Topic: Tom Nelson, T C Johnson and Porkchop Lyrics

[Lastfirstface]

Though I'd add this one, but there's a few part I can't figure out




Blue Coat Blues

Hey baby, see what you have done
Hey, see what you have done
You made me love you, now your man's in town

I'm going away baby to wear you off my mind
Hey, to wear you off my mind
For you keep me worried and bothered all the time

I woke up here, this morning feeling bad
Hey, this morning feeling bad
I was thinking about sweet mama, the times once I've have had

Hey, late last night when everything was still
Hey, when everything was still
And I find my (Georgie?) way behind some hill

My gal got something, I don't know what it is
Hey, I don't know what it is
Now, every time she touches me my mind can't keep still

Head on down the alley and heist your window high
Hey, and heist your window high
Believe to my (?) twenty more years (?)

I'm going down south to have my fortune told
Hey, to have my fortune told
'Cause I believe some rascal stole my jelly roll

[Johnm]

Thanks for posting that, Lastfirstface!  I think the last line of the next-to-last verse might be:
   FOR I believes, RUTH, 24 EASING BY

I think "Georgie" is right, in the verse two prior to that one, maybe a woman's name, Georgia, pronounced Georgy, like the state so often is.

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

I agree with John about "Georgie." On the next to the last verse, based on how abrupt the pause is in the middle of the third line (and the fiddle is a little odd there as well), I suspect he sang the wrong beginning to the line (and the next verse's third line starts basically the same way). I hear WHEN IT GO EASIN' BY for the last part of that line. Referring to a train or street car, I suppose, but I don't think you're going to get any sense out of that line the way it stands.
Chris

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Good catch on that "when it go easing by", Chris.  This trio had another song, J. C. Johnson's Blues", featuring, once again, fiddle and guitar accompaniment.  It seems as though the record company must have stiffed the title on this one.  Perhaps the lead singer is T C Johnson  for this song; whoever the singer is, he has a deeper voice than the lead singer on "Blue Coat Blues".  I'd very much appreciate help with the bent bracketed passages.  Here is the track:



FIDDLE INTRO

I was born in the state of old Arkansas
I was born in the state of old Arkansas
Where they don't allow no, Mississippi women there at all

I'm going, I'm going, back to my old home to stay
I'm going, I'm going, back to my old home to stay
And you'll find me hanging around the levee, both night and day

Then after I walk, the levee from end to end
Then after I walk, the levee from end to end
I'll go to Sweet Mama Ally's, boy, and get my hooch and gin

I've tried old jelly, and old hooches, too
I've tried old jelly, and old hooches, too
But me and the [           ] have liquor, when we sure can do

I don't see why, white folks don't have no blues
I don't see why, white folks don't have no blues
They got all cash money, and brownskin women, too

When you go to Vicksburg, please ask for old [Jim Pouting?]
When you go to Vicksburg, please ask for the old [            ]
For he's the bootlegging seller, your thirst, he sure can quench

All best,
Johnm 

[Lastfirstface]

It does sound like he's saying "jelly" and "hooch". Maybe the "jelly" he was referring Sterno/jellied alcohol like Tommy Johnson describes in 'Canned Heat Blues' and "hooch" is  just bad bootleg booze in this context. The last line of the verse sounds like "me and the tin of liquor..." to me.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the listen, Lastfirstface, I will remove the bent brackets from "jelly" and "hooches" in that verse.  I think he might be saying in the last line of that verse:

   But me and the CHIN have liquor, when we sure can do

The word "have" seems pretty clear there, so there needs to be a someone or something that combines with "me" in the first half of that line to make up the "we" in the second half of the line.  It sounds to me like he might be saying that both he and his mouth have liquor when the opportunity presents itself.

All best,
Johnm

[tenderfoot84]

Me and the ginhouse liquor?

[tenderfoot84]

I've tried old jelly, and old whisky too
But me and the kid have liqour?? well we sure can do?

I tried to check out the other tunes from this session to get a hint. Unreleased side Four and Five Blues. But. Just before tom nelson and tc johnson there is this cut from nat hayes and matthew prater

Is it just me or are these the same pair with tc johnson playing a very similar part on the mandolin???

[Johnm]

I don't know, David.The guitarist on "T. C. Johnson's Blues" seems considerably more nifty and has more moves than the guitarist on the Hayes and Prater cut, who seems more workmanlike. I think I figured out the last word in "T. C. Johnson's Blues"--"quench". He doesn't really sing the back end of the word.
All best,
John

[tenderfoot84]

Yeah the guitar and guitar part do sound quite different on Prater's blues. I got a bit excited. I see that TC Johnson recorded an instrumental (unissued) with Hayes and Prater. Seems so strange that the mandolin part and fiddle parts to the songs can be so divergent in places and exactly the same in others. I guess they must have known one another pretty well. Great work with quench. The name is sounding a bit like Jim Bucane to me on the first pass but it's less clear the second time.

[tenderfoot84]

Did a search to see if there is or was a place called sweet mama alley in vicksburg and found this version of the lyrics on a website with Spanish translation.
https://flowlez.com/es/songs/tc-johnson-blues-2184994/
Escucha la canción "Blue Coat" Tom Nelson - T.C. Johnson Blues en línea
"Blue Coat" Tom Nelson - T.C. Johnson Blues

Letras de canciones "Blue Coat" Tom Nelson - T.C. Johnson Blues

I was born in the state, of old Arkansas
I was born in the state, of old Arkansas
Where they don't allow, no Mississippi women there at all

I'm going I'm going, back to my old home to stay
I'm going I'm going, back to my old home to stay
And you'll find me, hanging around the levee both night and day

Then after I walk the levee, from end to end
Then after I walk the levee, from end to end
I'll go to Sweet Mama Alley, go and get my hooch and gin

I've tried old jelly, and old *loosha* too
I've tried old jelly, and old *loosha* too
But me and my gin house liquor, well we sure can do

I don't see why, white folks don't have no blues
I don't see why, white folks don't have no blues
They got all kinds of money, and brownskin women too

When you go to Vicksburg, please ask for old dripper king
When you go to Vicksburg, please ask for old dripper king
For he's the bootlegging fellow, your turkey sure can swing

Prior to this I was hearing old triple king but this fits better. I also thought I heard "your turkey sure can swing" or swim but it seemed pretty wild to me. I don't hear all kinds of money at all. I prefer cash as you have it John. I sometimes think it might be church money.

This is one of my favourite ever songs. It just has more to it every time I listen to it. Sublime backing guitar too.