Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Bo Diddley – The Red Rooster Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

The Red Rooster Lyrics

[Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley]

[Verse 1]
If you see my little red rooster
Please drive him home
("[What does that mean?]")
("Got that [rooster?] behind some barb wire")
"Somebody cooking in my [space?]"
If you see my little red rooster, I'm saying
Please drive him home
("I ain't gonna [?] my front yard picking up my table")
Ain't been no peace in the barnyard ("Yeah?")
Since the little red rooster been gone

[Verse 2]
Well, the dogs howl
Hound begin to howl
Oh, the dog is howling
And you know my hound begin to howl
"You know, Wolf, I'm an old timer like you, I know that stuff too"
Where did the little red rooster go?
No one know where he's at

"Watch me, Wolf"
"Alright, Muddy"
[Verse 3]
Hey, I got a little hen
Won't cackle when she lay
Yeah, you know I got a little hen
Won't cackle when she lay

("Whoah, yeah")
Well, you know I got a little woman
She won't do nothing I say

"How you like that, Wolf?"

"That's nice, but listen to me"

[Verse 4]
Oh, if you seen my little red rooster
Please drive him home
"He's old as Bo Diddley"
"That's right!"
"You don't know [?]"
Oh, if you seen my little red rooster
Please drive him home
"I got him over here, Uncle Wolf"
"You best be [gonna cook him?] [ain't ya?]?"
"Have mercy"
There been no peace in the barnyard
Since the little red rooster been gone
"Hey, I can sing your song, man"
"I don't believe you"

[Verse 5]
If you see my little red rooster
Please won't y'all send him home
If you see my little red rooster
Please won't y'all send him home

("[Look at old?] Bo Diddley, Wolf!")
Ain't been no peace in the barnyard
Since that rooster been gone


"Watch this, Bo Diddley"
"Watch this, [?] Wolf"

"Hit it!"

[Verse 6]
Well, what you want with a rooster
And he won't crow for days
"You don't need him anymore"
Hey, what you want with a rooster
And he won't crow for days
Yeah, what you want with a woman
She won't do nothing I say


"Listen, listen"
"Boy, I been there"
[Verse 7]
Oh, you see my red rooster
Oh, drive him home
"I told you a long time ago, I had him behind some barbed wire"
Oh, if you see my red rooster, baby
Oh, drag him home
"Oh, he ain't coming. You got to come get him!"
"It's good, boy!"
There been no peace in the barnyard
Since the little red rooster been gone

[Verse 8]
What you want with a rooster
He won't crow for days
What you want with a rooster
That he won't crow for days
What you want with a woman
She won't do nothing she say

"Whoa, yeah"
"Now, if you think you know something, Muddy Waters, say something"

[Verse 9]
If you see my little red rooster, oh
Please, drive him home
Yeah, you know if you see my little red rooster
I want you please drive him home

"Hey, hey, Wolf, what is Muddy doing?"
"Trying to play Little Red Rooster"
Well you know there ain't been no peace in the barnyard
Since my little red rooster been gone


"Bo Diddley, I told you, I'm in there"
"Hey, Wolf?"
"What?"
"..."
"Now, you can't sing-"
"I like that song"
"You can't sing it Bo Diddley"
"Yeah, but I like it"
"You can't sing it, Bo"
"How come?"
"Muddy Waters can't sing, but he [?] [sing?]"
"Now watch me sing"
"Go ahead"

[Verse 10]
Well, the dogs all howling
Hound begin to howl, too
Well, the dogs all howling
And the hounds is howling too
The little red rooster's gone
Nobody knows where he's at
"Alright, now, Bo Diddley"
"You can sing it, now sing it"
...
"You scared to sing, Bo?"
"Bo Diddley!"
"I better let y'all alone"
"Sing it, Bo Diddley"
"I- I- I c- I- I-"
"Ain't [?] [the king?]"
"We butt him out, man, he's [high water?]"
"Ain't [?] [the king?]?"
"Yeah, [um, you?]"
"He ain't no king, man, I'm still king"
"Well, say something about little red rooster, then"
"Hey, hey, Unc-"
"Say something about little red roo-"
"Old Muddy Waters got your rooster tied up!"
"Y'all can't sing"
"What's that?"

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

Comments