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Song of the Shrimp

Rating:
3.0 / 5

Words & Music: Sid Tepper Roy C. Bennett

I saw three shrimp in the water, two were old and gray
I swam a little bit closer and .. I heard the third one say

Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'

He showed his mama and papa, the shrimp newspaper he read
An invitation to all the shrimp and this is what it said
Free ride, New Orleans, stay in grand hotel
Big Creole gal who help you come out of your shell
Big Creole gal who help you come out of your shell

If I should live to be ninety, I will never forget
The little shrimp and the song he sang as he jumped into the net

Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'

Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'

Recordingdate: 1962/03/27, first released on: Girls! Girls! Girls! (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Song of the Shrimp:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(clarinet)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with Song of the Shrimp.

Steve V wrote on September 05, 2009
Oh my. An all time low for this songwriting team. Leiber/Stoller where have you gone?
Deano1 wrote on February 25, 2010
This tune is more bearable on record than "Earth Boy" (from the same movie, "Girls! Girls! Girls!"), but only barely. I do find it funny that people blast this song, but say they like "Sand Castles" from the "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" soundtrack LP. They are both juvenile and sound like they belong in the movie the "The Incredible Mr Limpet".
Marty_TCE wrote on July 19, 2011
Catchy chorus...but that's about it I am afraid.
Deke Rivers 6 wrote on July 19, 2011
It fits the film,that's it !
Monster wrote on July 19, 2011
Another corker from the always reliable Tepper and Bennett. Please read that last sentence with extreme sarcasm. Actually the worst thing about this song is the title which is embarrassing. The melody is surprisingly enjoyable, especially considering who wrote it. Makes me wonder if it's based on an existing trad song.
LarsG wrote on July 19, 2011
I first heard this song when I was forteen years old (in ´64) and thought it was great. Still think it´s a great song! Sorry guys!
Deano1 wrote on July 19, 2011
I had previously said that this song was only barely more bearable than "Earth Boy". After further consideration, I would have to be a little more generous to this song. It is juvenile and not exactly at the top of my play list, but Elvis' vocals are great and it is at least worth 2 1/2 stars. Is this the kind of song Elvis should have been singing in '62? Probably not, but he did and I do get some enjoyment out of it. It still reminds me of "Sand Castles" from the PHS soundtrack, but I have also come to appreciate that song more to.
bluesboy wrote on July 19, 2011
Elvis Presley sings Harry Belafonte. For one reason or another I always loved this song. Very catchy tune, great backing by the Jordonaires on the chorus and that falsetto voice at the end of the song gives it that little bitty extra.
dgirl wrote on July 19, 2011
A poor man's Belafonte. Melody not bad, lyrics are awful though. Fits the film so we could get 13/14 songs in? Should have been an EP then.
TCB1974 wrote on July 19, 2011
On its own the song has bizarre lyrics, but it fits in the film and Elvis delivers it masterfully. The rhythm, the catchy tune and the voice are in some strange way just wonderful. I do not skip this one when it starts but actually kind of enjoy it. Three stars from me.
SuziB wrote on February 10, 2012
Has attracted so much opprobrium over the years, often being cited as the lowest point ever in Elvis' career - complete nonsense. This is an outstanding recording of the in-situ movie type song. The writing itself is a very good in calypso-style, the performance lavished upon it, outstanding. So, it's a song about a shrim - who critiicses Crawfish (also with a shellfish theme) for the same reason?
Nariel wrote on April 24, 2012
Yes, the lyrics are absurd, but the calypso melody is quite catchy and Elvis sings it very well. It's a weird song, but I like it :)
ElvisSacramento wrote on October 28, 2012
This isn't a great song, but I like it. It's a very fun and a very unique song. This is the only song entirely about shrimp that I've ever heard and I find the song to be highly entertaining.
sugartummy wrote on May 05, 2013
So Elvis also did calypso, why not. Great percussion on this one (there were three drummers present on the session). The Jordanaires did an amazing job on this one. Very enjoyable and unique in Elvis' repertoire.
Gorse wrote on August 14, 2013
I echo others in that out of the film environment and on vinyl the lyrics are somewhat strange. However the calypso tune is enchanting and convincingly sung by Elvis. Refreshingly different from his other offerings, I give it 3 stars for vinyl and a tad more in the film.
Natha wrote on October 25, 2013
Actually, in the movie it is quite fun to listen and as far as the lyrics go, well, it reflects quite a lot what people like to think: animals like to be captured and slaughtered. I can see the smiling pigs happily and readily dying for human consumption. No way! When I heard this song for the first time my English was extremely poor, so luckily I listened to a lot of those movie songs for the voice, the tune and rythm. I liked most of them, because Elvis has such an incredible voice.
kink56 wrote on October 25, 2013
Although I do not like to eat shrimp, I really like the song.
Cruiser621 wrote on June 24, 2018
Considering the dynamic dual which wrote this garbage what a surprise. Pure crap and the lyrics are banal at best. Ugh. Bennett & Tepper, synonymous with killing Elvis Presley's movie career along with Colonel Parker. Fast buck artists.
Milky White Way wrote on May 02, 2020
Ok so it’s silly movie song, it’s got silly lyrics and so many people want to bash Elvis’ movie songs. But is it any worse than Doe a deer a female deer? It’s a musical and in musicals you find fun catchy tunes! I have always had a huge soft spot for this calypso tune.
EJF wrote on May 02, 2020
To tell you the truth, this s a guilty pleasure of mine. Silly lyrics of course, but as it has been said a thousand times, Elvis could sing the whole telephone directory and make it listenable. So there!
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