Topic: Carl Martin Lyrics

[MuddyBuddy]

Some of you might be interested in my take on Kid Man Blues, which I recorded in 2011 and is my album of the same name. This song is a standard one in my repertoire, using blues mandolin, although he recorded it playing guitar on the album I have.

https://soundcloud.com/bertdeivert/kid-man-blues?in=bertdeivert/sets/kid-man-blues-album

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Carl Martin accompanied himself out of A position in standard tuning for "That New Kind Of Stuff".  His playing from his 1934 sessions reminds me a little of Buddy Moss's playing; not that Carl Martin played the same licks Buddy did or was otherwise derivative of Buddy's playing, but rather that his playing just had a sparkle and sheen as did Buddy's.  Here is the song:



INTRO

(Spoken) Now listen here, boys, this ain't no joke
I been out all night long, so this morning I'm broke
REFRAIN (Sung):  I been buyin' that new kind of stuff
Oh, that new kind of stuff
And when you get it, you just can't get enough

I know you will like it, it's the talk of the town
It'll make you go back home and smack your old lady down
REFRAIN: Now, that new kind of stuff
Ooooo ooooo, that new kind of stuff
And when you get it, you just can't get enough

There was an old man, 'bout the age of seventy-eight
He went in walkin' bow-legged, he came out walkin' straight
REFRAIN: He been buyin' that new kind of stuff
Oooooo ooooo, that new kind of stuff
And when you get it, you just can't get enough

SOLO

If you meet her on the street and you want to have some fun
Just pay off in front and she will sell you some
REFRAIN: Of that new kind of stuff
Ooooo ooooo, that new kind of stuff
And when you get it, you just can't get enough

Now, I'm gonna play at policy, four-eleven-forty-four
And when I hit, I'm goin' back and buy some more
REFRAIN: Of that new kind of stuff
Ooooo ooooo, that new kind of stuff
And when you get it, you just can't get enough

All best,
Johnm

[MuddyBuddy]

Thanks for all the postings John. Carl Martin has some wonderful signature licks!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I'm glad you're enjoying the Carl Martin songs, Bert.  Carl Martin accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for "You Can Go Your Way", using a simpler, more strummy right hand approach than he used on most of his songs.  He leaves the IV chord early, returning to the I chord at the end of his sixth bar.  Here is the song--sorry for the sound quality:



INTRO SOLO

You say you're going to leave me 'cause you found a better man
I did all I could, still you keep raisin' sand
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

I love you, woman, but you won't do right
I'd rather see you getting out of my sight
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

I give you all my love and my money, too
What more, baby, can a poor man do?
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

SOLO

I took you in, baby, when you didn't have a dime
You won't stay, come up and see my some time
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

If you would treat me right like you treat me wrong
We could be together in a happy home, but
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

SOLO

Just before you go, come and shake my hand
That' all right, baby you just don't understand
REFRAIN: You can go your way, you can go your way
You can go your way, but you'll need my help someday

All best,
Johnm

[MuddyBuddy]

Yes some of his stuff is quite idiosyncratic, going back to the 1 early here, and that is the charm of his music. i found that Kid Man Blues was quite hard for my fellow musicians to learn because of the seemingly simple signature lick on the IV chord, and going to the I chord instead of the V after the IV. Actually very cool!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Carl Martin accompanied himself out of A position in standard tuning for "You Can't Play Me Cheap".  If one operates on the assumption that Carl Martin's lyrics actually bore some relation to his life as he lived it, he had contentious relationships with women.  He utilizes a lot of ideas in his accompaniment that he used elsewhere on A tunes;  like a lot of players in the style he made sure to get a lot of mileage out of his ideas.  He sounds as though he changes the tail end of the first line of the refrain as he makes his way through the song.  Here is the song:



INTRO SOLO

Now listen here, baby, violence on my mind
My eves are wide open, I'm warning you this time
REFRAIN: That's all right babe, how much I'm seein'
You'll soon find out that you can't play me cheap

Just because I gets my money and let you have your way
Don't think one time, darling, that everything is okay
REFRAIN: That's all right babe, how much I bleed
You'll soon find out that you can't play me cheap

SOLO

I'm tired of that jive, baby, you goin' to the store
Leavin' home at ten, comin' back at four
REFRAIN: But that's all right babe, some day you'll weep
But not until you've found that you can't play me cheap

I know plenty women that would give me a break
But, I'll play along with you, darlin', as long as you go straight
REFRAIN: That's all right babe, how much I'll keep
You can always bear in mind that you can't play me cheap

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "High Water Flood Blues", Carl Martin was accompanied by piano and saxophone.. Carl Martin's guitar is very far back in the mix, almost inaudible.  Here is his performance of the song:



INTRO

Well, it rained, it rained, and the rivers began to rise,
Banks began to overflow thousands lost their lives
REFRAIN: So what a terrible flowing, flowing on and on
There's thousands of people, have done lost their happy homes

Well, the whistles began blowing, and the bells began to ring,
People running and screaming, but they couldn't do a thing
REFRAIN: 'Cause the water kept on flowing, flowing on and on
There's thousand of people, have done lost their happy homes

PIANO/SAXOPHONE SOLO

Well, the downtown floods out, the people, in an awful fix
Something like that flood started in Pittsburgh, in 1936
REFRAIN: The water kept on flowing, flowing on and on
There's thousands of people, have done lost their happy homes

Well, high water's here, high water's everywhere
High water's here, high water's everywhere
I believe if you go to China, you'd find high water there

Edited 1/24 to pick up correction from harry

All best,
Johnm
 

 

[Blues Vintage]

Well, the weather began blowing, and the bells began to ring,

I think it's whistle John.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "I'm Gonna Have My Fun", Carl Martin is once again joined by a pianist, and once again his guitar is almost inaudible.  He begins each verse with an 8-bar lyric break, a device of which he was fond.  Here is the song:



When I get my bonus, tell you what I'm gon' do
Get me another woman and quit foolin' 'round with you
You can't spend my money, 'cause you don't treat me right
Go out with your boyfriends, come in high as a kite
REFRAIN: So when I get my bonus, I'm sure gon' have my fun
I'm just sitting here, waiting, waiting until my bonus comes

Just like I found you, baby, I can find someone else
That's why, baby, I'm gonna put you on the shelf
You've been spendin' my money and doin' the mess-around
So if you're planning on my bonus, that's the coldest stuff in town
REFRAIN: Because when I get my bonus, I'm sure gon' have my fun
I'm just sitting here, waiting, waiting until my bonus comes

PIANO SOLO

Now listen all you veteran soldiers, who live in this town
Let's take off our hats, thanks to Uncle Sam
Lots of you are crippled, yes, blind and can not see
But we came back home with the victory
REFRAIN: So when I get my bonus, I'm sure gon' have my fun
I'm just sitting here, waiting, waiting until my bonus comes

Ain't gon drink no moonshine, nothin' but bottled in bond
Kick up my heels, pitch a boogie-woogie, boys, from sun 'til sun
Ain't had no good times, since 1929
Times have been so tight, couldn't save a lousy dime
REFRAIN: So when I get my bonus, I'm sure gon' have my fun
I'm just sitting here, waiting, waiting until my bonus comes

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Thanks for the catch, Harry.  I think it is "whistles", in the plural.  I've made the change.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Carl Martin played "Good Morning, Judge" out of E position in standard tuning, using the same accompaniment he used for "Crow Jane" and "Kid Man Blues".  His finger-snapping during the course of his accompaniment was a pretty cool trick.  The lyrics are unusual in that they are all addressed to the judge.  Here is his performance of the song:



INTRO SOLO

(SPOKEN: Boys, ain't it hard when your best girl gets a tough break?  I'm goin' down, see the judge before the trial comes on.)

"They arrested my baby, accused her of sellin' moon.
They arrested my baby, accused her of sellin' moon.
Judge, they found whiskey, but it wasn't even in her room."

SOLO

"Now, good morning, Judge.  Judge, how do you do?
Good morning, Judge.  Judge, how do you do?
I just came here to have a few words with you."

SOLO (Spoken, during solo:  My baby's in, Judge, she didn't do any wrong.)

"Please, kind Judge, listen to my plea.
Please, kind Judge, listen to my plea,
And let my baby go back home with me."

All best,
Johnm





 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was surprised to find that Carl Martin's version of "Crow Jane" had never had its lyrics transcribed here.  Here is his performance of the song, followed by his lyrics:



INTRO SOLO

Crow Jane, Crow Jane, don't hold your head so high
Crow Jane, Crow Jane, don't hold your head so high
For you must remember, you've got to come down and die

SOLO

If you don't want me, baby, just give me your right hand
If you don't want me, baby, just give me your right hand
I'll go back to my woman, you go back to your man

SOLO

My Mama she told me, when she shook my hand
My Mama she told me, when she shook my hand
"If you get in trouble, son, do the best you can."

SOLO

All best,
Johnm

[MuddyBuddy]

Hi John, I transcribed Crow Jane when I recorded it in 2006, the version that Carl Martin does on the album done in 1966 on Testament. Some added verses.

Carl Martin: Crow Jane Blues

 

 Crow Jane Crow Jane, don’t  hold your head so high
Well you must remember got to come down and die

I woke up this morning, blues all around my bed
Went to eat my breakfast,  blues all in my bed
 
My mamma she told me when she shook my hand
If you get in trouble try and do the best you can

My mamma, she dead, pappa won’t allow me home
Ain’t got nobody teach me right from wrong

When you see me coming, hide your window high
When you see me leaving, hang your head and cry

Crow Jane Crow Jane, don’t  hold your head so high
Well you must remember to come down and die

[JoeCigueno]

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (parody)



I've giving credit to Carl Martin because I transcribed it from his version, on Martin, Bogan and Armstrong's 2nd album.  Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out was written in the early 20's by Jimmie Cox, but this version adds 3 extra verses. MB&A sang a few well-known songs with extra verses, not sure what to call them, maybe someone else knows. These lyrics are half recited and half sung. They expand on the original lyrics in amusing ways, and all three songs BM&A did were really well-crafted.  In addition to Nobody Knows You, they also had extra verses like this in The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and That Old Gang of Mine.  I'm calling them parody lyrics, because in Sweetheart they are a straight-up parody. The ones added to Nobody Knows You (the middle three verses) take the theme of the song to a comical level of cynicism and self-pity. I have no idea who wrote them, but Carl Martin sang the tune, so I'm giving him nominal credit. What's below pretty close. There's a bracketed bit where Carl Martin drops a line.  Anything others know about lyrics in this tradition, I would love to be educated.  I assume professional songwriters or parodists created these versions, maybe in the 20s when the tunes were widely known and still popular in their original versions. I don't know how they made money from what seems like a lot of work. 

There's an unrelated but fascinating African-American tradition dating back to early in the century, where the singer extensively expands upon a well-known song, like Stack O'Lee, into a sort of story-poem. From what I've read, these versions were a part of the 'hustler' lifestyle, which well describes the character of our friend Stack.  These creations are violent, profane and obscene, more of a spoken work or “toast” while retaining the cadence of a song lyric, and were performed in the kinds of establishments where patrons might appreciate poetry steeped in toxic masculinity. Nick Cave was aware of this tradition when he did his 'Bucket of Blood' version of Staggerlee - worth a look on YT.  I promise not to transcribe that one.  If anyone is interested in that musical tradition, you can read about it on Paul Slade's website: http://www.planetslade.com/stagger-lee.html


Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

Once I lived a life /  Of a millionaire
Spending my money   / I didn’t care
Taking my friends out  / Having a good time
Drinking corn whiskey / Champagne and sometimes wine
Boys but when I fell  / Yes I fell so low
I couldn’t find a friend / No place I’d go
If I ever get my hands / On a dollar again
I’m gonna hold on to it / Until the eagle grins

Because nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
I search my pockets / Had not one penny
I look for my good friends / Gee but I had not any
Oh but if I ever get lucky again just again / And get up on my feet
All of my good friends then (or there) / I know I'm bound to meet
Gee but it’s hard / Without a doubt
Nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
   I mean when you are down and out.

Now there comes cold, rain / sleet and snow
The rent man he keeps knocking / On your front door
The weather’s cold / Its below zero
You know how it is in Chicago if you ain’t for that money / Out on the street you go
You can be blind, lame / And cannot see
Both your legs can be cut off / Up above your knee
You can have (the?) tuberculosis / Or the German flu
Death can be on your body / Playing yankee doodley doo

Lord there's nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
Your friends will all tell you / That you been a good old scout
But what was it to them because you played dumb / And got tapped out
When you ask one for a dime, just a dime / He’ll point right to the dust
Show you right where the good book says / That alone In God We Trust
But when I had my money / Boys it was a perfect handout
Now I’m broke, I’m busted / I’m down, I’m out

Nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
Aunties, sisters, cousins, brothers / Treat you all alike
Treat you just like you’re a stepchild / And try to drive you from their sight
Boys when you get old / You know and you just have to hobble around
All of your old time friends then / They can’t be found
If you should see one on the corner / With his weekly pay
If he see you first (he) curves / And goes some other way

Nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
[Dropped line]. / Yes!  Have not one penny
You look for your good friends / Boys but I had not any
But if I ever get lucky again just again / And get up on my feet
All of my friends / I know I’m bound to meet
Gee but it’s hard / Without a doubt
Nobody knows you / When you’re down and out
     I mean when you're down and out

[Johnm]

Thanks for the post of the performance and the transcription, JoeCigueno. The transcription needs a lot of work in order to reflect accurately what Carl Martin sang. The first bent bracketed phrase is
   AUNTIES, sisters, cousins, brothers
All best,
Johnm