Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

Lyrics: Sonny Boy Williamson
Music: Sonny Boy Williamson

Sung by Pigpen in the early days of the Grateful Dead, and much later revived occasionally by Bob Weir. Pigpen's rap after the third verses varied from performance to performance. This is the (extended) version on the first Grateful Dead album.

Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Tell your moma and your papa, I'm a little schoolboy too
Come on now pretty baby, I just can't help myself
You're so young and pretty, I don't need nobody else
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Don't you hear me crying

I'm gonna leave you baby about the break of day
On account of the way you treat me, I got to stay away
Come on now pretty baby, I told you to come on home (note 1)
You know I love you baby, I gotta get you all alone
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Can't you hear me crying

I'm gonna buy me an airplane, fly all over your town
Tell everybody baby, Lord know you're fine (note 2)
Come on now pretty baby, I just can't help myself
You're so young and pretty, I don't need nobody else
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Can't you hear me crying

Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you
Tell your moma and your papa, I'm a schoolboy too
I'm a schoolboy too
Hey, I'm a schoolboy too
I want to be your chauffeur
I want to ride your little machine (note 3)
I want to be your chauffeur
I want to ride with your little machine
I want to put a tiger, baby
I want to put a tiger, baby
I want to put a tiger, baby
Hey in your sweet little tank
Hey baby now, yes I do
Huh, oh yes I do now
Hey, I gotta
Hey, I gotta come on home with you
Tell your mother
Baby, tell your papa
Tell your mom and your papa
Hey, I'm a schoolboy too
Hey, hey, I'm a schoolboy too
Huh, huh, I'm a schoolboy too
Huh, I wanna take your company
Hey, I wanna be your company

Notes
(1) in some versions, Pigpen sang "... rider why don't why you just ride on home" rather than "... I told you to come on home"
(2) in some versions, Pigpen sang "Tell everybody baby, what you done put me down" and in the next line, "I know I need you darling, I just can't help myself"
(3) in later versions, Pigpen sang "I want to get behind your driving wheel" instead of "... ride your little machine"

In the rap on 2 February 1968, Pigpen sang some lines he later lifted into his Lovelight rap. (Thank to Ihor Slabiky for the transcription)

Can ah come home witchu?
Good mornin', little schoolgirl
Can ah come home witchu?
All ya got to do, baby
Tell your mother, and papa too
Ah'm a schoolboy, dahlin'
Ah don't mean no harm to you
No ah don't
No ah don't
Hey, no ah, uh, ah, uh

Ah been knowin' you, baby
For quite a long time
Don't make no
D'iffrence, darlin'
Ah cain't always find(?)
You got them box-back
Nitties, darlin'
Great big ol' noble thighs
And I know that 'cha
That 'cha work undercover with a boar hog's eye
Yes, you do

Grateful Dead Recordings
	Date	Album
	1966	Historic Dead
	29 Jul 1966	The Grateful Dead: 50th Anniversary Edition
	studio 1967	Grateful Dead (first album)
	10 Nov 1967	30 Trips Around The Sun
	20 Jan 1968	Road Trips Volume 2, Number 2 (bonus disc)
	14 Feb 1968	Road Trips Volume 2, Number 2
	24 Feb 1968	Dick's Picks Vol 22
	24 Aug 1968	Two from The Vault
	20 Oct 1968	30 Trips Around The Sun
	11 Feb 1969	Fillmore East 2-11-69
	27 Feb 1969	Fillmore West 1969 -The Complete Recordings
	28 Feb 1969	Fillmore West 1969 -The Complete Recordings
	17 Apr 1969	Download Series Vol 12
	8 Nov 1969	Dick's Picks Vol 16

Other Related Recordings
	Date	Album	Recorded By
	1992	Live At Sweetwater: Vol 2	Hot Tuna (with Bob Weir as guest) (note 4)

Notes
(4) also on the Hot Tuna DVD "Acoustic Blues: Live At Sweetwater"

Roots
Garcia gave an account of how the Dead learnt the song:

"We didn't get Good Morning Little Schoolgirl from Muddy Waters or whoever. Our version came from Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. I remember listening to that record endlessly when we were down in L.A. There was something really snaky about it, so we went with that approach, which was sort of a different feel, and a different melody even."

The Junior Wells version is indeed very similar to the Dead's (and has a very dimilar musical feel):

Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home with you
Tell your mother and your papa, I'm a little schoolboy too
Baby, I love you this morning, I can't help myself
C'mon now pretty baby, I don't need nobody else
Good morning little schoolgirl, hey, hey, hey, hey
Ooh, ooh, ooh we

I'm gonna leave you baby about the break of day
On account of the way you treat me, I got to stay away
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home with you
Tell your mother and your papa, that I'm a schoolboy too
C'mon now pretty baby, baby come on home
Ooh, ooh, ooh we

I'm gonna buy me an airplane, fly all over your town
Tell everybody baby, Lord know you're fine
I can't stand it baby, I just can't help myself
You're so young and pretty, you love somebody else
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home with you
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home
Good morning little schoolgirl, can I go home
[etc]

Rock Scully has a different account in "Living With The Dead":

"'Good Morning Little Schoolgirl' (in the Sonny Boy Williams version) is another Brit R&B favorite and Pigpen first latched on to it from the Yardbird's Crossroads album."

This is clearly wrong. The Yardbirds version is very different. Indeed, it was originally credited to "H G Demarais" - which I suspect was an invented name. Later re-issues credit the song to Sonny Boy Williamson.

Good morning little schoolgirl, good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with, won't you let me go home with you
So I can hug, hug
Squueze, squeeze
Let me love you, I can tease you baby
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah

Let's dance little schoolgirl, let's dance little schoolgirl
Won't you let me take you to the hop, hop
Have a party at the soda shop
So we can do the twist, do the stroll
To the music of the rock and roll
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah

Good morning little schoolgirl, good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with, won't you let me go home with you
So I can hug, hug
Squueze, squeeze
If you let me, I can tease you baby
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah

Good morning little schoolgirl, good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with, won't you let me go home with you
Tell your mama and your papa that I love you
Tell your sisters and your brother that I love you
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
[etc]

The original version of the song was by Sonny Boy Williamson, recorded in 1937, and is lyrically rather different to what Pigpen sang, except for the first verse:

Hello little little schoolgirl
Good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with you
Can I go home with you
Now you can tell your mother and your father
That Sonny Boy's a little schoolboy too

I woke up this morning
I woke up this morning
And I could make no time
Lord I couldn't make no time
Why I didn't have no blues mama
But I was all messed up inside

Now you be my baby
Come on and be my baby
I'll buy you a diamond ring
I'll buy you a diamond ring
While if you don't be my little woman
I won't buy you a doggone thing

I'm gonna buy me an airplane
I'm gonna buy me an airplane
I'm gonna fly all over this land
I'm gonna fly all over this land
If I don't find the woman that I'm loving
Then I ain't gonna let my airplane down

I don't know [how long]
I don't know [how long]
Baby what in this world
Baby what in this world are you doing
Well I don't wnat to never hurt your feelings
Or even get a [?]

Some have suggested that Pigpen was influenced by a version by Andrew "Smokey" Hogg, which was a hit in 1950, under the title "Little School Girl." Again, that version bears little relation to what Pigpen sang:

Good morning little schoolgirl, good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with you, I go home with you
You tell your mama and your papa, I'm a schoolboy too

Gonna buy me an airplane, gonna but me an airplane
Gonna fly all over, gonna fly all over town
I don't find my little schoolgirl, ain't gonna let my airplane down

I love my baby, I love my baby
I love my baby, times
You know it thrills my soul when I see my schoolgirl smile

I remember way back, I remember way back
When I was age of nine
I'm thinking about my schooldays, and it sure do worry my mind

For the record, this is Muddy Water's version, once again clearly not the basis for the Dead's:

Good morning little schoolgirl, good morning little schoolgirl
Can I go home with you, can I go home with you
Tell your mother and your father, I once was a schoolboy too

Sometime I don't know what, sometime I don't know what
Women put in tis world to do, women put in this world to do
I don't want to hurt your feelings, or even get mad with you

I'm gonna buy me an airplane, I'm gonna but me an airplane
I'm gonna fly all over [shitty] town, I'm gonna fly all over [shitty] town
If I don't fing my baby, ain't gonna let my airplane down

Now who's that coming yonder, now who's that coming yonder
She all dressed up and pretty, she all dressed up and pretty
If she don't be my baby, I'd as soon to see her dead

Further Information
For an online discussion of the lyrics to this song see the deadsongs.vue conference on The Well.
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography
For online chords and TAB see www.rukind.com