Bad Bad Leroy Brown - Song Lyrics

  • Originally written and performed by Jim Croce (born 1/10/43 in Philadelphia PA, killed in a plane crash 9/20/73 in Natchitoches Louisiana)
  • A #1 Top 40 hit from 1973
  • The song was inspired by a real person Croce had served with in the Army. The guy went AWOL & got in a bar fight in Chicago and was returned to Ft Jackson where they were stationed
  • This was the first of two #1 hits for Croce, and the fourth of 8 Top 40 hits overall before his untimely death
  • Ironically, it was the last hit to be released while he was alive.  Four of his songs were released and charted AFTER the plane crash that killed him and his lead guitar player Maury Muehleisen 

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's, more than trouble, you see he stands about 6 foot 4
All the downtown ladies call him "treetop lover,"
All the men just call him "sir."

And he'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 a El Dorado, too,
He got a thirty two gun in his pocket for fun,
He got a razor in his shoe.

(Chorus)

Well, Friday 'bout a week ago, Leroy shooting dice
And at the edge of the bar sat a girl named Doris,
And, oh, that girl looked nice.

Well, he cast his eyes upon her, and the trouble soon began,
And Leroy Brown he learned a lesson 'bout messing
With the wife of a jealous man.

(Chorus)

Well, the two men took to fighting
And when they pulled them from the floor,
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.

(Chorus)

Yes, you were badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog.


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Note that the lyrics posted here are those as interpreted and performed by The Oracle Band, who perform throughout the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC area. 

In a few cases we have taken some liberties with the lyrics to make them more appropriate for tasteful gatherings. Their use here is intended as an aid for people in selecting music for their wedding reception or private party, and may not be reproduced for any commercial, for-profit use.

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