JRMs tune is actually called Winin' Boy and not Whinin' Boy as you have it - well, I'll let you off as you were not brought up on JRM etc etc... anyway my real point is, what actually is a "Winin' Boy"
It's question that jazz know-it-alls' often ask each when they have nothing more esoteric to talk about and have yet to come up with an answer - so "winin' boy" any ideas?
Hey Richard, - yeah I know - I meant to go back to correct it after removing the song from the queue. I suppose it is a phonetic typo - as it sounds like he says the word "Whine" to me. In any case, I don't know what a Winin' Boy or (Whinin' boy) is --- tough to tell from the context!
Never thought too much about it, but I always thought "winin'" was the typo, because "wining boy" doesn't make any sense at all (at least to me). But a "whining boy" does make some sense to me.? It makes me think of somebody who's always whining, which my dictionary says can mean "uttering a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry," or "uttering a complaint with or as if with a whine." Though I was a well-behaved child (wink), I remember other children being told to "quit your whining!" I imagine a whining boy as somebody who's always bitchin' and moanin' and bellyaching ... about his sister, the little sow who wants to be a bad girl (but unlike him, doesn't know how), the (horny?) spider on the wall, whatever.? If you were around, he'd complain about you, too. And a whining boy who won't deny the name (label), but picks it up and shakes (rattles?) it like a (noisy? and confining?) ball and chain, is proud of it. So, to put it in high-falutin', multisyllabic words, to me the song conjures up somebody who's aggressively & swaggeringly obnoxious. To bring it back full circle, maybe he got that way because he had too much wine. And that's probably too much analysis for a great and earthy old song ... Cheers.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2005, 11:28:27 PM by Johnm »
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... but it's a slow consumption, killing me by degrees
U-B, stemwinder, what's that then...that's new to me!
See here at Early Blues and scroll down to stem winder. Blind Boy Fuller did a tune called "I'm a Good Stem Winder", meaning talented in the, er, sexual arts. The origin is apparently from braking systems on trains.
Was also thinking of Bo Carter etc. references to winding, e.g. in Twist It Baby.
Although I have never heard the 'original' version, I have been told that this song was first recorded as "Winding Boy Blues" - a specific reference to JRM's generous male appendage, of which he was apparently rightfully quite proud. Might this open the possible metaphorical allusion to a fishing reel, that being JRM's usual method for securing a preferred catch?
I have also been told the the lyrics of his 'original' version would be rated "explicit sexual content" if released by a record company today - i.e., it's a real paint peeler. Lastly, I have been told that this 'original' version can be had from the Libarary of Congress by special request. When JRM speaks/sings the word [Winin'], the innocent ear hears [Whinin'] as a contraction of [Whining - i.e. to make a sorrowful sound], but the more jaded among us will definitely hear the contraction of [Winding], complete with all its intentional sexual innuendo. Lastly, I am told that JRM softened this song up (title and lyrics) so as to be able to "get the message out" without running into trouble with the censors.
<...snip...>a specific reference to JRM's generous male appendage, of which he was apparently rightfully quite proud.<...snip...> the innocent ear hears [Whinin'] as a contraction of [Whining - i.e. to make a sorrowful sound], but the more jaded among us will definitely hear the contraction of [Winding], complete with all its intentional sexual innuendo. <...snip...>
Oh, well, so much for the elaborate explanation of a whining boy, and I'm not sure where I fall on the innocent-to-jaded spectrum, but some people might consider singing about one's generous male appendage as aggressively and swaggeringly obnoxious ...
U-B, stemwinder, what's that then...that's new to me!
See here at Early Blues and scroll down to stem winder. Blind Boy Fuller did a tune called "I'm a Good Stem Winder", meaning talented in the, er, sexual arts. The origin is apparently from braking systems on trains.<...snip...>
I've also heard "stem winder" applied to rousing political speeches, as in "he gave a real stem winder at the convention."
Whatever Jelly Roll meant when he sang it (and whatever the others who have sung it after him had in mind), it's a great and earthy piece of music.
Thanks, FrontPage, for the links to the Jelly Roll sites, which were enjoyable and informative.
Cheers, Mot
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... but it's a slow consumption, killing me by degrees
Yes, I certainly have read that he was in 'big' demand by the ladies, but the fishing reel comparison is one even I would not have thought of.. whatever sort of sites do you visit to learn about that
Just some additional information.? Here's a link to a site that has a transcription of the Library of Congress interview of JRM by Alan Lomax.? JRM talks about Winin' Boy as a number he specifically did to counteract the apparently typical characterization of pianists as less than masculine.? (To add to the confusion, the notes refer to both Winin' Boy and Winding Boy.)