Conditional Discharge

You know, I remember a few years ago
Some funny things used to happen to me,
About 1956-57

At that time there was no blues scene
Or not really any kind of scene in London
I used to go out and play my guitar in the streets
And sing things with passing my hat down

I remember one particular night
I was playing the guitar in a little alleyway
Just off of Wardour Street in Soho
And I got busted by the police

This policeman came up and dragged me and my guitar
And my hat full of pennies off to the police station

Anyway, the next day
I had to appear in Marlboro Street Police Court
And it was quite a day
Police officer giving his evidence

"I was proceeding in a southerly direction, mi-lord
When I heard strange sounds
Coming from Wardour Place, mi-lord
A sort of boogie-woogie music was being played

On further investigation, I saw the defendant
Standing there with a guitar and an old hat
On the floor collecting pennies
Well, I decided that he was contravening

A breach of the peace there, as there was
A traffic jam about five miles long down Wardour Street
Wondering what all the fuss was about

So then I arrested the defendant"
"Ah, just one moment, officer
Well, what is this boogie-woogie music
Here we're talking about?"

"Oh, well, mi-lord", said the officer
Getting out his notebook, obviously
Been doing up his homework
"It's a kind of jazz-rhythm music
Peculiar to the American-Negro"

"Oh, and what was the defendant doing
Playing this kind of music there in Wardour Street?"

Anyway I got off with a caution
A year's conditional discharge
But I'll always remember that policeman
And his boogie-woogie music
So don't try to lay no boogie-woogie
On the king of rock and roll