Mannish Boy (I'm A Man)

Lyrics: Morganfield, London, McDaniel
Music: Morganfield, London, McDaniel

The Muddy Waters song "Mannish Boy" is almost identical to the Bo Diddley song "I'm A Man". Bo Diddley had a chart success with this in 1955, and it seems that Chess decided to cash in by releasing a similar record. Otis Span played organ on both the original Bo Diddley recording and with Muddy Waters on the subsequent Chess recording. At the time, Bo Diddley did not seem to object - he was given a shared writing credit ("Morganfield" is Muddy Waters real name, and "McDaniel" is Bo Diddley's). But Bo Diddley later claimed sole authorship.

I have left the title as "Mannish Boy" to avoid confusion with the Spencer Davis song I'm A Man.

The Dead did this with Bo Diddley singing lead on 25 March 1972, and did a portion during Lovelight on 15 December 1971:

When I was a little boy
About the age of five
I had something in my pocket
Keep a lots of woman alive
Now I'm a man
Done made twenty one
I tell you darling
I'm the son of a gun
I'm a man
I spell M A N, man

Now when I was a little boy
At the age of five
I had something in my pocket
Keep a lot of folks alive
Now I'm a man
And I made twenty one
You know baby
You and I can have a lot of fun
I'm a man
I said a man
A hoochie coochie man
Keep on
And [?]
Keep on
[?]
A man
I said a man
A hoochie coochie man

The line I shoot
Will never miss
The way I make love to them
You know they can't resist
I'm a man
I spell it M A N
Man
I'm
I'm
I'm
I'm

Now when I was a little boy
At the age of five
I had something in my pocket
Keep a lot of folks alive
Now I'm a man
Made twenty one
You know baby
We can have a lot of fun
I'm a man
I spell it M A N

All you pretty women
Stand in line
I can make love to you baby
In an hour's time
I'm a man
Spelt M A N

I'm going back down
To Kansas too
Bring back the second cousin
Little John the conquadoo
I'm a man
Spelt M A N

The line I shot
Will never miss
The way I make love to them
They can't resist