Topic: Arthur Crudup Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Arthur Crudup recorded "Raised To My Hand" at a session in Chicago, on April 15, 1942, accompanying himself out of cross-note tuning and joined by Ransom Knowling on string bass. What a singer he was! I am stumped by the bent-bracketed passage in the first two lines of the second verse and would very much appreciate any help with it. Here is "Raised To My Hand":



INTRO

I had a little woman, she was nice and kind in every way
I says I had a woman, she was nice and kind in every way
Now, but she livin' in Chicago, yes, and she's changed her way

Though she's a Southern-raised woman, and I raised her to my hand
She's a Southern-raised woman, and I raised her to my hand
Now, she livin' in Chicago, and she's goin' from man to man

I said, "Oh Lord, have mercy, my baby don't know what she's doin'."
I said, "Lord, have mercy, she don't know what she's doin'.
She just runnin' 'round here, tryin' to lose her happy home."

Baby, I knowed you, woman, when you didn't have a dress to wear
I knowed you woman, when you didn't have a dress to wear
Yeah, you was runnin' 'round on 35th and Main, Lord, and your feets was bare

I taken you in, thought that we could be friends
I taken you in, thought that we would be friends
Now your mind ain't on me, baby, it's on other men

Edited 11/25 to pick up correction from Lyndvs

All best,
Johnm

 

[Lyndvs]

I think he may be saying"Southern-raised",John.

[Johnm]

Good catch, Lyndvs, that is certainly right! Thanks so much--that was bugging me. I will make the change.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"That's Your Red Wagon" was recorded October 22, 1945 and featured Crudup accompanying himself out of cross-note tuning and Charles Sanders on drums. This track is just tough--the rhythm moves forward so grudgingly, it is tugging back really hard the whole way. Crudup's playing here is sensational, some of my favorite playing in cross-note tuning ever--check out his fills for the first two lines of the third verse--it sounds like he's ripping sheet metal! His vocal is unearthly, too, one of his very best, and when you're talking about Arthur Crudup that is some pretty tall corn. Here is "That's Your Red Wagon":



INTRO

Well, it ain't use for me worryin', life is just only your dreams
Well, it ain't use for me worryin', life is just only your dreams
Now, if you don't want me, baby, some other woman care for me

Now, that's your red wagon, you can roll it along
Baby, that's your red wagon, you can roll it along
Now, when you leave me this time, some other woman's got your home

I was in love with you, baby, you's in love with some other man
I's in love with you, baby, you's in love with some other man
Yes, and poor me was outdoors, going from hand to hand

Now, that's your red wagon, you can roll it along
Baby, that's your red wagon, you can roll it along
Now, when you leave this time, woman, some other woman's got your home

Baby, I was crazy, even to take you back
Yes, I was crazy, even to take you back
Now, when you're long gone, woman, you've got diamonds in your bag

CODA

Edited 11/26 to pick up corrections from Harry

All best,
Johnm

[dj]

Dang!  I don't know why I never noticed this before, but listening to Standing By My Window just now made me realize that J.B. Lenoir must have worn out the grooves on a stack of Arthur Crudup records when he was growing up. 

[Blues Vintage]

1. Well, it ain't use for me worryin', Lord, it's just only your dreams   life is just only your dreams
    Well, it ain't use for me worryin', Lord, it's just only your dreams   life is just only your dreams

2. Lord, that's your red wagon   now

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for the catches, Harry. The line makes much more sense now, and I've made the changes. Thanks!

A good point about J. B. Lenoir, too, dj, that had never occurred to me, but I hear what you're talking about.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Arthur Crudup recorded "Kind Lover Blues" at his first session, on September 11, 1941, for which he is reported to have been backed by Joe McCoy on imitation bass. Arthur Crudup's style, both vocally and on guitar, sounds to have been fully developed even at that very early stage. His sound in cross-note tuning is unique to himself, at least among guitarists who had the chance to record, and he had an unusual way of going to his IV chord in the middle of the fifth bar of his songs, with V chords nowhere to be heard. He not only was a spectacular singer--he had exceptionally strong lyrics, too. That fourth verse is striking. Here is "Kind Lover Blues":



INTRO

Go ahead, kind lover, go ahead and have your way
Go ahead, kind lover, go ahead and have your way
Now, the life you livin', woman, you'll wring your hands and cry someday

I got a no-good woman, and she don't mean me no good
I got a no-good woman and she don't mean me no good
Well now, the reason I know it, I had to leave the neighborhood

Babe, I would not've been here, feelin' so sad and blue
Babe, I would not've been here, if it had not been for you
Now you got me in Chicago, and that's the way you do

Man, don't love that woman, she won't love you or nobody else
Man, don't love that woman, she love you or nobody else
I'd only blame that poor girl, 'cause she really don't love herself

She's a no-good weed, and the cows won't gnaw her down
She's a no-good weed, and the cows won't gnaw her down
If I was to guarantee, I'd run the poor gal out of town

CODA

Edited 11/26 to pick up corrections from Harry
Edited 11/26 to pick up corrections from waxwing

All best,
Johnm 

[Blues Vintage]

2.1 man and, she don't mean me no good

3.1 babe, that's feeling so sad and blue

I hear know instead of mow in the last verse

[Johnm]

Hi Harry,
Thanks for the catches in verses one and two, I have made the corrections. I agree that the phonetics in the last verse sound like "know" rather than "mow". "Know" makes absolutely no sense, and everyone else who sang the line says "mow", which does make sense. But I put in "know", followed by a [sic] to indicate, "Yes, that is what he actually sang, it's not a misprint".
All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

I think that might be "the cows won't GNAW her down"

Wax

[Johnm]

Good on you, wax, that is certainly it, and it's better in sound and sense than either "mow" or "know" and gets rid of the condescending [sic]. Thanks! I have already made the change.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Arthur Crudup's "Chicago Blues" just came up in my youtube feed and I checked and saw that it's not a song we've looked at previously in this thread. It was recorded in 1946 in Chicago, with Arthur Crudup accompanying himself in cross-note tuning, as per usual, and being backed by Ransom Knowling on bass and Judge Riley on drums. Every time I hear Arthur Crudup sing after not having listened to him for a while I find my self thinking, "Wow, how is that voice possible?!".

In the tagline to verse two, I originally had "ain't" in place of "e'en" ("even" with an elided "v"). I heard no "t" on the back end of the syllable, though, and "ain't" makes much less sense than "e'en". Likewise, in the first two lines of the last verse, I originally had "man", rather than "mean", but I don't think Arthur Crudup used "man" as a form or address in his lyrics very much. It's a tough call.  Here is "Chicago Blues":



INTRO

Every time I hear a whistle, see the smoke from a railroad train
Every time I hear a whistle, see the smoke from a railroad train
My mind get to wonderin', want to go back to Chicago again

Chicago, Chicago, is the grandest place on Earth
Chicago, Chicago, is the grandest place on Earth
You know, I e'en heard it, I e'en heard it from my birth (Spoken: Yeah, man!)

SOLO

Some day I'll get lucky, I'm gon' make Chicago my home
Some day I'll get lucky, I'm gon' make Chicago my home
I'm tired of stayin' down South, always treated wrong

I've got no one to love me, no one to call my own
I've got no one to love me, no one to call my own
I'm just way down South, and I'm always treated wrong

I have lots of lovin', man, I have myself a time
I have lots of lovin', man, I have myself a time
You know, the woman I got, she really don't change her mind

Edited 12/9 to pick up correction from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm 

[Blues Vintage]

Johnny Young has a song with some of the same lyrics.

I think it's "man" in the last verse. It could be " wanderin' " instead of " wonderin' " in the first verse.

[Johnm]

Yeah, I thought about that "wanderin'" versus "wonderin'", but the vowel sound is more towards "wonderin'". I will change that last verse to "man". Thanks for the input, Blues Vintage.