Shorty Long - 1968 R&B Record "Here Come The Judge" (information, lyrics, sound file)

Steven Majors, Feb 21, 2014

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about African American R&B singer Shorty Long and presents information about Long's 1968 version of the comedic song "Here Come The Judge". That song originated in the 1940s as a comedic routine performed by Pigmeat Markham and Markham was the first to record a version of Here Come The Judge in 1968.

The lyrics for Shorty Long's version of "Here Come The Judge" and a YouTube sound file of that song are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Shorty Long for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound file on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/12/pigmeat-markham-1968-song-here-come.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Pigmeat Markham - 1968 Song "Here Come The Judge" (an example of early rap)"

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INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTY LONG
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorty_Long
"Frederick Earl "Shorty" Long (May 20, 1940 – June 29, 1969) was an American soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer for Motown's Soul Records imprint. He was placed in the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980.

Career
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Long came to Motown in 1963 from the Tri-Phi/Harvey label, owned by Berry Gordy's sister, Gwen, and her husband, Harvey Fuqua.[2] His first release, "Devil with the Blue Dress On" (1964), written with William "Mickey" Stevenson, was the first recording issued on Motown's Soul label, a subsidiary designed for more blues-based artists such as Long.[2] While this song never charted nationally, the song was covered and made a hit in 1966 by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.[2] Long's 1966 single "Function at the Junction" was his first popular hit, reaching No. 42 on the national R&B charts. Other single releases included "It's a Crying Shame" (1964), "Chantilly Lace" (1967), and "Night Fo' Last" (1968).[3]

Long's biggest hit was "Here Comes the Judge" which in July 1968 reached No. 4 on the R&B charts and No. 8 eight on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The song was inspired by a comic act on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In about a judge by Pigmeat Markham, whose own "Here Comes the Judge" – a similar song with different lyrics – charted three weeks after Long's, also in July 1968, and reached No. 19 on Billboard. Long's 1969 singles included "I Had a Dream" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". He released one album during his lifetime, Here Comes the Judge (1968).[5]

Long played many instruments, including piano, organ, drums, harmonica, and trumpet. He acted as an MC for many of the Motortown Revue shows and tours, and co-wrote several of his tunes ("Devil with the Blue Dress On", "Function at the Junction", and "Here Comes the Judge"). Long was the only Motown artist besides Smokey Robinson who was allowed to produce his own recordings in the 1960s"...
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Notice that Shorty Long's Here Come The Judge record was released three weeks before Pigmeat Markham's record with the same name but different lyrics. Shorty Long's record and the other Here Come The Judge records that followed it were based on the Pigmeat Markham's comedic routine which he began performing in the 1940s.

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Excerpt #2
From http://www.comedyhistory101.com/comedy-history-101/2019/9/27/history-of-here-comes-the-judge-comedys-first-meme#:~:text=Here%20Comes%20the%20Judge%20is,%3A%20Rowan%20%26%20Martin's%20Laugh%20In.
"Here Comes the Judge is a 1968 song by legendary comedian Pigmeat Markham. It become one of comedy’s first memes when Sammy David Jr. made it a catchphrase on the TV show: Laugh In. The song, and Laugh In comedy sketch, became so huge - that 4 other versions of Here Come the Judge were released in the same year - all them making the charts. (The most famous by Shorty Long.) Here Comes the Judge - also inspired the Baskin-Robbins flavor: Here Comes the Fudge. Find out more about one of comedy’s first memes - long before there was the Internet."...

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LYRICS FOR "HERE COME THE JUDGE" (as sung by Shorty Long, released in 1968)
Hear ye, hear ye
The court's in session
The court's in session, now
Here comes the judge

Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge, y'all
Here comes the judge

Stop eatin' that fudge
'Cause here comes the judge
Don't nobody budge
'Cause here comes the judge
Judge Shorty is presidin' today
And he don't take no stuff from nobody
No kind of way

Hey boy, take off that hat
Where do you think you're at
I know where you gon' be
If you don't heed my plea
I'm here to tell you
Court's in session
Order in the court now
Court's in session
Can't nobody smoke now
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge

Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge, y'all
Here comes the judge

Order, order
What's the first case on the docket
Judge I got a boy here who can't dance
Can't dance? Aww (Can't dance your Honor)

Ninety days, thirty days for boogaloo
Thirty days to learn how to shing-a-ling
And thirty more for the Afro twist
Can't dance, what is this
Court's in session, everybody quiet now
Court's in session, here comes the judge
Here comes the judge

Is that the man?
No, your honor
Does he look like the man?
No, your Honor
Well, I'm sorry you got to go now
Ah ha you can't recognize the man
No, your Honor
You got to stand guilty

Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge, y'all
Here comes the judge

Ah yes, here comes the judge
They caught him stompin' down the aisle
Yes here comes the judge
I'd rather be lost in the jungles of Brazil
Than to face the judge
This morning the way he feels
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge now
Don't nobody budge
'Cause here comes the judge
Everybody doin' their time today

Source: https://genius.com/Shorty-long-here-comes-the-judge-lyrics

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