PARTS: Soprano Alto Tenor Bass All
KEY: bold = first beat of bar ^ = rest Underline = triplet backing vocal = [text]
043 - It Don’t Mean A Thing
Verse 1
What good is mel-o-dy,
what good is mu-sic
if it ain't pos-ses-in' some-thing sweet?
It ain't the mel-o-dy,
it ain't the mu-sic,
there's some-thing else that makes the tune com-plete -
Chorus
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
It don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
Bridge
Makes no diff-'rence if it's sweet or hot,
just give that rhythm ev-'ry-thing you got.
Oh--
Chorus
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
[Key Change and 16 x Bar Instrumental]
Bridge repeat
Makes no diff-'rence if it's sweet or hot,
just give that rhythm ev-'ry-thing you got.
Chorus
Oh, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah,
[softer] doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
[louder] doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah, doo-wah.
[spoken exclamation] Y_E_A_H !
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard.