Henry Songtext
von Slaughter Beach, Dog

Henry was a good boy from Georgia
His mama thought he could lose some weight
Now, his mama′s creative, she went to the music store
And brought home a stand-up bass

He'd carry that bass everywhere that he′d go
Started to study the greats
Snuck home some Charles Mingus records one night
Blew his young mind clean away

He got a pork pie hat just like Mingus
Stole some of those little cigars
Carried that bass to school every day
Smoked cigars in the schoolyard


Started saving his lunch money
Set aside some every day
Said he was gonna buy an airline ticket
And fly off to Europe and play

He played for the cultured folks out there
The kind that wore scarves and berets
Some high-minded people who smoked little cigarettes
And drank little coffees all day

That's until his mother came home one afternoon
Found his money, found his cigars
Took all those Charles Mingus records outside
Ran 'em over, just crushed him

She made him to eat boiled cod every night
No T.V., certainly no books
Sent him away to a military school
Turned his bedroom into an office


Henry got to marching, pushing up, pulling up
Blowing on bugles all day
He never heard no Charles Mingus again
And Lord knows he lost more than weight