Rory Gallagher Changed Lyrics

[Jay Jay]

On many versions of Shadow Play, Rory starts by saying Doctor Jekyll and later changes to "Mister Jekyll" as in.....

....a little Mister Jekyll, a little Mr. Hyde.

Hi Doug, and a very warm welcome

Interesting, I always thought it was the other way around. Not that it matters .
If you listen to Photo Finish which Shadow Play was recorded first on in 1978 he sings ..
"A little Mr Jekyll, a little Mr Hyde" (never says Doctor)
Then Stage Struck recorded later the live version of which I have the lyrics in my hand, he sings in different verses in order ...
"A little bit of Jekyll a little Mr Hyde" ...
"A little Doctor Jekyll a little Mr Hyde"

Coincidentally,
I'm hearing Rory sing right now that same last line there, as I type now Live Middlesex University "Rock Goes To College" 1979

Rock on for Rory

[Doug]

You could be right about the order that he sings the different lyric; I guess the overall point is that he CHANGES it. And if you look at the official words to Shadow Play on this very website, it is written as:

SOUNDS COME CRASHING AND I HEAR LAUGHING
ALL THOSE LIGHTS JUST BLAZED AWAY
I FEEL A LITTLE STRANGE INSIDE,
A LITTLE DOCTOR JEKYLL,
A LITTLE MISTER HYDE

Funny how Rory doesn't stick to it and changes it. I always wondered if it was on purpose or if he just got confused in the heat of action whether Mr. went with Hyde or Jekyll.

Something else I was thinking about with regards to this topic is one of my favorite all time Rory tunes, "In Your Town" where he seemed to change the lyrics all the time. I especially enjoyed hearing him occasionally wax poetic about Al Capone, the "meanest man you've EVER seen!" LOL.

He also mixed in varying lyrics to Messin' With the Kid.

[Jay Jay]

Hi Doug,
It is kinda strange in side

Yesterday,I was looking on youtube to stick it up on here " In Your Town " 'cause there " Used To Be " about a 10 minute version of the song, with those lyrics you there described.
With Al Capone and all. To demonstrate exactly what you've said. Unfortunately can't find it anymore.

"Going To My Home Town" was another song Rory used to change the lyrics also...
Depending on the audience participation of course

Rock on for Rory

[top priority]

Just listening to "Wayward Child",from Reading Festival,1980,and the lyrics were changed to,"Hope that you dont kill yourself",suppose if i sat here and listened to all my Rory tapes,then i am sure he improvises with the lyrics on many songs,..... would be sat here a long time...
Speaking of which,its a damn good gig,and the recording is fantastic(cheers Simon),remember waiting for the Friday Rock show to Broadcast the gig,but they never did,think it was because "Stage Struck" had just been released,this show was just 5 weeks before i first saw Rory,....if i had heard this before then,i dont think i could have waited 5 mins,let alone 5 weeks....

[BAD PENNY]

The Cuckoo comes to mind also. He improvised on that one a lot. In 1972 in Frankfurt instead of "you nearly stole my soul" was "you nearly ruined my soul". Then he sang "i'm gonna build me a low cabin/on the mountain so high up/and i can see my pretty baby/as she goes rolling by" instead of "i'm going up up on a mountain/i'm gonna stand looking down/so i can see my pretty baby /whenever she/comes walking round". And then it was "and if some woman don't shoot me/well i'll live till i die" instead of "and if some woman don't shoot me/then i'll live for a long time". He also changed the sequence of the lyrics.

Another one is Seven Days. In 1985 in Texas he changed the lyrics and sang a completely different version of it, which was really fun! Check it out on You Tube, you'll love it!

[jimmcc]

The thing is with the " cukoo" is that it is a traditional song not one Rory wrote.I dont know if that makes a difference

[BAD PENNY]

I don't either. Just thought of mentioning it because Rory always changed the lyrics.

[Jay Jay]

No it doesn't matter. I started this topic with MWTK a Junior Wells song, as with Muddy Waters songs also like I Wonder Who ...

Great example is, "I Take What I Want" the old Sam & Dave song or as Rory says on the Live At Montreux DVD James & Bobby Purify song ...

Rory seem to always make it an adaptation or version of his own

Rock on for Rory

[dosEquis]

Hi All ! Okay here's a couple I remember pretty clearly -

Before ripping into another solo on MWTK at The Bayou Club in Washington D.C. in 1978 - "Tell me pretty baby what's wrong with me? I'm stuck out here in WashingTON DEE CEE."

And at the old Golden Bear on the beach at Huntington Beach California in 1985 while playing
Seems To Me. It was a new song then not on any album, so I didn't notice the other words he used to make it rhyme. But I had no doubt he was talking directly to me when he opened his eyes and looked down at me in front of him smoking a cigarette and worked it in the song - "Nicotine will kill ya."

[Jay Jay]

[quote="Taste"]Rory was a spontaneous improviser, but sometimes he just forgot the lyrics and had to wing it.

I observed this at many of the concerts I attended.

All pro musicians usually do this but yeah, Rory was the best ...

He also don't forget was a great Scatman as well as Stratman