Dry Spell Blues (part 1)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-425-4 Pm-12990
The dry spell blues have fallen drive me from door to door
Dry spell blues have fallen drive me from door to door
The dry spell blues have put everybody on the killing flood
Now the people down south sure won't have no home
Now the people down south sure won't have no home
Because the dry spell have parched all this cotton and corn
Hard luck's on everybody and many people are blue
Hard luck's on everybody and many people are blue
Now besides the shower ain't got no help for you
Lord, I fold my arms and I walked away
Lord, I fold my arms and I walked away
Just like I tell you somebody's got to pay
Pork chops forty-five cents a pound cotton is only ten
Pork chops forty-five cents a pound cotton is only ten
I can't keep no woman no, no, nowhere I been
So dry old boll weevil turned up his toes and died
So dry old boll weevil turned up his toes and died
Now ain't nothing to do bootleg moonshine and rye
Dry Spell Blues (part 2)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-426-4 Pm-12990
It have been so dry you can make a powderhouse out of the world
Well, it have been so dry you can make a powderhouse out of the world
Then all the moneymen like a rattlesnake in his coil
I done throwed up my hands, Lord, and solemnly swore
I done throwed up my hands, Lord, and solemnly swore
There ain't no need of me changing towns, it's a drought everywhere I go
It's a dry old spell everywhere I been
Lord, it's a dry old spell everywhere I been
I believe to my soul this old world is about to end
Well I stood in my back yard, wrung my hands and screamed
I stood in my back yard, I wrung my hands and screamed
And I couldn't see nothing, couldn't see nothing green
Oh Lord have mercy if you please
Oh Lord have mercy if you please
Let your rain come down and give our poor hearts ease
These blues, these blues is worthwhile to be heard
Oh, these blues is worthwhile to be heard
For it's very likely bound to rain somewhere |
My Black Mama (part 1)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-402-2 PM 13042
Well black mama what's the matter with you today
Ain't satisfactory don't care what I do
Hey mama what's the matter with you
Baby, it ain't satisfactory, baby, I don't care what I do
You say a brownskin woman will make a rabbit move to town
Say a [jet, real] black woman will make a mule kick his stable down
A brownskin woman will make a rabbit move to town
A black woman will make a mule kick his stable down
Yeah it ain't no heaven now and it ain't no burning hell
Said I where I'm going when I die can't nobody tell
It ain't no heaven now and it ain't no burning hell
Oh where I'm going when I die can't nobody tell
Well my black mama's face shine like the sun
Oh lipstick and powder sure won't help her none
My black mama's face shine like the sun
Oh lipstick and powder sure won't help her none
Well, if you see my milkcow tell her to hurry home
I ain't had no milk since the cow been gone
If you see my milkcow tell her to hurry home
Yeah, I ain't had no milk since the cow been gone
Well I'm going to the race track to see my pony run
He ain't the best in the world but he's a running son of a gun
I'm going to the race track to see my pony run
He ain't the best in the world but he's a running son of a gun
Oh Lord have mercy on my wicked soul
I wouldn't mistreat you baby for my weight in gold
Oh Lord have mercy on my wicked soul
Mmm
My Black Mama (part 2)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-409-2 Pm13042
Well, I solemnly swear Lord, I raise my right hand
That I'm going to get me a woman, you get you another man
I solemnly swear Lord, I raise my right hand
That I'm going to get me a woman, you get you another man
I got a letter this morning how do you reckon it read
Oh hurry, hurry gal you love is dead
I got a letter this morning how do you reckon it read
Oh hurry, hurry gal you love is dead
I grabbed my suitcase I took on up the road
I got there she was lying on the cooling board
I grabbed my suitcase I took on up the road
Oh when I got there she lying on the cooling board
Well, I walked up close I looked down in her face
Good old gal got to lay there till the Judgment Day
I walked up close and I looked down in her face
[???] Good old gal got to lay there till the Judgment Day
[SPOKEN: ???]
Oh my woman's so black she stays apart of this town
Can't nothing go when the poor gal is around
Oh my black mama she stays apart of this town
Oh, can't nothing go when the poor gal is around
Oh, some people tell me the worried blues ain't bad
It's the worst old feeling that I ever had
Some people tell me the worried blues ain't bad
But it's the worst old feeling , Lord, that I ever had
Mmm, I fold my arms and I walked away
That's all right mama your troubles will come some day
I fold my arms and I walked away
That's all right mama your troubles will come some day |
Preachin' The Blues (part 1)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-410-1 Pm-13013
Oh I'm going to get me religion, I'm going to join the Baptist Church
Oh I'm going to get me religion, I'm going to join the Baptist Church
I'm going to be a Baptist preacher and I sure won't have to work
Oh I'm going to preach these blues now and I want everybody to shout
Mmm, I want everybody to shout
I'm going to do like a prisoner I'm going to roll my time on out
Oh, in my room I bowed down to pray
Oh, up in my room I bowed down to pray
Say the blues come along and they drove my spirit away
Oh, and I had religion, Lord, this very day
Oh, and I had religion, Lord, this very day
But the womens and whiskey well they would not let me pray
Oh, I whish I had me a heaven of my own
spoken: Great God almighty
Eeeh, heaven of my own
Then I'd give all my women a long, long happy home
Yeah, I love my baby just like I love myself
Oooh, just like I love myself
Well, if she don't have me she won't have nobody else
Preachin' The Blues (part 2)
Son House
Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, 28 May 1930
Paramount Records L-411-1 Pm-13013
Hey, I’m going to fold my arms I’m going to kneel down in prayer
Oh, fold my arms I’m going to kneel down in prayer
When I get up I’m going to see if my preaching suit a man’s ear
Now I met the blues this morning walking just like a man
Ooh, walking just like a man
I said «Good morning blues now give me your right hand»
Now, it ain’t nothing, now, baby, Lord, that’s going to worry my mind
Oh, nothing is going to worry my mind
Oh, I’m satisfied, I got the longest line
Oh, I got to stay on the job, I ain’t got no time to lose
Eh, I ain’t got no time to lose
I swear to god I got to preach these gospel blues
spoken: Great God almighty
Oh, I’m going to preach these blues and choose my seat and sit down
Oh, I’m going to preach these blues now and choose my seat and sit down
When the spirit comes, sisters, I want you to jump up and down |
The Jinx Blues
Son House
Mmm…
Well, I got up this morning, jinx all around, jinx all around, ‘round my bed
I say I got up this morning with the jinx all ‘round my bed
Know I thought about you and I like to kill me dead
Mmm, look here now, baby, what you want me, what you want me, me to do
Look here, honey, I say what you want poor me to do
You know I done all I could just trying to get along with you
You know the blues ain’t nothing but a low down shaking, low down shaking aching chill
I say the blues is a low down old aching chill
Well, if you ain’t had ‘em, honey, I hope you never will
Well, the blues, the blues is a worried heart, is a worried heart, heart disease
Oh, the blues is a worried old heart disease
Look like the woman you be loving, man, is so doggone hard to please
Mmm, I rather be outdoors walking up, walking up and down the road
I say I rather be outdoors, I said, and walking up and down the road
Than to be laying around here working just for my board and clothes
Mmm, lookit here, little girl, don’t you cry, don’t you cry, cry no more
I say lookit here, darling, honey, don’t you cry, cry no more
Well, when I leave this time I’m gonna hang crepe on your door |
The Pony Blues
Son House
Mmm…
Why don’t you catch me a pony and saddle up my black mare
Oh, my pony, saddle up my black mare
You know I’m gonna follow my baby way out in the world, somewhere
You know he’s a traveling horse and he’s too black bad
He’s a traveling pony and, I declare, he’s too black bad
You know he’s got a gait, now, no traveling mare ain’t never had
You know I take him by the reins and I led him around and ‘round
I say, I take him by the reins and I, I led him around and ‘round
You know he’s the best in the world but he’s the best ever been in this time
You know he’s a traveling horse and he don’t even know his name
He’s a traveling pony and he don’t even know his name
You know the way he can travel is a low down old dirty shame
Why don’t you come up here, pony, now come on, please, let’s go
I say come up, get up there please, pony, now let’s us go
Let’s we saddle on down on the Gulf of, of Mexico
You know the horse that I’m riding, he can foxtrot he can lope and pace
I say the pony I’m riding, he can foxtrot and he can lope and pace
You know, a horse, *with him in the gate*, you know I’m bound to win that race
Mmm, he’s a traveling horse and he don’t even know his name
He’s a traveling pony and he don’t even know his name
You know the way he can travel is a low down old dirty shame |
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