Mercy’s Got a Backbeat

Bubba Patrick & Darlene featuring The Holler Shakers, Original North Georgia country, gospel blues and early rock and roll, Bubba mature warm gritty MALE baritone verse1; Darlene unmistakably FEMALE soulful alto verse2; close male-female duet choruses, substantial distinct solo turns, clear conversational words, G major, 118 BPM jump blues boogie, Low solo blues intro then explosive piano, slap bass, handclaps, harmonica/sax trades, Verse G6|Em7|Cadd9|D7; chorus G6|G13sus4|C9|Cm6|G6, Stop time bridge, Organic spacious live ensemble; chords and brackets are unsung instructions

[Intro: instrumental, establish recurring hook]

[Verse 1: Bubba, male]
Coffee on my clean shirt, keys beneath the chair,
Phone begins to holler while I'm halfway down the stair.
Got behind a pickup doing twenty-two,
I was winding up a speech about what folks ought to do.
Then I saw a little hand wave through the window glass,
A granddad teaching someone how to let the morning pass.

[Chorus: male-female duet]
Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing,
Leave a little room for what another day might bring.
You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul,
Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll.
When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can,
Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand!

[Instrumental turnaround]

[Verse 2: Darlene, female lead]
Woman at the counter had a line around the store,
Man behind me sighed and shuffled closer to the door.
She said, "I'm new at doing this," and looked down at her shoes.
I said, "We've all been new somewhere; you've got no time to lose."
Darlene smiled beside me, said, "That's more like you,
A little room for kindness lets the sunshine through."

[Chorus: duet]
Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing,
Leave a little room for what another day might bring.
You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul,
Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll.
When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can,
Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand!

[Instrumental solo: 16 bars, featured instruments trade phrases, leave space]

[Bridge]
[Darlene, female]
Honey, you can still be kind,
Even running five minutes behind.
[Bubba, male]
I can't make the traffic move,
But I can find a better groove!

[Final chorus: duet, full warm harmonies]
Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing,
Leave a little room for what another day might bring.
You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul,
Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll.
When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can,
Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand!

[Outro: repeat final hook once, instrumental resolves naturally; no fade or cutoff]

2106/7500

[Intro: instrumental, establish recurring hook] [Verse 1: Bubba, male] Coffee on my clean shirt, keys beneath the chair, Phone begins to holler while I'm halfway down the stair. Got behind a pickup doing twenty-two, I was winding up a speech about what folks ought to do. Then I saw a little hand wave through the window glass, A granddad teaching someone how to let the morning pass. [Chorus: male-female duet] Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing, Leave a little room for what another day might bring. You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul, Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll. When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can, Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand! [Instrumental turnaround] [Verse 2: Darlene, female lead] Woman at the counter had a line around the store, Man behind me sighed and shuffled closer to the door. She said, "I'm new at doing this," and looked down at her shoes. I said, "We've all been new somewhere; you've got no time to lose." Darlene smiled beside me, said, "That's more like you, A little room for kindness lets the sunshine through." [Chorus: duet] Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing, Leave a little room for what another day might bring. You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul, Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll. When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can, Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand! [Instrumental solo: 16 bars, featured instruments trade phrases, leave space] [Bridge] [Darlene, female] Honey, you can still be kind, Even running five minutes behind. [Bubba, male] I can't make the traffic move, But I can find a better groove! [Final chorus: duet, full warm harmonies] Mercy's got a backbeat, kindness has a swing, Leave a little room for what another day might bring. You can stomp your feet without stepping on a soul, Let a little patience put some rhythm in your roll. When the whole day rattles like a loose tin can, Mercy's got a backbeat—give somebody a hand! [Outro: repeat final hook once, instrumental resolves naturally; no fade or cutoff]

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