About The Song
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce. It was released in 1973 as the lead single from his third studio album, You Don’t Mess Around with Jim. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it remains one of Croce’s most popular and enduring songs.
The song is a humorous tale about a tough-as-nails barroom brawler named Leroy Brown. The song’s narrator is a regular customer at the bar where Leroy Brown hangs out, and he warns all the other customers to stay out of Leroy’s way.
Croce’s performance of “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is full of energy and charisma. His voice is perfectly suited to the song’s humorous and swaggering lyrics. The song’s simple but effective instrumentation, consisting of acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, provides a perfect backdrop for Croce’s vocals.
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is a classic American rock song that continues to be enjoyed by listeners today. It is a song that is both funny and catchy, and it features one of Croce’s most iconic vocal performances.
The song has been featured in numerous films and television shows, including The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad!. It has also been used in commercials and advertising campaigns for a variety of products and services.
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is a truly timeless classic, and it is sure to continue to be enjoyed by fans of music for many years to come.
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Lyrics
Well, the South side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man named Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand ’bout six foot four
All the downtown ladies call him “Treetop Lover”
All the men just call him “Sir”
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Leroy he’s a gambler
And he likes his fancy clothes
And he likes to wave his diamond rings
In front of everybody’s nose
He got a custom Continental
He got an Eldorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket for fun
He got a razor in his shoe
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Friday bout a week ago
Leroy shootin’ dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named Doris
And ooh that girl looked nice
Well he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
Cause Leroy Brown, he learned a lesson
‘Bout messin’ with the wife of a jealous man
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fightin’
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Yeah, badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Barbara Desetto