How to Write Hokum Blues Lyrics

You want a lyric that makes people laugh out loud, blush a little, and sing the last line back to you the next morning. Hokum blues is cheeky, dirty, clever, and theatrical. It lives in double meanings, in the wink not said out loud, and in everyday objects that suddenly have an attitude. This guide gives you history, structure, lyric craft, modern examples, and exercises so you can write hokum that sounds authentic and slaps live.

This is written for musicians who want to lean into humor without sounding like a dad at a party. We will cover origins, A A B lyric structure, 12 bar blues basics, persona, double entendre craft, modern updates for texting culture, editing passes, performance tips, and ready to use templates and prompts. Expect blunt examples and rewrites you can steal and make your own.

What Is Hokum Blues

Hokum blues is a sub style of early blues that mixes comedy and risqué subject matter with a simple blues groove. It grew in the 1920s and 1930s out of vaudeville influence and early recorded blues. Artists used euphemism and wordplay to sing about sex, money, and mischief without getting banned from the jukebox. Hokum is not subtle for subtleness sake. It is clever for impact.

Classic hokum songs used everyday objects as code words. A fishing pole might be a metaphor. A traveling bag could be a prop in the joke. The writing relied on the audience hearing two meanings at once and enjoying the mental wink. The style gave performers a way to be naughty on stage while keeping the tunes catchy and danceable.

Important note. Hokum blues was developed and popularized within Black musical communities. Give credit to that lineage. If you borrow from classic lines or a specific artist, read their history and acknowledge the source. Cultural respect matters when you lift style and language from living traditions.

Core Elements of Hokum Blues Lyrics

Hokum has a small list of things it needs to land.

• Playful persona that enjoys testing boundaries and getting laughs.
• Double entendre where one line reads clean and another reads dirty or sly.
• Concrete objects turned into metaphors that the audience recognizes instantly.
• A A B lyric form where the first line repeats, then the third line delivers the twist or payoff.
• Simple blues rhythm usually a 12 bar framework so phrasing is predictable and punchlines land right.
• Rhyme and internal rhythm that create a singable hook and a quick punchline cadence.

What A A B Means

A A B is a lyric structure used in blues. The first line is sung. The second line repeats or restates the first line. The third line answers or pivots with a new idea. Example

I got the bucket and I got the rope. I got the bucket and I got the rope. I am gonna catch your heart before you know.

In hokum that third line is often the joke. Repeat creates expectation. The third line breaks it in a way that feels inevitable and funny.

12 Bar Blues in Plain English

12 bar blues is an instrumental form with three four measure phrases. You do not need to be a theory nerd. The important part for lyric writers is the bar counting. Lines need to fit into the groove. If your punchline runs too long, it will trip the band. A simple approach is to make each A line about the same syllable length and let the B line be a bit shorter if it is the payoff. Practice singing lines on a slow 12 bar groove and adjust length until the line lands neatly on the turn.

Voice and Persona

Hokum works when a personality carries it. The persona can be a smooth operator, a wisecracker, a faux naive narrator, or a sly storyteller who seems to know everything. Pick a voice and stick to it. That voice decides what language is funny. If you are a romantic crooner, your raunch will be velvet. If you are a barnyard big mouth, your raunch will be loud and proud.

Real life scenario

• Imagine an uncle at a backyard barbecue telling a story that makes everyone look away then laugh. That timing is hokum persona. The narrator knows exactly how far to push and when to wink.

Double Entendre Craft

Double entendre is the secret sauce. You want lines that work clean on the surface and register dirty if the listener is in on the joke. That means choosing words that have both literal and suggestive meanings. Build the line so the literal sense is plausible. The audience hears both and the laughter follows.

Example pairings

• Fruit as metaphor. Pear, peach, apple can be playful images.
• Tools and hardware. Drill, hammer, nail can be turned into metaphors.
• Household items. Pillow, blanket, key, door and window all carry suggestive potential.
• Food. Banana and pie are classic staples for a reason.

Write like this

1. Pick an object that the audience knows well.
2. Write its literal use in one line.
3. Repeat the phrase with a small twist on the second line to show setup and emphasis.
4. Deliver a payoff on the third line that flips the meaning with confidence.

Before and after

Before

I like to eat your pie every night.

After

I brought your pie out to cool. I brought your pie out to cool. I ate the crust and saved the filling for later school.

That second version carries a wink and a beat you can sing with a grin.

Language and Slang

Hokum loves slang. Classic hokum used period slang. Modern hokum can use current slang. Use language that feels lived in. If you throw in dated words, do it on purpose as texture. If you use modern texting language, be sure the line still sings.

Classic to modern swap examples

• Old slang: jelly roll. Modern swap: booty snack.
• Old slang: rag mop. Modern swap: hair tie and hoodie.
• Old slang: big mama. Modern swap: queen of DMs.

Respect note. Slang often comes from specific communities. If you borrow heavily from a culture not your own, collaborate with creators from that culture or credit your influences. That is not policing. That is being a grown up and not stealing sauce.

Rhyme, Cadence, and Prosody

Prosody means making sure the natural stress of words matches the strong beats in the music. In hokum you want each punchline syllable to land on a beat that feels good. Say your line out loud at normal speed. Clap the rhythm of the beat and move the words until stressed syllables match the downbeats.

Internal rhyme helps musiciness. Hokum often uses quick internal rhymes that make the line bounce. Example

I got my ticket and my ticker, baby my heart is on the run.

Play with internal rhyme like a drum. It gives lines a danceable quality and makes the third line punch harder.

Common Hokum Themes

Hokum returns to a handful of themes because they work with humor.

• Sexual suggestion and romance told like a joke.
• Money and hustles that go sideways.
• Travel and the road as a backdrop for mischief.
• Drinking stories that blow up in small ways.
• Jealousy told like a badge of honor or a punchline.

Real life scenario to inspire a verse

• You are late for a gig because you were texting someone at two a m and your shoes are still in the fridge. This alone is a verse.

Modernizing Hokum for Gen Z and Millennials

Hokum works today if you translate code words into modern life. Dating app antics, ghosting, DM sliding, vape pens, and delivery snacks all enter the lyric lexicon easily. The trick is to avoid cheap references that make the song expire in a month. Choose modern items that say something true about desire and mischief.

Examples

• Classic line about a suitcase becomes a line about the backpack with a secret pocket full of receipts and lipstick.
• Old punch about a slow train becomes a joke about a delayed flight and a one night layover text that never turned into a call.
• Instead of the oil lamp you can use a phone flashlight. It is still an object that can be turned on or off at the right time for comedy.

Modern hokum verse

Swiped right at midnight, matched at first light. Swiped right at midnight, matched at first light. He ghosted my text but his thumb still liked my profile pic later tonight.

Edgy but Responsible

Hokum flirts with taboo. That is part of the energy. Still, there is a line between edgy and cruel. Do not write jokes that punch down at marginalized groups. Avoid humor about non consensual situations. Make sure the wink is mutual in the song world.

Rewrite example

Punchy but harmful

I laughed when she tripped last night because that shows what she deserves.

Punchy and safe

She danced right through the doorway and spilled my beer on her shoes. She winked and said no big deal and I still walked home in her groove.

The second example keeps mischief without humiliating another human. That is the hokum sweet spot.

Topline Writing Workflow for Hokum Lyrics

1. Pick your persona. Are you sly or loud?
2. Pick an object as your central metaphor. Keep it concrete.
3. Write an A line stating the literal scenario.
4. Repeat the A line with a twist of emphasis.
5. Write a B line that flips meaning or lands a joke.
6. Test the lines over a three chord 12 bar blues groove. Make sure syllables fit the bars.
7. Add internal rhyme and a musical tag or call and response to lock the audience in.

Micro Drills and Writing Prompts

Use these timed exercises to force foolishness and then find the genius inside the fool.

• Object Drill Ten minutes. Pick a household object and write six A A B lines where the object does something suggestive and silly.
• Text Drill Five minutes. Write a verse about a late night DM that misreads a mood. Use A A B in each three line stanza.
• Swap Drill Ten minutes. Take a classic hokum phrase and modernize it in three different ways. Keep the joke intact.
• Persona Switch Fifteen minutes. Write the same verse as three different personas. Compare and pick the funniest.

Templates You Can Fill In

Template A classic coffee shop flirt

A line: I got my [object] and it is [literal action].

Repeat A: I got my [object] and it is [same literal action].

B line: I [funny or suggestive twist that flips meaning].

Example filled

I got my jacket and it smells like your cologne. I got my jacket and it smells like your cologne. I wear it to the show and tell the crowd it is home.

Template B modern dating app

A line: I swiped right and I sent a [short message].

Repeat A: I swiped right and I sent a [short message].

B line: He answered with a sticker and a plan to meet at [place or time].

Example filled

I swiped right and I sent a hey. I swiped right and I sent a hey. He sent a waving cat and asked if brunch still counts as date.

Examples You Can Sing

Short hokum verse in A A B

I put the kettle on to boil. I put the kettle on to boil. The steam lifted my skirt and my shoe caught the coil.

Modern hokum chorus idea

I saved your number with a wink. I saved your number with a wink. I press it like a secret and pretend I do not think.

Full sample verse and chorus original and safe

Verse

I left my hoodie on the chair. I left my hoodie on the chair. It smells like last night and your laugh is still there.

Chorus

I am walking in your light. I am walking in your light. I keep one pocket empty so my phone can never bite.

This keeps the mood playful and slightly suggestive without being crude.

Performance Tips

Timing is everything. In live hokum delivery you are a comedian and a singer. Pause before the joke. Let the groove breathe. A one beat rest can make a payoff land like a door slam. Play with facial expression and small props. The audience loves verbal asides that are not in the recorded lyric. That is where hokum becomes theatre.

Call and response

Hokum songs often invite the audience to respond. After you sing the A lines you can add a short call for them to repeat a word. That makes the room complicit in the joke and makes the song sticky.

Editing Passes for Maximum Sting

Run these edits on every verse.

1. Concrete check Replace abstractions with objects you can point to or act out.
2. Prosody check Say the lines aloud. Match stress to beat.
3. Length check Cut any word that clogs the groove. Less is punchier.
4. Safety check Make sure the joke is not mean about a protected group or about non consent.

Publishing and Cultural Notes

Hokum borrows from older songs and from community slang. If you lift a line verbatim from a recorded track credit the origin. If you sample a classic record get a license. If you borrow a turn of phrase that is super specific to an artist, consider collaborating or reaching out. This is not about cancelling creativity. This is about not being that jerk who turns a cultural product into a meme without credit or payment.

Examples of Rewrites That Save the Joke

Punchy and lazy

I slapped her butt because she asked for it.

Smarter and safer

She laughed when I tried to be bold. She grabbed my hand and said play cold. We danced like fools and then we rolled.

The second version keeps a sexy vibe without endorsing disrespect.

Lyric Ideas and Starter Lines

• My phone still glows under the sheets and the lock screen says your name.
• I keep a spare key in the plant pot like it is a secret bank.
• He left his hoodie and the drawstrings still remember his hands.
• My coffee tastes like your goodbye and the sugar knows your grin.
• The porch light blinks like a wink and I answer it every time.

How to Collaborate on Hokum Without Falling Flat

Bring a co writer who knows improv timing. Sit in a room and trade three line jokes fast. One person writes the A A lines while the other writes the B line punch. Record the session and pick the eight funniest flips. Then shape them to the 12 bar groove. Collaboration speeds up the joke finding and keeps you from committing to a flop alone.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Trying too hard Fix by cutting to the literal image and then adding only one sly word to flip it.
• Being cruel Fix by checking who is the butt of the joke. Punch up or at self when possible.
• Not matching the groove Fix by counting bars and trimming syllables to fit.
• Obscure references Fix by choosing objects or tech everyone in the room knows. Clarity beats a clever reference no one gets.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Pick a persona and one object. Make the object your central joke machine.
2. Write three A A B stanzas in ten minutes using the object in different scenes.
3. Play a slow 12 bar groove and sing the lines. Trim until each line fits a bar phrase.
4. Choose the funniest stanza and build a chorus by repeating a single suggestive phrase as a tag.
5. Practice live in front of one friend. If they laugh, keep it. If they look offended, rewrite the B line.

Pop Up Example Song You Can Steal and Rewrite

Title idea: Hoodie on the Chair

Verse 1

I left my hoodie on the chair. I left my hoodie on the chair. It smells like last night and it holds a little dare.

Verse 2

My phone still buzzes with a joke. My phone still buzzes with a joke. I read the heart emoji and then I swallow it like smoke.

Chorus

Hoodie on the chair, baby that is mine. Hoodie on the chair, baby that is mine. I keep the pocket empty for the memory of your time.

Tag

Hoodie on the chair. Hoodie on the chair. Sing it back if you want to swear.

Make this your template. Swap hoodie for any object. Swap the joke and then match the groove.

FAQ

What exactly is hokum blues

Hokum blues is a humorous and often risqu style of blues lyric that uses double meanings and playful imagery to sing about sex money and mischief. It became popular in early 20th century recordings and survives today when artists use clever wordplay over a blues groove.

Do I need to use a 12 bar blues to write hokum

No. You do not need a strict 12 bar to write hokum lyrics. The A A B phrasing and the sense of predictable groove are important. You can put hokum lines over modern arrangements. Still if you write with a 12 bar in mind your lines will feel classic and the punchlines will land more reliably.

How do I write a good double entendre without sounding cheap

Keep the literal meaning plausible. Build the line so both readings feel natural. Avoid crude shock for shock value. The best double entendres are elegant and make the listener admire the craft while also laughing. Use small detail and restraint. Let the audience do some of the work by hinting at the second meaning instead of spelling it out.

Can women write hokum lyrics

Yes. Hokum is not gendered. Female voices bring fresh angles and different power dynamics. A woman singing a wink filled mischief line can flip expectations and be even more subversive. Write from your experience and personhood and the songs will land.

Is it ok to modernize classic hokum lines

Modernizing is fine if you avoid copying whole lyrics. Use classic lines as inspiration and write your own punch. If you quote or sample a recorded phrase get permission and clear the rights. Give credit to your influences because that is how scenes stay alive and respectful.

How do I make my hokum lyric fit the music

Say your lines aloud while a band plays a slow shuffle. Count measures. Trim words that do not match the beat. Swap long vowels to shorter words to fit a fast phrase. Match stressed syllables to downbeats. Practice until the punch falls on the bar break where it is supposed to land.

Where do I perform hokum without causing offense

Know your audience. A small club with a liberal crowd is different from a family friendly festival. If you want wider reach consider creating two versions one radio friendly and one live that keeps the edgier bits. Always avoid targeting a specific protected group. Aim your humor at universal human failings and at your own narrator to stay safe.

How can I find authentic hokum phrasing

Listen to original hokum records and to later artists who borrow the style. Read lyric transcriptions and note common turns of phrase. Then practice writing your own lines that use the same tools without copying. A great test is whether your line would still work if you removed one modern reference. If it survives it probably has that timeless quality.

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