They heard the breeze in the trees making weird melodies And they made that the start of the blues And from a jail came the wail of a downhearted frail And they played that as part of the blues From a whippoorwill out on a hill they took a new note Pushed it through a horn till it was worn into a blue note And then they nursed it rehearsed it and gave out the news That the southland gave birth of the blues that the southland gave birth of the blues