But I Was Cool

soundclip

by Albert Collins
recording of 1983 resp. 1997
from Don't Lose Your Cool (Alligator ALCD-4730) & Albert Collins Deluxe Edition (Alligator 5601), copyright notice

I always live by the, golden rule
Whatever happens, ha, don't blow your cool!
You gotta have nerves of steel
And never show folks how you, honestly feel

I lived all my life this way, ha
For example, take yesterday:

I breeze home happy bringin' her my pay
Her note read ...so long savvy, I haven't gone away!
An' I threw myself down across our empty bed
An' this is what I said:

Ooo shhhhiiiii ooow ooow ooow
What? Oh what are you gonna do with me?
Ooo wow uh
But I was cool!

So I "one for the roaded" at a all night bar
I wound up so loaded, I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me,
An' when I read, the sentence there, I said:

"Oow! Please oooow ooow, please I got to know, I got to know
What? what went wrong?
I don't underst... I oh a,
But I was cool!

So I said she's the only one, that I have to pay
And I found her an' pulled my gun, an' fired point blank
The shot whistled right past that woman's head
An' I killed my hound dog, dead!

Oooooow, ruff ruff, rrr, rrr, rrr, rur, rur, rur
As they carried me away
I was overheard to say,
"Be cool, be cool, stay cool, be cool!"