Instruments
Ensembles
Opera
Composers
Performers

Lyrics: Manhattan Transfer. The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer. Four Brothers.


By Jimmy Giuffre & Jon Hendricks

Take a seat and cool it 'cause unless you overrule it
We are ready to show you some blowin'
A rompin' and a stompin' is a lot of fun
Four brothers who are blowin' our horns

So settle down an' listen 'cause you don't know what you're missin'
And we're ready to give you a showin'
A movin' it 'n groovin' it has just begun
Four brothers who are blowin' our horns

We got a little message that you're gonna enjoy
Ain't no sense in dodgin' the facts
So settle in your easy chair an' if you ever had a care - forget it,
It's time to relax

We might as well admit it, we're the best that ever did it
But in case you ain't too sure a knowin'
We're gonna let you listen to us one by one
Four brothers who are blowin' our horns

JANIS:
How'd ya do, I'm talkin' about you
It's very nice to know that you have really taken time to listen to me blow
'Cause as sure as I'm born, I'm blowin' my horn
It's me baby, I'm blowin', zootin' it up
And I hope you dig the sounds I'm makin' more'n any other
Now I must go for it's time for you to listen to my other brother

TIM:
I think the chick's talkin' 'bout me so I'd better go 'n see
I'm hip that she knows a horn is very best to greet you
That's the reason I'm blowin' so snappily
I don't know what ya got, but it thrills me an' I hope to have a lot
'Cause it puts me in clover
So baby, if you would like to dig my other brother
You're gonna have to turn the record over

ALAN:
Hey hey hey
Who ya talkin' about, say who ya talkin' about
Did I hear you say you'd introduce your other brother
'Cause in case I heard you talkin' about three, that's me
Pleased to meet you, how'd you do, how are you, nothing new,
How is everything with you?
Whattya say I leave this jazz up to my brother --

CHERYL:
Dig dig dig my Long Island sound
I hope you're puttin' it down
You got me in a mood that's so romantic
If you notice you can dig this silly old act
Because I'm actin' so distracted when I dig you
Pretty baby you will never know how much I really dig you
You have got me so excited that I goofed blowin' my horn

ALL:
Ooh bop the news is gettin' around, we're really puttin' it down
We're glad of fact that you enjoy it and we wish we had the time to give you more
Thank you for the compliment
You told us we were better just as if we didn't know it
We're hip that we're the best, we're over all the rest
We're in the modern school, we always play it cool, we never play the fool
The honkers and the squeakers might be stealin' the show
But we don't go for that, so while we blow

BAND MEMBER:
Hi-ho, lackadaise, for it's a natural fact
I ain't no kin, but I would like to get in the act!

ALL:
Well get outta here, get outta here, get outta here
Now fellas we appreciate him makin you mad,
But we must ask you to apologize
Because after all he's in our band

Four brothers, four brothers, four brothers
Although we sound like more
Four brothers, four brothers, four brothers
We're really only four

We like to blow but we don't know how time can fly and how our cares pass away
We wish the time would never go so we could take our time an' blow 'til judgement day

Four brothers, four brothers, four brothers
Now just one final word:

JANIS: I'd like to know you and I hope I don't forget you
TIM: It's really a pleasure and I hope I don't look silly to you
ALAN: I'm hopin' the story that I told did not upset you
CHERYL: Sorry now in conclusion were you hoping that you heard four

ALL:
So just before we go we want you to know ---
We're glad you let us show you how we always end up with that jazz
(We don't call for back up on the road)
Oh - ohhh!!!!