Louis Armstrong

Jonah was a man who got a word from the Lord
“Go and preach the Gospel to the sinful land"
But he got on a ship and he tried to get away
And he ran into a storm in the middle of the sea

Now the Lord, He made the waves just roll so high
The ship begin to sink and they all begin to cry
So they pulled ole Jonah out of the hole
And they jumped him in the water just to lighten up the load

Now the Lord made a whale, long and wide
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
And he swallowed up Jonah, hair and hide
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
Mmm, Lord, mmm, Lord

Now Jonah started to pray in the belly of the whale
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
He repented of his sins like a man in jail
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
Mmm, Lord, mmm, Lord

Now Jonah must o’ been a bad man, he must o’ been a sinner
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
'Cos when the whale got him down, he didn’t like his dinner
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
Mmm, Lord, mmm, Lord

Well, he swum around the ocean, sick as he could be
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
And after three days, whoops, he had to set him free
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish, mmm

So the whale spit Jonah out onto dry land
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
And he went on to preaching like a righteous man
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish

Then the people quit their sins when they heard him in the town
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish
So when you hear the call, don’t you turn the Gospel down
Lord, Lord waddnat a fish, mmm

Louis Armstrong, known throughout his lengthy career by nicknames like “Satchmo”, “Pops” and simply “Louie”, was a trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor, as well as one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz.

Born and raised in New Orleans, where jazz itself is alleged to have began, Armstrong started his career in 1918, playing the cornet in brass bands and riverboats along the Mississippi River. There, he caught the attention of his future mentor, King Oliver, joining his band in Chicago, where he networked with other popular jazz musicians like Hoagy Carmichael and his first wife Lil Hardin Armstrong.

In 1924, Louie relocated to New York City playing for the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. It was at this time he switched over from cornet to trumpet in order to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. It was also when he developed his emotional playing style, which included singing and telling tales of his life back in New Orleans.

more tracks from the album

Louis and the Good Book

From the album

Louis and the Good Book (1958)

Louis Armstrong popular songs

Jonah And The WhaleLouis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis and the Good Book