Ted, Woody, and Junior Releases Gigs Lyrics Comments Tablature

Details

Author
Robyn Hitchcock
According to our records, Robyn has played this song 119 times, most recently at Levon Helm Studios on November 01, 2024. He first performed it at Ronnie Scott's on February 02, 1986, 38 years and 8 months earlier.
Title Artist Label Type Year
Element of Light Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians Glass Fish Records Album 1986
The Hooded One Robyn Hitchcock Feg You Records Bootleg 1988
Luminous Groove Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians Yep Roc Records Album 2008
Venue Billed As City State Country Date
Ronnie Scott's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 02/02/1986
UCSD Gym Steps Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Diego California US 03/13/1986
I-Beam Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Francisco California US 03/17/1986
Berkeley Square Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Berkeley California US 03/19/1986
Starry Night Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Portland Oregon US 03/21/1986
Town Pump Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Vancouver British Columbia Canada 03/24/1986
First Avenue Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 03/26/1986
Blind Pig Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Ann Arbor Michigan US 03/27/1986
9:30 Club Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Washington DC US 03/28/1986
Paradise Centre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Reading England UK 06/02/1986
Norwich Arts Centre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Norwich England UK 06/06/1986
WNYU Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New York New York US 10/31/1986
Revolver Records Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 11/17/1986
One Step Beyond Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Santa Clara California US 11/18/1986
Northern Lights Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 11/23/1986
First Avenue Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 11/23/1986
Stereodrome Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Bologna Italy 02/11/1987
Stereodrome Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Bologna Italy 02/12/1987
Ronnie Scott's Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 05/10/1987
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 07/18/1987
Ronnie Scott's Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 10/25/1987
Mean Fiddler Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 12/05/1987
Band on the Wall Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Manchester England UK 02/09/1988
Zap Club Robyn Hitchcock Brighton England UK 02/16/1988
Hackney Empire Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians London England UK 02/17/1988
Grove Arts Centre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Dorchester England UK 02/19/1988
Let It Be Records Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Minneapolis Minnesota US 04/11/1988
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 07/29/1988
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 07/31/1988
Virgin Megastore Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 12/01/1988
Rialto Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Raleigh North Carolina US 06/11/1989
Lisner Auditorium George Washington University Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Washington DC US 06/14/1989
Blue Wall (UMass) Robyn Hitchcock Amherst Massachusetts US 09/23/1989
Backstage Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 09/27/1989
Slim's Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 10/05/1989
The Birchmere Robyn Hitchcock Alexandria Virginia US 04/23/1990
Cat's Cradle (Chapel Hill NC) Robyn Hitchcock Carrboro North Carolina US 04/27/1990
The Point Robyn Hitchcock Atlanta Georgia US 05/01/1990
40 Watt Club Robyn Hitchcock Athens Georgia US 05/04/1990
Einstein a-Go-Go Robyn Hitchcock Jacksonville Beach Florida US 05/06/1990
Tipitina's Robyn Hitchcock New Orleans Louisiana US 05/11/1990
Cactus Café Robyn Hitchcock Austin Texas US 05/15/1990
Cactus Café Robyn Hitchcock Austin Texas US 05/15/1990
Great American Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 05/30/1990
University Centre Auditorium Robyn Hitchcock Victoria British Columbia Canada 07/12/1990
Iron Horse Robyn Hitchcock Northampton Massachusetts US 10/11/1990
Max's on Broadway Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Baltimore Maryland US 01/01/1991
Bogart's Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Long Beach California US 04/21/1991
Dingwalls 'Positively Barking' featuring the Four Croakers London England UK 11/11/2001
The Garage Robyn Hitchcock and.... London England UK 01/25/2002
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 04/27/2002
Maxwell's Robyn Hitchcock Hoboken New Jersey US 01/09/2004
Rockstars Robyn Hitchcock Austin Texas US 03/20/2004
Kitty Kat Klub Robyn Hitchcock Minneapolis Minnesota US 11/04/2004
Rex Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Pittsburgh Pennsylvania US 11/09/2004
Maxwell's Robyn Hitchcock Hoboken New Jersey US 11/14/2004
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 03/10/2005
Club Congress Robyn Hitchcock Tucson Arizona US 03/13/2005
Iron Horse Robyn Hitchcock Northampton Massachusetts US 03/28/2005
Duncan Hall Robyn Hitchcock Lafayette Indiana US 04/03/2005
The Chapel Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 06/08/2017
The Barns at Wolf Trap Robyn Hitchcock Vienna Virginia US 04/11/2019
The Kate Robyn Hitchcock Old Saybrook Connecticut US 04/13/2019
Caffe Lena Robyn Hitchcock Saratoga Springs New York US 04/14/2019
The Stone Church Robyn Hitchcock Brattleboro Vermont US 04/16/2019
Firehouse Center For The Performing Arts Robyn Hitchcock Newburyport Massachusetts US 04/17/2019
The Center For Arts Robyn Hitchcock Natick Massachusetts US 04/20/2019
Music Box Supper Club Robyn Hitchcock Cleveland Ohio US 06/19/2019
The Ark Robyn Hitchcock Ann Arbor Michigan US 06/22/2019
Monarch Tavern Robyn Hitchcock Toronto Ontario Canada 06/24/2019
Twyford Parish Hall Robyn Hitchcock Twyford England UK 07/25/2019
Café Berlin Robyn Hitchcock Madrid Spain 10/03/2019
The Capstone Theater Robyn Hitchcock Liverpool England UK 10/19/2019
Brudenell Social Club Robyn Hitchcock Leeds England UK 10/20/2019
St Paul's Church Robyn Hitchcock Birmingham England UK 10/25/2019
Paste Studios Robyn Hitchcock Atlanta Georgia US 11/13/2019
The ArtsCenter Robyn Hitchcock Carrboro North Carolina US 11/14/2019
Sellersville Theater Robyn Hitchcock Sellersville Pennsylvania US 11/17/2019
Murmrr Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 11/21/2019
StageOne Robyn Hitchcock Fairfield Connecticut US 11/22/2019
Columbus Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Providence Rhode Island US 11/23/2019
City Winery Robyn Hitchcock Boston Massachusetts US 11/24/2019
Concerts In The Studio Robyn Hitchcock Freehold New Jersey US 11/25/2019
Largo at the Coronet Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 12/13/2019
Levontin7 Robyn Hitchcock Tel Aviv Israel 02/02/2020
Circolo Della Musica Robyn Hitchcock Rivoli Italy 02/07/2020
Chiesa Valdese Robyn Hitchcock Rome Italy 02/08/2020
Cripta Romanics del Duomo Robyn Hitchcock Avellino Italy 02/09/2020
Fremont Abbey Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 02/27/2020
The Old Church Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 02/29/2020
Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill Music Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 03/13/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 05/27/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 05/29/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 11/15/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 04/30/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Morris Windsor London England UK 06/11/2021
St Mary's Creative Space Robyn Hitchcock Chester England UK 09/30/2021
City Winery (Pier 57) Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 10/12/2021
Musikfest Cafe Robyn Hitchcock Bethlehem Pennsylvania US 10/14/2021
The Hangar Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Ithaca New York US 10/15/2021
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Westhampton Beach New York US 10/22/2021
StageOne Robyn Hitchcock Fairfield Connecticut US 10/23/2021
Brudenell Social Club Robyn Hitchcock Leeds England UK 03/20/2022
Loppen Robyn Hitchcock Copenhagen Denmark 03/25/2022
Knuckleheads Robyn Hitchcock Kansas City Missouri US 04/14/2022
Stoughton Opera House Robyn Hitchcock Stoughton Wisconsin US 04/19/2022
Old Town School of Folk Music Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 04/21/2022
Largo at the Coronet Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 05/26/2022
Norwich Puppet Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Norwich England UK 09/23/2022
Eddie's Attic Robyn Hitchcock Decatur Georgia US 11/12/2022
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room Robyn Hitchcock Liverpool England UK 02/28/2023
The Betsey Trotwood Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 07/01/2023
The Kessler Theater Robyn Hitchcock Dallas Texas US 01/20/2024
Old Town School of Folk Music Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 05/03/2024
The Old Church Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 10/09/2024
City Winery Robyn Hitchcock Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 10/24/2024
City Winery Robyn Hitchcock Boston Massachusetts US 10/29/2024
City Winery (Pier 57) Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 10/30/2024
Levon Helm Studios Robyn Hitchcock Woodstock New York US 11/01/2024

Comments

From Robyn on Instagram in 2019
New York City, 1965, was plagued by power cuts and water shortages. Whilst Bob Dylan, Brian Jones and Andy Warhol dealt with the former by vamping around Nico in their Raybans, elsewhere in NYC three other guys saved water by showering together in a petite bath-tub. Plumbing (like so much else) has changed drastically since the 1960s, so it may be hard for the 21st Century mind to grasp what a feat it was for Ted, Woody and Junior to manoeuvre themselves into one bath, backs demurely to the camera, and lather up.

I discovered this one damp November a decade later, whilst waiting to play a floor spot (open mic night) at the Portland Arms in Cambridge. Browsing in a seedy charity shop at dusk, I chanced upon a mildewed faux-bodybuilding mag called Muscleboy. Bodybuilding was hardly my jam, but something about Muscleboy (and The Young Physique, its companion mag) caught my eye. A few pages in from the Charles Atlas types at the front, arcane tableaux began to appear: a man clad only in a Stetson hat and cowboy boots grinned over his shoulder - another posed underwater with a lobster as his swimming costume. By the time I reached the saga of Ted, Woody and Junior I was hooked. Had Warhol read these periodicals, I wondered? Had Dylan himself? Those were different times. “I’ve got something stronger, if yer want it” coughed the sleazy proprietor, wheezing a toxic blend of chilly Fenland air and tobacco smoke into his dim-lit, fungal store. I assured him these two items were plenty and paid him my 10 pence. Two weekends later, my roommate and I sang this byline from Muscleboy onstage at the Portland Arms, in an acapella English folk style : “A brand new model from Bruce this month - Blackie Preston...the rigors of hard range work have given him the perfectly developed body of a man”
They loved us, as always... In 1985, two decades on from that epic year in New York, I was on a railway platform when this song appeared, almost fully formed, in my head.

Lyrics

Ted, Woody, and Junior
Stand in the bath together
And cover each other with soap
Cover each other with soap

Ted, Woody, and Junior
Stand in the frosty garden
They can feel their sinews harden
So they cover each other with leaves
Cover each other with leaves...
Yeah, they cover each other with leaves
Cover each other with leaves

It's a wonderful world
With a lot of strange men
Who are standing around
And they're all wearing towels

Ted, Woody, and Junior
Were disappointments to their fathers
But they had a way with lather
And they covered each other with soap
Covered each other with soap
Yeah, they covered each other with soap
Covered each other with soap

Ted, Woody, and Junior..

Tablature

C...   Em...   G:

     F  F       Dm      C... F... C
Ted, Woody, and Juuuuuunior
      F  F   C
stand in the bath together
    Dm
and cover each other with soap
                      C... F... C... Em... G:
cover each other with soap

     F  F       Dm      C
Ted, Woody, and Juuuuuunior
      F  F   C
Stand in the frosty garden
         F    F     C
They can feel their sinews harden
        Dm
So they cover each other with leaves
                      C       F... C
cover each other with leaves...
                                 Dm
Yeah, they cover each other with leaves
                      C       F... C 
cover each other with leaves

(The tricky middle bit)

       Fm
It's a wonderful world
       D#
With a lot of strange men
        A#              F
Who are standing arouuu-nd
            C                G
And they're all wearing tooooowels

F... C... F... C... F... C... Em... G:

     F  F       Dm      C... F... C
Ted, Woody, and Juuuuuunior
          F    F     C
Were disappointments to their fathers
         F   F C
But they had a way with lather
         Dm
And they covered each other with soap
                        C... F... C
covered each other with soap
                                   Dm
Yeah, they covered each other with soap
                        C... F... C... Em... G:
covered each other with soap
     F  F       Dm                    C
Ted, Woody, and Juuuuuuuu...(pause)...nior...

[Transcribed by JH3]