# A question about a song in "In the Heat of the Night"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 22, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620 "2008-09-22T01:47:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![squeekster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@squeekster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeekster)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620/1 "2008-09-22T01:47:13Z")

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In the movie _In the Heat of the Night_, towards the beginning of the movie when Sam Woods (Officer Woods) is driving his patrol car after leaving the diner, there is a song playing on the radio. The lyrics go something like “bow-legged Sally and a knock-kneed Clyde”. Was that song ever recorded or was it just a jingle that was made just for the movie?

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**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620/2 "2008-09-22T01:50:09Z")

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> [@squeekster](#):
>
> In the movie _In the Heat of the Night_, towards the beginning of the movie when Sam Woods (Officer Woods) is driving his patrol car after leaving the diner, there is a song playing on the radio. The lyrics go something like “bow-legged Sally and a knock-kneed Clyde”. Was that song ever recorded or was it just a jingle that was made just for the movie?

**Bowlegged Polly** by Glen Campbell.

Awesome movie, btw.

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**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620/3 "2008-09-22T02:05:38Z")

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> [@Linty\_Fresh](#):
>
> **Bowlegged Polly** by Glen Campbell.
> 
> Awesome movie, btw.

Oh, and to answer your question, this song, along with the others, was written for the movie.

[Source here.](http://books.google.com/books?id=oBLyc47nW1AC&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=glenn+campbell+bowlegged+polly&source=web&ots=nJ0b5VYwV2&sig=tQSKShl7I0MuwCcvj0sKOOzixJI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result)

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**Author:** ![muggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@muggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muggy)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620/4 "2024-01-13T21:40:07Z")

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It’s 15 years later, do you still need an answer, lol?

The song was written especially for the movie by Boomer and Travis. They also did the song “Foul Owl on the Prowl” in the movie.

It’s Knock-kneed Paul, it rhymes with “they can’t get together at all”

All the verses are Wellerisms, a literary device invented by Dickens.