Tootsie roll soul and doodle-white shoes
papa's sure proud of his little bitty rockin' roll baby
singin' at the age of two
he can hardly talk but he sure knows how to sing the blues
Little joe never sings out of tune
always in key, he's a soulful little rockin' roll baby
papa loves the way you do
never heard a boy sing the way my little joey do
he was born in a theater in bluefield, west virginia
his ma and i were travelin' on the road
i worked hard all that summer as a fill-in for the drummer
one-night stands weren't easy for little joe
<brief instrumental break>
Bought a new house in beverly hills
papa made it big and he did it for his rockin' roll baby
a little bit of rhythm and blues
got a funky walk in his little orthopedic shoes
he was born in a theater in bluefield, west virginia
his ma and i were travelin' on the road
i worked hard all that summer as a fill-in for the drummer
one-night stands weren't easy for little joe
<instrumental with some "la-la-la-la" scat to end>