Nigel Egg: Music

• MP3 play whole song, hi-fi (broadband)

You Can’t Sing the Blues with an English Accent

You can’t sing the blues with an English accent

You sound like a right pillock actually, even if you do know the words to all 30 Robert Johnson songs

It’s a language we all share

But the credibility just isn’t there

You can’t sing the blues with an English accent

You can’t sing the blues with a name like Nigel

It’s just too white, too social climber, Mick Jagger wouldn’t let anyone call him Nigel!

It’s a crying bloody shame

I don’t have a bluesy name

And you can’t sing the blues with an English accent

But the English get the blues

Just like the Mississippis do

And we have to let it out, just let it rip

It’s a real bugger innit?

Get the blues, but if you sing it

Sounds like Harry Potter, or… Prince Charles with a stiff upper lip (steady on, old chap!)

It’s true: 

You can’t sing the blues with an English accent

So I’ll become African-American, that’s what all the other English rockers seem to do

I’ll take some John Lee Hooker lessons

And sound like Howlin’ Wolf confessin’

And save the accent for my Conan O’Brien interview