Guys Play​.​.​. by Hitman Blues Band

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about

Harry “The Hipster” Gibson was a fellow at the Julliard Graduate School, but his actual playing style was a mix of boogie, stride, jazz, and ragtime – combined with, um, shall we say, “unorthodox” lyrics. He was a force of nature at the piano in both playing and performance. Having grown up near Harlem, he spoke the way everyone in uptown New York spoke – jive.

This song, while it gave him notoriety, also landed him on the music industry blacklist – putting his career into decline. But he kept performing, and actually switched to rock in the 1960’s, then hard rock in the 1970s.

Look online to find other great songs by Harry, as well as a biographical movie short called “Boogie In Blue”. And read the Wikipedia entry on him for more info.

lyrics

Mrs. Murphy couldn’t sleep
Her nerves were slightly off the beat
Until she solved her problem
With a can of Ovaltine
She drank a cupful most every night
And oooo how she would dream
Until something rough got in the stuff
And made her neighbors scream. OW!

Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine?
Sure was a shame, don’t know who’s to blame
Cause the old lady didn’t even get his name
Where did she get that stuff?
Now she just can’t get enough
It might have been the man who wasn’t there
Now Jack, that guy’s a square
She stays up nights making all the rounds
They say she lost about 69 pounds
Now Mr. Murphy claims she’s getting awful thin
And all she says is, “Give me some skin.” Mop!

Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine?
Now she wants to swing, the Highland Fling
She says that Benzedrine’s the thing that makes her spring.

Ah, spring it now .
There’s a second verse
It’s called, “Who put the Nembutals in Mr. Murphy’s overalls?
I don’t know

She buys a can of Ovaltine, most every week or so
And she always keeps an extra can on hand
Just in case that she runs low
She never, ever been so happy, since she left old Ireland
‘Till someone prowled her pantry,sure and tampered with her can. Wham!

Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine?
Sure was a shame, don’t know who’s to blame
Cause the old lady didn’t even get his name

Where did she get that stuff
Now she just can’t get enough
It might have been the man who wasn’t there
No Jack, that guy’s a square

She never ever wants to go to sleep
She says that everything is solid all reet
Now Mr. Murphy don’t know what it’s all about
Cause she went and threw the old man out. Clout!

Who put the Benzedrine, in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine?
Now she wants to swing the Highland Fling
She says that Benzedrine’s the thing that makes her spring

credits

from Hey, Can You Guys Play​.​.​., released August 15, 2023

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Hitman Blues Band New York, New York

He has New York City in his veins, blues in his heart, & the music of many worlds in his gifted hands. The man in the shades, top hat and sharp suit on stage with that tight band is playing real blues right, informed by 50 years of mastery while imitating no one. The Hitman Blues Band, with Russell “Hitman” Alexander in the lead, plays the blues you’ve been looking for all your life ... more

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