There are song intros, there are lengthy introductions, and then there’s the crazed, drawn-out and labyrinthine introductory story told by Peter Wolf that precedes ‘Musta Got Lost’ on the J. Geils Band‘s scorcher of a live album, Blow Your Face Out. The convoluted but beguiling saga, which might best be recognized as the tale of “woofa goofa with the green teeth,” occupies the first two-plus minutes of the live version of this classic Geils number, and just might be the most epic prologue in rock history.

It’s worth noting that Wolf’s gloriously unhinged diatribe, unmistakably rap-like in its delivery, took place a good three years before the release of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by The Sugar Hill Gang, generally recognized as the first hip-hop song to reach a wide, popular music audience. So, in addition to being an indelible ranting and raving, rocking and reeling oration, it’s a formative rap before rap itself as a mainstream genre had even existed.

As I hope you will, too, I tried hard to follow along throughout Wolf’s entire manic sermon. Really, I did. But then, just towards the very end, I believe I musta. You know I think I musta! You know baby I think I musta!! You know I think I musta!!! I Musta Got Lost!!!! (“one, two, three…”)

Well hold on, this song has a little introduction to it / It ain’t supposed to be sad, though you might feel it that way / It’s a song about desperation / Every now and then we do get desperate

This is a song about L-O-V-E / And if you abuse it, yer gonna lose it / And if you lose it, yer gonna abuse it / And if you abuse it, you ain’t going to be able to choose it / ‘Cause you ain’t going to have it further on down the line / Things ain’t going to be so fine / Yer going to be sitting there on your little machine / Tryin’ to look and keep it clean / You’re going to be playing bingo all night all alone / That’s why you’re sittin’ there by the telephone / And you know that she ain’t going to call you!

So you put on the TV and you’re watchin’ Johnny Carson / Segueing right into the “Tomorrow Show” / But that don’t got the go / So you turn it off, ya turn on the radio / The radio don’t seem to get the click / So you say “Hey man, I can’t lickety split” / You start to open up a little book / And there’s somethin’ there you got to overlook / And you say “Baby! / You know there’s somethin’ on my mind!” (Yeah!) / You say “Baby there’s somethin’ on my mind!” / I know that you’re home, and I know you ain’t all alone!” / So you start walking over to her house / You get over to her house / And you walk over to her door / You start poundin’ on the door / And you say “Open up the door, bitch / This is Woofa Goofa with the green teeth, let me in!”

Well, she opens up the door and then you just kinda walk up to her and say “Baby” / (Baby!) / You look up, way up at her green mascara / And you say “Oh my darlin’ / You know her and me was at the party as friends / Do not believe what they say / That’s only gossip that they tellin’ ya down the wisecracker line” / You say “Darlin’! / Take your big curls and just squeeze them down, Rotumba” / What’s the name of that chick with the long hair? / (Rapunzel!) / I’d say “Hey Rapunzel!” – Hahaha / Hey Raputa! / (Hey Raputa) / Raputa the Beauta! / Hey Raputa the Beauta! / Flip me down your hair and let me climb up to the ladder of your love! / Because this is Woofa Goofa sayin’ to ya / Love comes once and when it comes you better grab it fast / ‘Cause sometimes the love you grab ain’t going to last / And I believe I musta! / You know I think I musta!! / You know baby I think I musta!!! / You know I think I musta!!!! / I Musta Got Lost!!!!!