Songbook/Mama Don't Allow

Mama Don't Allow

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“Mama Don't Allow” is a traditional song from the United States. The first recording is by YT   Riley Puckett (1928). The song was the focus of the cartoon YT   "The Kids in the Shoe" (1935).

The film and the song are about a mother who doesn't allow music in her own four walls, but her children don't care about that.

The song has been covered numerous times by various artists with different lyrics, melodies and musical styles (blues, jazz, country, swing, bluegrass, rock'n'roll...} and is equally suitable for the opening, as an encore or as a musical introduction to the artists involved. The melody is varied more or less in almost every verse.

  • Johnny Cash performed the song on February 17, 1971 on The Johnny Cash Show with his wife June Carter and many other guest artists.
  • Dudley Moore performed it on The Muppet Show in 1979.
  • In 1975 it appeared with Steve Goodman on the album Jessie's Jig and Other Favorites and Doc Watson on the album Memories.
 

Mama Don't Allow

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1

[G]Mama don't allow no music playin' round here
Mama don't allow no music playin' round [D]here
Well, [G]we don't care what Mama don't allow
Gonna [C]play that music anyhow
[G]Mama don't allow no [D]music playin' round [G]here

2

[G]Mama don't allow no guitar playin' round here
Mama don't allow no guitar playin' round [D]here
Well, [G]we don't care what [G7]Mama don't allow
Gonna [C]play that guitar anyhow
[G]Mama don't allow no [D7]guitar playin' round [G]here

3

[G]Mama don't allow no singin' round here
Mama don't allow no singin' round [D7]here
Well, [G]we don't care what [G7]Mama don't allow
Gonna [C]sing that song [A7]anyhow
[G]Mama don't allow no singin' round [G]here

4

[G]Mama don't allow no hand clapping here [(/C /B /A)][1]
Mama don't allow no hand clapping [D]here [(/D /E /F#)]
Well, [G]we don't care what [G7]mama don't allow
We're gonna [A7]clap our hands [D7]anyhow
[G]Mama don't a-[Em]llow no [A7]hand [D7]clapping [G]here [(/G /E /F#)]

5

[G]Mama don't allow no foot stompin' round here
Mama don't allow no foot stompin' round here
Well, [G]we don't care what [G7]Mama don't allow
Gonna [C]stomp my feet [A7]anyhow
[G]Mama don't a-[Em]llow no [A7]foot stomp[D7]in' round [G]here[C]-[G]

  • No banjo playing
  • No Lindy dancing
  • No trombone blowing
  • No jazz playing
  • etc.
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  1. YT   Mama Don't Allow
  2. YT   Mama Don't Allow (Pokey LaFarge)
  3. YT   Mama Don't Allow (Johnny Cash)
  4. YT   Mama Don't Allow (Dudley Moore + Muppets)
  5. YT   Mama Don't Allow (Steve Goodman)

  1. [(/C /B /A)] = Individual bass notes that together form a bass line