Music Blog

Ow! Good God! I Can’t Sit Down!

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
Neither Purely Good Nor Purely Bad.
Here’s how the theme inspired me.

This week at Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams’ theme is ‘Neither Purely Good Nor Purely Bad’. So, what’s our challenge? To write about a song that mentions an insect.

Born in Barnwell, South Carolina in 1933, James Brown was a singer, songwriter, arranger, and dancer. He was one of the most important and influential entertainers in 20th-century popular music whose remarkable achievements earned him the nickname the “Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.”

Brown was raised mainly by his great-aunt, who took him in at the age of five when his parents divorced. Growing up in the segregated South during the Great Depression, Brown was so impoverished that he was sent home from school for “insufficient clothes” …. an experience that he never forgot and that perhaps explains his penchant as an adult for wearing ermine coats, velour jumpsuits, elaborate capes, and conspicuous gold jewelry. Neighbors taught him how to play drums, piano, and guitar; he learned about gospel music in churches and at tent revivals where preachers would scream, yell, stomp their feet, and fall to their knees during sermons to inspire the congregation.

At age 15, Brown and some companions were arrested while breaking into cars. He was sentenced to 8 to 16 years but was released after 3 years for good behavior. While at reform school, he formed a gospel group called the Flames, attracting the attention of Little Richard, whose manager helped promote the group. Their first recording, “Please, Please, Please” (1956), sold three million copies and launched Brown’s extraordinary career. During the 1960s, Brown was known as “Soul Brother Number One.” In the 1970s, Brown became the “Godfather of Soul,” and his hit songs encouraged several dance crazes. Brown appeared in several motion pictures, including The Blues Brothers (1980) and Rocky IV (1985) and attained global celebrity status. Yet, Brown’s life continued to be marred by difficulties, including the tragic death of his third wife, charges of drug use, and a period of imprisonment for a 1988 high-speed highway chase in which he tried to evade pursuing police.

Brown’s uncanny ability to ‘scream’ on key, sing soulful slow ballads as well as up-tempo tunes, and to blend blues, gospel, jazz, and country vocal styles together made him one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. His extraordinary dance routines redefined performance within popular music and inspired generations of imitators (not least Michael Jackson). His careful attention to every aspect of his shows guaranteed his audiences a uniformly high level of professionalism every night and established a precedent in artistic autonomy. A skilled dancer and singer with an extraordinary sense of timing, Brown played a major role in bringing rhythm to the foreground of popular music. James Brown was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 1992, and was a 2003 recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.

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The song I have chosen today is “I Got Ants In My Pants (and I Want to Dance”), a funk song recorded in 1971 and released as a two-part single; it did not appear on any album. The central theme is a physical and energetic urge to dance, described metaphorically as having “ants in my pants”. The song showcases Brown’s distinctive vocal style, with “ow!”s and “good God!”s, alongside his tightly-grooving funk band, featuring horn blasts and prominent bass lines. The lyrics describe Brown’s desire for someone to dance with, inviting them to “squeeze me tight” and “hold me right”. The song is seen as a quintessential representation of Brown’s energetic performance style and can be considered a perfect embodiment of his personality. “I Got Ants In My Pants” reached #4 on the R&B charts and #27 on the pop charts. 

This is “I Got Ants In My Pants (and I Want To Dance)” by James Brown

LYRICS

Ow, hey, tell me what you’re gonna do about that
Tell me what you’re gonna do
I got to know about that
Is your love for real?
Do you know how I feel?
Tell me what you’re gonna do about that

I got ants in my pants
And I need to dance, come on
I got ants in my pants and I need to dance
Some big fine mama come and give me a chance, uh
Hey, hey, hey
I got ants in my pants and I need to dance
Some big fine sister gonna make me prance
Come on, hey, hey

You need someone to love you
I’m the one, I’m a good fine loving son of a gun
Come on, hey, do ya, do ya

I love you, yes, I do with all my heart and soul
I need you, yes, I do
Don’t let my love grow cold
Squeeze me tight, hold me right
Make me know you’re mine
Ooh, need you all my life
Yes I’m always fine
I love you, I want you
With all my heart and soul
I need you, yes, I do
Don’t let my love grow cold

Ah, ah good God
I said, I said it’s good now
I said, baby, it’s good now, hey
Come on, bring me up
Lift me up on the other side
I said you got to lift me up
On the other side
You got to lift me

I said, ah, on the other, ah!
You got to lift me up
Good God, come on bring your, bring your, bring your, ow!
Good God
You got to lift me up
On the other side
You, you, you, you, you

I got ants in my pants and I need to dance
Hey, hey, hey, oh Lord
I feel it
You know that I feel it
You know that I feel it
I got ants in my pants and I need to dance
Some big fine mama come and give me a chance

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: James Brown
I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance) lyrics © Dynatone Publishing Company

Neither Purely Good nor Purely Bad

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by for a look and a listen.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

33 thoughts on “Ow! Good God! I Can’t Sit Down!”

  7. Brown was a consummate entertainer. Nobody can top what he did.

    This part of his bio stood out for me:

    At age 15, Brown and some companions were arrested while breaking into cars. He was sentenced to 8 to 16 years but was released after 3 years for good behavior.

    Just think about the punishment for the crime. B&E of a Vehicle x ? got him 8 to 16 years in prison (i.e. reform school aka punk prison) at age 15. He served THREE YEARS! That is fucked up.

    While at reform school…

    He learned all kinds of new tricks from his reform school mates. God knows what else happened to him there. God also was watching over him and kept him on a positive past.

    It always amazed me how he could drop into the splits like he did.

    Great choice for this week’s prompt, Nancy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The splits are cringe-worthy but he just springs back into action every time!

      My knowledge of the judicial/penal system mentioned in my post is minimal at best. I’m not a cop or a lawyer; don’t even play one on TV. I’m just a lowly WordPress blogger trying to entertain my readers. Forgive me for not responding to your comments on this subject; it appears you’re better informed than I am.

      Thanks, Lisa.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. I loved the Cedric Bud Lite video. Great choice, Nancy as James Brown is arguably the greatest artist in the history of black music, and his contribution to American popular culture with 33 years as a hitmaker is immeasurable.  He invented funk and rap, and his profound influence on music is international in scope.  Brown is the most popular black musician of all time charting 114 singles. 

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Excellent wrap-up, Jim. I appreciate your additional bits of entertaining information as well as your very gracious comments. I wanted to write about something engaging and fun. I was familiar with this song so when I read the theme for today, the word “ants” and James Brown immediately came to mind. Whether someone is a fan or not doesn’t really matter; his physical prowess, masterful moves, and amazing musicality cannot be denied. It was great fun preparing this post. Thanks very much for a fabulous comment and a terrific theme.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks so much, David. I totally agree with your comments about James Brown. I’m very pleased to know how much you enjoyed my blog today; James Brown was my first and only choice and I had a terrific time bringing him to life for my readers. Thank you!

      Much love back to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks very much, Clive. That Cedric advert always made me laugh; I’m glad I thought to use it as my opener.

      James Brown fan or not, there’s no denying what a dynamic presence he was on stage and his great influence on music in general and black music in particular. It was a real pleasure writing about him today.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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