B5 She's so rock steady, bamalam, B5 she's always ready, bamalam. We this heart this song. While the lyrics can be deconstructed, Ram Jam's version is driven by the powerful beat and aggressive tempo, making it one of those songs that gets your heart beating faster. The producer of Ram Jam’s version of “Black Betty” is Kasenetz Katz. She is always ready. so we too can enjoy the wonderful things created by our fellow human beings. For instance, in researching the history of the term, it has been noted that none other than American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin himself used the expression back in 1736, some 250 years before Ram Jam dropped this song. Bambalam, from what I can tell is/was an existing slang referencing a person from Birmingham, Alabama. It was their first single to reach #1 on the Australian charts. Or so the song “Black Betty” informs us. But that being said, the aforementioned phrase can also be applied to an object like a whip. Some sources claim the song is derived from an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock musket with a black painted stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Your email address will not be published. Damn thing gone crazy, bam-ba-lam. Whoa Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam) Yeah Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam) Black Betty had a child (Bam-ba-lam) Damn thing gone wild … Now going back to the British, it is also said that ‘Black Betty’ was a nickname for a certain type of musket, i.e. The Australian band Spiderbait recorded this in 2004. We are all human. Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. I said "Oh, Black Betty" (Bam-ba-Lam) Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) Oh, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) She really gets me high (Bam-ba-Lam) You know that's no lie (Bam-ba-Lam) She's so rock steady (Bam-ba-Lam) And she's always ready (Bam-ba-Lam) Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) I’ll answer that by saying, no it is not. Some sources claim “Black Betty” could have been used as early as the beginning of the 19th century to describe a musket or a liquor bottle, and it is very plausible those could be meanings that would be applied to the Black Betty in the song. And when we like, live, and appreciate something created by any other human being, then we want to enjoy it as well. Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song? Lyrics to 'Black Betty' by Ram Jam: Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam) Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam) Black betty had a child (bam-A-lam) The damn thing gone wild (bam-A … I graduated from high school in 1974 and when I heard this song for the first time 3 years later I loved it! Historically, the "Black Betty" of the title may refer to the nickname given to a number of objects: a musket, a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.. Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real? Song Meanings and Facts © 2021. Also all lyrics considered, “bam-ba-lam” in their case could be referencing something like bedroom fun or the fact that Black Betty “makes” the narrator “sing”, meaning that he is smitten by her to the point where he can’t hold it in. Baby wasn't none of mine, bam-ba-lam. Clearly it’s about a sexy black American woman. It made it to 7th position in Britain (UK Singles Chart). 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