Diptheria Blues - Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention

[Tully Gymnasium, Florida State University

October 9, 1970]

Back a hundred years ago

There wasn’t anyway you can go down here in Florida

Mississippi

Any of things

Then you got your home

And you got your own things

And you got your soul brothers

Hundred years ago

Would never it was

background, ladies and gentlemen

brownie diphtheria harmonica blues

Asthma Mark

And the Funk Brothers

Good God!

Good God!

What is this?

I can’t stand it

I can’t really a heartbreak

You just warm me up

Take it to my pocket please

Take it to my hometown

Take it to my strawhat

Take it in my blue

They send me down by the scarecrow

And they say

Hey, boy

You better picking bluebirds all day long

It’s about time you really got it on

And I know you brothers got rhythm and you got soul

Somebody you play some, I mean

We gotta have one on every block

Just to show how cool we are

I’m staying and all of this

What’s that rag you’re listening here

Would be, boy

Would take your women back to their shed

We’re gonna use you to make me feel, boy

Then we’re gonna sit down and on you

Fine Asthma Mark

They used to say, play that thing there for more

Play the harmonica, boy

Play that thing

Asthma Mark goes free, yeah!

what?

Asthma Mark goes free, yeah!

Free yeah!

Free yeah!

Carlos Santana, ladies and gentlemen!

Good God!

Don’t break that bottle, brother Aynsley

It’s all we got

So Asthma Mark would sit on the corner

And he would play his Diphtheria Blues on this corner

And people will come from miles around

To see Asthma Mark a-wheezing and a-playing

A-playing and a-wheezing

And spewing

And a-foaming

They say

We love you, Asthma Mark

And we sing with him

Go Diphtheria Blues

I can’t breath

I can’t breath

My blow’s a sweater

Miles of water and

Oh, I can’t stand it

What’s gonna happen to me

Oh Diphtheria got me down

Oh San Antonio epidemic out

Oh

Oh Diphtheria Blues

say

Gonna play in this

Gonna through

on the back

in my place

here

funky blues

Diphtheria Blues

Got me down

Diphtheria Blues

Got me down

Can’t stand it no more

Diphtheria Blues

Just

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues, yeah

Diphtheria Blues, oh

Diphtheria Blues

Can’t stand it

Oh no

Oh no

OW!

OW!

HOO-AAHHH!

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues

Can’t stand it

Oh no

Oh no

Diphtheria Blues

Diphtheria Blues

Play that thing Asthma Mark

Good God!

Good God!

Amen.

.

John Lennon: Okay?

FZ: Sit down and cool it for a minute so you can hear what we’re gonna do!

John Lennon: Yeah, this is a song I used to sing when I was in The Cavern in

Liverpool, I haven’t done it since so.

.. Two, three, four.

.