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Open the Door Richard
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Count Basie and His Orchestra
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Words by Dusty Fletcher and John Mason
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Music by Jack McVea and Don Howell
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Peaked at # 1 in 1947 and, true to the times, six OTHER versions also made the
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Top 10
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Three Flames (#1); Dusty Fletcher (#3); Jack McVea (#3); the Charioteers (#6);
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Louis Jordan (#6); and The Pied Pipers (#8)
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Intro-conversations mingled in a crowded room
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???? at the club tonight. Ole Richard went home early-he's got the key to the
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house. I'm gonna knock on the door, see if I kin get in.
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Open the door, Richard!! Ya see, Richard sleeps in the back room. It's kinda hard
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to hear.
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Maybe I better knock a little louder.
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Open the door, Richard!! I don't think Richard heard me yet. Knock one more
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time-let's see
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what's gonna happen.
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Richard, open the door, please.
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SUNG: Open the door, Richard
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Open the door and let me in
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Open the door, Richard
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Richard, why don't you open that door?
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Richard, open the door, man-it's *co-hold* out here'n this air. Now look-there's that
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old woman 'cross the street lookin' out the windah
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(Who's that, Widow Sweet?)
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That must be her sister, I guess. She wants to make SURE this is me. She's tryin'
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to find out
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what's happenin'. Yes, it's me and I'm late again!
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(??, did you hear what the lady's sayin'?)
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No, what is she sayin'?
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(She said you sure look common out here'n the street.)
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COMMON? Man, I got class I ain't never used yet. I'm gonna knock again-
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Richard's got to get up.
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Open the door, Richard!! Man, you got a key to the house?
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(No, ??, I don't have a key. I DON'T have a key.)
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Somebody's got to get in the house. We can't climb in the transit.
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(Oh, I know he's in there.)
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How YOU know he's in there?
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(I can hear him breathin'.)
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Ooooh, let's try it one more time!
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Richard, open that door, man. Maybe Richard's gone.
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SUNG: Open the door, Richard
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Open the door and let me in
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Open the door, Richard
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Richard, why don't you open that door? < halfway thru this singing
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part, it blends
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with a background conversation.>
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I know he's in there.
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(how you know he's in there?)
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Why, you got on the suit.
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I know I got on the only suit. Ain't got but one suit between us. That's the
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reason why I don't like to roooooom with nobody.
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FADE
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Richard, why don'tcha open the door, man?
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Open The Door Richard
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| Jack McVea |
