When It's Sleepy Time Down South

Words & Music by Leon Rene, Otis Rene & Clarence Muse, 1930
Recorded by Mel Tormé, 1945


GM7       G6              Gm       Gm7
Pale moon shining on the fields below,

D         DM7             E7      Bm9  Bb9
Folks are crooning songs soft and low,

Em7     G/B             A7sus4 A7+5   A7   G
Needn't tell me so, be - cause   I   know 

             Gm         D
It's sleepy time down south.


GM7          G6              Gm       Gm7
Softs winds blowing thru the pinewood trees,

 D         DM7           E7      Bm9   Bb9
Folks down there live a life of ease;

          Em7     G/B       A7sus4 A7+5   A7   G
When the twilight brings the eve - ning breeze,

             Gm         D
It's sleepy time down south.



Bridge:

 F#                Bbm      B           C#7
Steamboats on the river, a-comin' and a-goin',

  C#7                 F3
Splashing the night away

F#                Bbm           B             C#7
Hear those banjos ringing, the folks are alla-singin' --

      B                  C#7    A7
They dance till break of day.


GM7         G6               Gm      Gm7
Dear old Southland, with its dreamy songs,

D         DM7            E7    Bm9   Bb9
Takes me back there where I belong;

Em7     G/B       A7sus4 A7+5   A7   G
How I'd love to be moth - er's arms

                  Gm         D
When it's sleepy time down south.



Repeat Bridge:


 G   GM7   G6                Gm9     Gm7
Dear old Southland, with its dreamy songs,

Dalt  D9  DM7   D6  E7   Bm9   Bb9
Takes me back where I belong;

Em7     G/B       A7sus4 A7+5   A7   G
How I'd love to be moth - er's arms

            G     Gm         D    Bm7
When it's sleepy time down south,

           Em7   G/B A7sus4 A7+5  D6
When it's sleep - y   time  down south.


*The lyrics here are not the ones Tormé uses in his recording. While I'm not often accused of being politically correct, I have to admit that the lyrics of the original 1930 version are racially offensive and demeaning, even to me. But the haunting, melodic beauty of Torme's version deserves inclusion, so here it is.


 
The lyric and guitar chord transcriptions on this site are the work of The Guitarguy and are intended for private study, research, or educational purposes only. Individual transcriptions are inspired by and and based upon the recorded versions cited, but are not necessarily exact replications of those recorded versions.