Advancing Through Jailhouse Rock

by Tom Duff, September 2, 2002

This piece is for a group of singers of any size, from a soloist to a large choir. Everybody participating can proceed at their own pace -- voluntary synchronization is allowed but not required. Each singer can freely choose tempo and key, or everybody can agree in advance.

Singers repeatedly sing a few words of Jailhouse Rock, advancing gradually from the beginning of the song to the end.

You start at the first word of the song: "The." At every repetition you advance either by starting a word later than the last time or by ending a word later, or both. When you finish, your last repetition will be just the word "Rock" at the end of the last chorus.

When everyone is done, the piece is over.

For example, you might sing the following (abbreviated) sequence of words:

The                    
The warden                  
The warden threw                
The warden threw a              
  warden threw a party            
  warden threw a party in          
    threw a party in          
      a party in          
        party in          
          in          
            the        
            the county      
            the county jail.    
              county jail. / The  
                jail. / The prison
. . .
cell block. / Was          
  block. / Was          
  block. / Was dancin'        
  block. / Was dancin' to      
    Was dancin' to the    
      dancin' to the    
      dancin' to the Jailhouse  
        to the Jailhouse Rock.
          the Jailhouse Rock.
            Jailhouse Rock.
              Rock.

Jailhouse Rock
by Mike Lieber and Jerry Stoller

The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,
the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Number forty-seven said to number three:
"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone
way over in the corner weepin' all alone.
The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square.
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair."

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake,
no one's lookin', now's our chance to make a break."
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix nix,
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks."

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Alternate simpler version

Sing the first few words of Jailhouse Rock. Go back a few words, but not farther than where you started the last repetition, and sing a few more words, ending no sooner than the last repetition. Keep going until you get to the end of the song.

Variation

If Jailhouse Rock doesn't work for you, the group could pick some other song. If so, you should make the appropriate substitution in the announced name of the piece when performing it in public.