The Nightcrawlers - The Little Black Egg (1965)

Having been created in Daytona Beach, FL in 1964, this group reflected the sounds of The Byrds and The Beau Brummels. Although not as polished as those groups, they did manage to put together enough material for one full album, released on Kapp Records. In the spring of 1967, the principal songwriter, Charlie Conlon, left the group. The band attempted to carry on without him, but folded in a few months. Conlon later tried to revive the group under the name Conlon and the Crawlers, but met no success. Other previous members of the group continued to tour in Ohio under the original name, but never again recorded, and finally disbanded for the last time in 1970.

This song was a local hit in Daytona Beach upon its first release in 1965, that is, up until it was rumored that its lyrics dealt with interracial sex and it was banned. Thinking they hadn’t gotten a good enough response after its banning, the song was released twice more in other locations throughout the US, the final release being in 1967 after the band had already broken up. The song reached its highest position during that third release, reaching number eighty-five on the national charts. Each release had featured the B-side “You’re Running Wild”.

[Update 05/24/2013: Via email submission, The Nightcrawlers' own Sylvan Wells verified the lyric "Oh, Gol-durn, what can I do?" which has often caused confusion amongst fans. "Gol-durn" is an old expression which was common in the American Old West, synonymous with the phrase, "God d*mn it."]

[Update 06/07/2013: The Nightcrawlers' Sylvan Wells was kind enough to share a story with us. In it, he talks all about the events of the band that led to "The Little Black Egg." You can read the story here.]



The Nightcrawlers - The Little Black Egg (1965)

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Lyrics:

I don't care what they say
I'm goin’ to keep it anyway
I won't let them stretch their necks
To see my little black egg with the little white specks

I found it in a tree
Just the other day
And now it's mine, all mine
They won't take it away

Here comes Mary; here comes Lee
I'll bet what they want to see
I won't let them stretch their necks
To see my little black egg with the little white specks

I found it in a tree
Just the other day
And now it's mine, all mine
They won't take it away

Oh Gol-durn, what can I do?
The little black egg's gonna tell on you
I won't let them stretch their necks
To see my little black egg with the little white specks

My little black egg
My little black egg
My little black egg
My little black egg
My little black egg…