After listening about 40 times in a row now, and many more times over the past 8 years or so since my first swipe at it, I think this is pretty close for Dry Well. This is one of Patton’s most coherent narratives thematically, and it mirrors High Water as a firsthand account of a specific and real life natural disaster in the delta.
I think he’s telling the world the story, so he stays on topic.
The first verse is speaking generally, saying it’s hard living in this Lula heat, ‘lately’. He could be saying ‘Baby’, but I just can’t be sure. I don’t think he’s addressing his ‘baby’ about something interpersonal. He’s reporting a dire situation to his total audience. He’s telling you through the use of the word ‘our’ trees that he is a Lula resident himself. I don’t think he’s trying to communicate that he was living ‘at ease’ in Lula, even though as an opening line it COULD be used as a comparison to his current situation, the rest of the song clearly describes distress due to the heat and drought, and I think it starts on that theme. Plus, I simply don’t hear ‘at ease’.
Second verse I interpret as his personal complaint. He left another town to live in Lula, and decided to stay in Lula, giving up his living situation in the ‘other town’, and thus, bidding it goodbye. Presumably, just prior to the drought hitting or becoming critically serious. He bemoans his luck for having made that decision and is complaining that, beyond his ability to foresee, he’s come to see the day the Lula well had gone dry. Poor Charlie! What timing! 😩
The third verse is a report of a call for help from the citizens of
Lula, who presumably asked for help to save their poor well (perhaps from the lord, on Sunday? I definitely hear ‘Sunday’, which is
where and when the town would get together naturally, so this really works, IMO). If it’s not ‘Sunday’ as the first word of the last line, then it’s probably ‘So they’ all got together…
Fourth verse goes back to Charlie’s personal situation and complaint. He’s got no money, and now, with the drought and lack of water, no viable home in Lula, (and he bid the other town goodbye of course!) He mentions the ‘hot weather’ again, and this supports the possible earlier use of ‘Hot Weather’ as a phrase in the 2nd verse. I also think he says that most anybody doesn’t have any water, even on the bayou, (pronounced bye). This pronunciation is what Skip James used later on in the 60’s (March 30, 1968 Bloomington, IN) during a live version of ‘Devil Got My Woman’: “and I would tote all of her water, away from the boggy bayou (bye)…”
Fifth verse could either be ‘look down the’ or ‘they tell me’ the country. I support ‘They tell me the country’ because I hear it that way, and ‘look down the’, would make the word ‘the’ pronounced ‘thee’ which I think is awkward and he wouldn’t/didn’t do. I think it’s a short ‘e’, on ‘the’ pronounced ‘thuh’, with the long ‘e’ sound -which is present- being in the word ‘me’, which is much more natural.
Last verse is pretty straightforward, and a wonderful image. I do think he made a booboo and meant to say Lula WOmen in the second line, but just rolled with it. What’s one syllable among a smashing delta blues masterpiece? 😝
Dry Well Blues
Lately livin' at Lula, hard livin', that heat
Lately livin' at Lula, hard livin', that heat
Lord, the drought come and caught us an,
Parched up all our trees.
I just stayed over in Lula, bid another town goodbye,
Stayed, Lula, bid the other, town goodbye,
How would I (could be ‘Hot weather’?) come to know the day, lord, the ah,
Lula well has gone dry?
Lord the citizens 'round Lula, all was doin' very well,
Citizens 'round Lula, all was doin' very well
Sunday, all got together, an’ said, “save our po-or well!”
I ain't got no money, an I, sho' ain't got no home,
Lord I ain't got no money and, sho' ain't got no home,
The hot weather done come in, scorched all the cotton and corn.
Well, they tell me the country, lord, it'll make you cry,
Whole, country, lord, it'll make you cry,
Most anybody, lord, haven't any water on the bayou.
Lord, the Lula womens all, puttin' the Lula men down,
Lula mens, all put the Lula men down.
Lord, you oughta been there, lord
See the womens all leavin’ town.
https://youtu.be/fgFEJfsalvk?si=eJ91tb5nmg7-KsPt