“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”
Introduction
“Wooly Bully” was written by Domingo “Sam” Samudio and first recorded by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1964. It rode a gritty 12-bar blues progression, sprinkled with Tex-Mex hand-claps and that iconic “Uno, dos… tres, cuatro!” countdown—an accidental flourish that became its signature hook. Released in March 1965, the single soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over three million copies, cementing itself as one of the most enduring anthems of the ’60s.
By 1990, Ricky Van Shelton was already riding high on a string of country No. 1 hits, including “Somebody Lied” and “I Am a Simple Man”. On an episode of Austin City Limits, he and his band launched into “Wooly Bully,” transforming the rock-and-roll original into a rollicking country-rock romp. You can still feel the grin in his voice as he leaps from verse to verse, backed by a honky-tonk organ and spirited guitar licks that nod to the song’s Memphis roots
Video
Lyrics
Uno dos, one two tres quatro
Ay, wooly bully
Watch it now, watch it
Here he comes, here he comes
Watch it now, he get ‘cha
Matty told Hatty
About a thing she saw
Had two big horns
And a wooly jaw
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Yeah drive
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Hatty told Matty
Let’s don’t take no chance
Let’s not be L-seven
Come and learn to dance
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Watch it now, watch it watch it watch it
Ay…
Ay, drive, drive, drive
Matty told Hatty
That’s the thing to do
Get you someone really
Pull the wool with you
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Wooly bully
Watch it now, watch it, here he comes
You got it, you got it