You ain't Heard Nothin' Till You Hear Him Roar!

Bob Nolan
Original copyright: Undetermined

I’m tough as a boot and a wild galoot and a son of the lone prairie.
He’s tough as a boot and a son of the lone prairie.
I drink raw liquor, my trigger hand’s quicker than the human eye can see.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!

Once Jesse James took careful aim with sixty rounds of lead.
Once Jesse James took sixty rounds of lead.
On my chest they cracked and they all bounced back and killed poor Jesse dead.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!

When they made this land they needed a plan for the toughest man to be.
They needed a plan for the toughest man to be.
So the recipe came and they built the frame and then they assembled me.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!

One of Bob Nolan's nonsense songs, "You ain't Heard Nothin' till You Hear Him Roar!" was written for comedian Pat Brady and uses a double trio. Pat took the solo lead and then joined in with one trio for the last two lines. This combination of alternating trios building up into a crescendo of sounds very much like the roar of a lion. The lines indicated in bold font are the lines sung by the first trio. This use of double trios used the voices of the whole group, one of the rare times Karl Farr's voice could be heard.

Apparently the song was used in three films but I can verify only one, Heldorado. The other films are a Charles Starrett film Two-Fisted Rangers (1939) and a Republic movie Man from Cheyenne (1946). We haven't found a copy of Two-Fisted Rangers and our copy of Man from Cheyenne is cut.

Except for original movie soundtracks, the song was recorded for the Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage radio transcriptions although it was popular on their live shows. There was no existing sheet music until Eric van Hamersveld created it for his book, It Was Always the Music, R & R Publications, 2001.

The following two verses were used in Heldorado:

When my teeth I gnash like a lightning flash the sparks fly everywhere.
Like a lightning flash and sparks fly everywhere.
I can roar so loud that a thundercloud will burst in the trembling air.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!

Now, I’m taking this time to explain this rhyme in a manner unprofane.
He’s taking his time in a manner unprofane.
But I’m a-warning youse guys with a batch of black eyes, better smile when you speak my name.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!

Link sheet music

SONS OF THE PIONEERS TRANSCRIPTION RECORDINGS

Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage, transcription (059427)

Teleways Radio Productions transcriptions, Nos. 38, 82, 105, 138, 183, and 229 (c. 1947-48)

Lucky U Ranch radio shows (courtesy of Larry Hopper)
- Transcriptions disc TR-107/108 (November 21, 1951)
- Transcriptions disc TR-111/112 (November 22, 1951)
- Transcriptions disc TR-228/229 (February 6, 1952)
- Transcriptions disc TR-272/273 (March 7, 1952)
- Transcriptions disc TR-519/520 (October 15, 1952)
- Transcriptions disc TR-684/685 (February 9, 1953)

Smokey the Bear radio show, episode No. 5 (1956)