Best I can do,

well you keep on lovin' her sure gonna let her down

Hi all,
Hayes McMullan accompanied himself out of low-tuned Spanish tuning for "Dirt Road By Myself". The recording starts with him already mid-stream. On the one hand, I suppose you could look at the rendition as being compromised by this and other unintentional aspects, but that having been said, he sings and plays so beautifully and dynamically that I'm glad the take was not lost and that we can listen to it now. He really swallows his lyrics at a couple of points and I'd appreciate help with those places. Here is "Dirt Road By Myself":



Mm, dirt road by myself
I'm going, carry me someone else

I said, mama, what you going to do?
I said, mama, what you going to do?
I said, looky-here, baby, tryin' to make a fool of me

INTERLUDE

I said, Lord, Lord, don't, got no mama now
I said, mama, got no mama now (laughs)
I say, Lord, Lord, got no mama now (Spoken: I done forgot half I ever knowed. I ain't jokin'.)

Said, hurry, sundown, let tomorrow come
I said, hurry, sundown, let tomorrow come
I said, mama, mama, I sure (vocal inaudible)

I says, a mean blacksnake keeps on suckin' my rider's tongue
I says a mean blacksnake keeps on suckin' my rider's tongue
Well, you keep on lovin' her, sure gonna let her down

SPOKEN: Now see, I can't slide down on these strings, you know? My fingers don't stand it now, where it's s'posed to.

SOLO

SPOKEN: That's the way it's supposed to be there.

I said, hey, baby, what are you going to do?
I said, hey, hey, what are you going to do?
Baby, . . .

I said, Lord, ---

Edited 4/14 to pick up correction from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm



 

Hi all,
Robert Curtis Smith recorded "Lonely Widower" once again accompanying himself out of E position in standard tuning. The rendition is a cover of L. C. Greeen's "The Sun Was Shining" and very faithfully captures the rhythmically complex signature lick of that song and the way the time flips coming out of the signature lick into the vocal. I don't know of another song in the entire blues genre that has timing and phrasing like this one. Both Green and Smith sing "little" rather than "lonely". Here is "Lonely Widower":



INTRO

I'm gon' tell y'all something, better take my advice
Don't go out and get drunk now, then go home and mistreat your wife, the sun is
Shining, you throwed all of your money 'way, 'cause that'll
Cause you to be, now, poor little widower today

'Cause I made a little money, when I were livin' in town
I spent all of my money, that mean she put me down, the sun is
Shining, and I throwed all of my money 'way, Yeah, that what
Caused me to be, now, poor little widower today

And I, love my baby, better than I love myself
Yes, I love that woman, she lovin' someone else, yay now
And I throwed all of money 'way, yeah, and that
Cause me to be, now, poor little widower today

I said now, bye-bye, baby, if you call that gone
Yes, I may be worried, but I -- worry long, the sun is
Shining, and I throwed all of my money 'way, yeah, and that
Caused me to be, now, poor little widower today

CODA

All best,
Johnm
   

Thanks for the help, Blues Vintage. I took the last two suggestions, but he does sing "said" in the first verse--you can hear the "d" at the end of it.