About The Song
- “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is an uptempo, strophic story song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce.
- Released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times, the song was a No. 1 hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973.
- Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1973.
- “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” entered the charts in April 1973 and peaked at number one on the American charts three months later.
- It was still on the charts on September 20 when Croce died in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Song information:
- Genre: Folk rock
- Written by: Jim Croce
- Released: 1973
- Album: Life and Times
- Length: 3:20
Additional information:
- Jim Croce was an American singer and songwriter who was known for his folk rock and country songs.
- He died in a plane crash in 1973 at the age of 30.
- Croce’s music is still popular today, and he is considered one of the most influential folk rock artists of all time.
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Woah!
Well, the South side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man named Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand ’bout six foot four
All the downtown ladies call him “Treetop Lover”
All the men just call him “Sir”
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Leroy he’s a gambler
And he likes his fancy clothes
And he likes to wave his diamond rings
In front of everybody’s nose
He got a custom Continental
He got an Eldorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket for fun
He got a razor in his shoe
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Friday bout a week ago
Leroy shootin’ dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named Doris
And ooh that girl looked nice
Well he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
Cause Leroy Brown, he learned a lesson
‘Bout messin’ with the wife of a jealous man
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fightin’
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Yeah, badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog