Henry was a good boy from Georgia
His mama thought he could lose some weight
Now his mama's creative
She went to the music store
And brought home a stand up bass

He carried that bass everywhere that he'd go
Started to study the greats
Snuck home some Charles Mingus records one night
Blew his young mind clean away

He got a pork pie hat just like Mingus
Stole some of those little cigars
Carried that bass to school every day
Smoked cigars in the school yard

Startеd savin' his lunch money
Set aside somе every day
Said he was gonna buy an airline ticket
And fly off to Europe and play

He'd play for the cultured folks out there
The kind that wore scarves and berets
Some high-minded people who smoke little cigarettes
And drink little coffees all day
That's until his mother came home one afternoon
Found his money, found his cigars
Took all those Charles Mingus records outside
Ran em over
Just crushed em
She made him to eat boiled cod every night

No TV, certainly no books
Sent him away to a military school
Turned his bedroom into an office

Henry got to marchin'
Pushin' up, pullin' up
Blowin' on bugles all day
He never heard no Charles Mingus again
And Lord knows he lost more than weight