Topic: Cannon's Jug Stompers Lyrics

[dj]

Chris beat me to part of this, but here's what I get:

I said hey baby, I'll give you your LAST CHANCE
I said hey hey baby, I'll give you your LAST CHANCE
All you do to wear THOSE dresses, but you want to wear my pants

Says I give you my money, baby, but that don't do no good
I give you my money, baby, but that don't do no good
I think I'm STARTIN' TO 'ROUND TO WORKIN', that's just what I should

That last line seems to be a mis-singing of "startin' around to workin'".

[uncle bud]

Thanks fellas. A big Doh! in that first verse.

[banjochris]

Couple more suggestions on "Last Chance". The last line of the third verse I still can't quite get. My suggestion for line 1.3 is phonetically almost exactly the same as what you had, but I think this makes more sense. Suggestions in caps:

1.3 OH YOU DUE TO WEAR THE dresses...

2.1, 2.2
What's THE matter

3.1
THEN I give you my money...

Spoken...
Sing it, Mr. WOODS...

4.1, 4.2
What's THE matter

[banjochris]

Incidentally, there's an alternate take of "Viola Lee" -- the lyrics for the first two verses are identical, minus one "the". However, Lewis sings a different third verse, which is (commas indicate pauses in the singing):

I wrote a letter, mailed it in the
Mailed it in the, air indeed lord
I wrote a letter, I mailed it in the air
You may know by that I, have a friend somewhere.

Chris

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I merged two early threads on Gus Cannon lyrics to the front end of this thread.
all best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I've merged a previous thread on Minglewood Blues that Ghostrider and Waxwing had awhile back into this master thread. I'm also revising the transcription of Minglewood Blues below (the Cannon's Jug Stompers' version).



Minglewood Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers
in G

Don't you never let one woman worry your mind
Don't you never let one woman worry your mind
Well she will keep you worried, troubled all the time

Don't you think your faro was little and cute like mine
Don't you wish your faro was little and cute like mine
She's a married, she's a married woman but she comes to see me sometime

Don't you never let no woman worry your mind
Don't you never let no woman worry your mind
She'll keep you troubled, worried all the time

Well I got a letter, mama, you oughta heard it read
Well I got a letter, darlin', you oughta heard it read
Said you're comin' back, baby, now be on your way

[uncle bud]

Here's "Mule Get Up in the Alley," recorded Oct 1, 1929, with Hosea Woods on lead vocal, kazoo and guitar, Gus Cannon on backing vocal (in parentheses below) and banjo, and Noah Lewis on harp. This is pitched around D, though I haven't figured it out musically. Great tune. Well, they're all great. But this has a kazoo solo, banjo solo, and harp solo. If only I could do more on a harp than run out of breath.



Mule Get Up In the Alley - Cannon's Jug Stompers

Last night I started out to see if I could find my Sue
(Could find my Sue)
I know that you have always been good and true
(I says a-good and true)

I says get up in the collar just as fast as you can
I'm gonna give you plenty o' oats and hay

I said go on mule, get up in the alley
I said whoa, whoa, whoa
Go on mule, get up in the alley
Said whoa, whoa, whoa

Let me find my Sue tonight, I'm gonna feed you some more
(I'm gonna feed you some more)

I says get up in the collar just as fast as you can
I'm gonna give you plenty oats and hay

I said go on mule, get up in the alley
I said whoa, whoa, whoa

[uncle bud]

"My Money Never Runs Out" was recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in November 1930, with Gus, Hosea Woods and Noah Lewis. Cannon also recorded the song in 1927 as Banjo Joe, backed by Blind Blake. (Banjo Joe transcriptions will come later.)

A little like Henry Thomas was wont to do, Cannon takes two turn-of-the-century popular songs and blends them -- "I Don't Care If I Never Wake Up." written by Paul J. Knox published in 1899 and "Ragtime Millionaire" written by Irving Jones and published in 1900. Paul Oliver has transcribed most of the song in Songsters and Saints (pp. 57-8), but my transcription differs in several spots. Chris Smith has also proposed "Well, his laundry shaker says he hangs around" for the third line, but I really don't think that is what Gus is singing. Still, this is a tricky one, so if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.




My Money Never Runs Out - Cannon's Jug Stompers
in C

There's a certain yellow joker lives around this town
Just as lazy as lazy can be
While his laundry shakin'¹, says, he hangs around
"I love my hop," says he
Early one morning this joker ran away
To roam the world was said
Says "I'll go back to bed, boy, I'll kivver* my head
I don't care if I never wake up"

(Play)

Now if my money was stacked high
I believe it to my soul 't would touch the sky
I polish my teeth a-with a-diamond dust
I don't care if the bank is bust
For my money, don't never run out
Rich food, you're making me stout
Well every good evenin' for quail on toast I shout
Now I'm a-livin good all the time
I don't drink, I said, no cheap wine
When it's always flush, good money will never run out

(Rag it.)

Now boys, if my money was stacked high
I believe it to my soul 't would touch the sky
I polish my teeth with diamond dust
I don't care if the bank is bust
Well my money, babe, don't never do run out

(Now play it.)


*kivver, variant of cover
1 Or: Well, his laundry shaker says he hangs around; Where his laundry's shakin', says, he hangs around

updated with corrections from banjochris and dj

[banjochris]

My Money Never Runs Out - Cannon's Jug Stompers
in C

There's a certain yellow joker lives around this town
Just as lazy as lazy can be
Well as long as they shake it, says, he hangs around
"I love my hop," says he
Early one morning this joker ran away
To roam the world was said
Says "I'll go back to bed, boy, I'll keep up my head
I don't care if I never wake up"

I do think he sings about laundry in the third line -- Uncle Dave Macon's recording of "I Don't Care if I Never Wake Up" says "Says a Chinese laundry says he hangs around" for that line. I think it's the stereotypical association of the Chinese with both laundry and opium that's being referenced. It sounds to me like Gus sings "While his laundry shakes, I says, he hangs around" in both the recordings of the tune. That said, the only other suggestion I would make is "I'll go back to bed, boy I'll cover up my head" with cover pronounced kivver.
Chris

[dj]

Well as long as they shake it, says, he hangs around
"I love my hop," says he

My suggestion is:

WHY, THE LAUNDRY SHAKER SAYS, ah, he hangs around
"I love my hop", says he

[uncle bud]

Thanks for the corrections, Chris and dj. I did some more digging thanks to these, and the Chinese laundry/opium theme does indeed occur in Knox's original composition. While I was unable to find complete sheet music for it online, the first verse is transcribed in Abbott & Seroff's Ragged But Right:

There a certain yellow coon lives in this town,
He's as lazy as lazy can be
At a Chinese laundry he hangs around,
"I likes my hop," says he.
But the other day this man got drunk,
And a pipe full of dope he bought,
He went to sleep, dreamt he was rich,
And then to himself he thought,

Well! I don't care if I never wake up...

Abbott and Seroff also point out that Cannon uses Irving Jones' "My Money Never Gives Out" as a source. The sheet music for this is available online here, and here are a couple verses and the chorus:

I am a coon who is a financier,
I'm known as the ragtime millionaire
I wake up with a million dollars ev'ry morn
And throw 'way ev'ry dollar that is soiled or torn

If all of my money was stacked up high
I know that my coin would reach the sky,
For Vanderbilt or Gould I care nothing about
I've got so much money it never gives out.

Chorus:

My money never gives out
Rich food is making me stout
Cause every meal for quail on toast I shout
I live good all the time
I don't drink no cheap wine
I'm always flush and my money never gives out

When you've got money it's a pleasant treat,
My only occupation is to sleep and eat,
I have everything to eat a king could wish,
On Fridays I even eat fried gold fish,
I make all the warm coons look ice cold,
Ev'ry tooth in my mouth is solid gold,
I clean my teeth with pure diamond dust,
It wouldn't jar me if all the banks would bust


Jones' Ragtime Millionaire came soon afterward. Can't find that online at the moment, though am pretty sure I have before. But the diamond dust and banks going bust that most of us would be familiar with from versions of that song occur in this song before. And even the phrase ragtime millionaire.

I will need to listen some more to both the Jug Stompers and Banjo Joe versions, because I now hear different things each time, including:

Well, his laundry shaker says he hangs around
While his laundry shakin', says, he hangs around
Where his laundry's shakin', says, he hangs around

(Listening to Uncle Dave Macon, I hear him sing "There's a Chinese laundry, says he hangs around".)

[uncle bud]

Cannon's Jug Stompers recorded "Springdale Blues" on January 30, 1928, in Memphis, with Gus Cannon on banjo, jug and vocals, Ashley Thompson on guitar, and Noah Lewis on harp. They move along at a fair clip, especially after they start accelerating. Another one in C.

Help needed in a couple spots for sure. In the third line of the third verse, Gus really mashes the start of the line together, so it's hard to say what he's singing.



Springdale Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers

Say, I'm goin' away, mama, worry you off my mind
Lord, I'm goin' away, mama, worry you off my mind
You keep me worried and bothered, baby, lordy all the time

Say, I'm goin' away, catch the Hollywood line
Say, I'm out here, now, catch the Hollywood line
...

They tell me eighteen [is this car line]
Well, they tell me eighteen is my [car line]
I'm [goin' to jump off] at Springdale, get it off my mind

(Play it, boy)

Said my mama told me, papa told me too
My mama told me, papa told me too
"Oh the way you [drive], son, boy it'll never do"

(Play it, now)

[uncle bud]

"Big Railroad Blues" was recorded January 30, 1928, in Memphis, with Gus Cannon on banjo, jug and vocals, Ashley Thompson on guitar and vocals, and Noah Lewis on harp. They played it out of G. I haven't heard the Grateful Dead version as far as I recall, but it's no wonder they made up the lyrics, because Ashley Thompson is damn hard to decipher at times. words in square brackets are dubious, and others might be too.



Big Railroad Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers

Wish I had've listened, oh Lord, what mama said
Wish I had've listened, Lord, what mama said
Lord I wouldn't a-been a struggling child today

Lordy mama told, lordy papa told me too
Lordy mama told me, papa told me too
"Oh, the life you livin' is surely killin' you"

...to the railroad and I looked up at the sign
Walked to the railroad, looked up at the sign
Mama it's train time now, the tracks all out of line

Mister depot agent don't tell to me no lie
Mister depot agent don't tell me no lie
Did my girl stop here, did she go ridin' by?

I feel like hollerin', mama, screamin' out and cryin'
Lord I feel like hollerin', screamin' out and cryin'
The one I love, you rollin' cross my...


edited to pick up corrections from banjochris and dj

[uncle bud]

"Heart Breakin' Blues" was recorded September 9, 1928, in Memphis, with Gus Cannon on banjo, jug and vocal, Elijah Avery on guitar, and Noah Lewis on harp. Played out of C. Noah Lewis plays up a storm on this.



Heart Breakin' Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers

Said I'm goin' downtown, baby, won't be gone so long
Honey I'm goin' downtown, baby, won't be gone so long
Say I'm tired and worried, bound to sing this song

(Play it now, boy)

And when I stayed at home, baby, you don't treat me right
When I stayed at home, baby, you don't treat me right
The best time I had, girl, when you's outta my sight

Girl, give back the wig I bought you, let your head go bald
Gimme that wig I bought you, let your head go bald
Lord when I first met you, girl, you didn't have no hair at all

[dj]

In Big Railroad Blues, what you have transcribed as

"Oh the [Huh? doin' is surely kin to you]"

Should be, I think,

Oh the BAD YOU doin' is surely KILLIN' you.