I knew a man Bojangles
Always danced with worn out shoes
The silver hair, a ragged shirt
And bare ragged paints
The old soft shoe
He jumps so high
He jumps so high and
Then he lightly touches down
I met him in a New orleans cafè
He was down and out
____________
I knew a man, Bojangles, and he danced for you
In worn out shoes
With silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants
The old soft shoe
He jumped so high, jumped so high, then he lightly touched down
I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was
So down and out
He looked at me to be the eyes of age
As he spoke right out
He talked of life, he talked of life. He laughed, clicked heels instead
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Dance!
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
Throughout the South
He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and he
Traveled about
His dog up and died, dog up and died, after twentyyears he still grieved
He said, I dance now at every chance in honky tonks
For drinks and tips
But most of the time I spend behind these county bars
He said, I drink a bit
He shook his head and as he shook his head I heard someone ask, please
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Dance!
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was formed early 1966 with roots in folk and country music. After four LP, of which only the first had charted briefly, the band decided to break up. In June 1969, however, the band come back together with the single "Mr. Bojangles" by Jerry Jeff Walker, their only top 10 hit