collapse

* Member Info

 
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
Merci beaucoup! - Muddy Waters shows off his French at the Montreal Jazz Festival

Author Topic: Cecil Barfield Lyrics  (Read 3527 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline lindy

  • Member
  • Posts: 1241
  • I'm a llama!
Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« on: September 07, 2009, 01:42:42 PM »
Since y'all have mentioned the song Lucy Mae Blues in some recent posts, I thought I'd post these lyrics for Cecil Barfield's version, which were all but totally incomprehensible to me when I first heard the song as part of the George Mitchell collection.

I take very little credit for this one. Ari did most of the hard work, and I found a version by Buddy Guy of all people on YouTube. The one place where we disagreed was on the spelling of "Lucy Mae do" versus "Lucy may do" in the tag line. Since I'm the one posting this, I get to choose.  ;D



One blank space, good luck filling it.

Lucy Mae Blues

That Sunday woman, she bring me the news
That Monday woman, boys, I?m telling you,
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do

That Tuesday woman, she took my pocket change
That Wednesday woman, she wanna do the same
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do

That Thursday woman, she knocked in my door
That Friday woman, boys, they gotta go
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do

That Saturday woman she, took a gatling gun,
Cut you if you stand, she will shoot you if you run.
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do

She left one --------- came back that afternoon
Next time I saw her boys, was the 19th of June
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do

Bye bye little woman now, if you call that gone
Better leave your things, baby, thinking all day long
Better not let my good gal catch you here
Ain?t no telling, man, what poor little Lucy Mae do
« Last Edit: July 06, 2020, 06:37:33 AM by Johnm »

bayrum78

  • Guest
Love Blues Lyrics by Cecil Barfield
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2011, 08:51:14 PM »
I've spent a lot of time on my 45 minute commutes trying to decipher what he is singing but I'm still mostly guessing in several places. The words or lines enclosed by asterisks represent where I had the most difficulty transcribing accurately.



Love Blues

I love my baby mama believe pretty gal I do
Come back pretty baby don't send nobody else over

The girl I'm lovin' mama, the one I crave to see
Given up the loving she had turned her back on me

Run here baby hold me in your loving arms
*more like you do baby they do lie me down by your line*

Good God poor mama your ways have been my *craze* (or crave)
The kind of woman babe gonna take me to my grave

My baby got something mama know that the poor men crave
*Rider I got something kill him and the men make me do this*

Run here mama now you darling I ain't mad with you girl
*Both like body want you to* hold me in your lovin' arm

*Let her go in the morning cried is the rider done gone?*
*Some died knowin baby had you rider been had*

Bye bye baby girl if you call it going
Had no lovin' baby since my rider went away.




« Last Edit: July 06, 2020, 06:38:27 AM by Johnm »

Offline banjochris

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 2578
Re: Love Blues Lyrics by Cecil Barfield
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2011, 07:11:21 PM »
Nate, I think I've got this one, see what you think:


I love my baby mama, tell the world gal I do,
Couldn't make (me) quit you baby to save nobody's soul.

The girl I'm lovin' mama, the one I crave to see,
The girl I'm-a lovin' she has turned her back on me.

Run here baby, hold me in your lovin' arms,
All I ask you to do baby, just to love me down (or there?) by your side.

A good kind woman mama, she always has been my crave,
Good kind woman, b'lieve gon' take me to my grave.

My baby got somethin' mama, know that these poor men crave,
My rider's got somethin' carryin' a many men to their grave today.

Run here mama, know your darlin' ain't mad with you gal,
One thing about it, I want you to hold me in your lovin' arms.

Look over yonder, where the risin' sun done gone,
The sun done gone, baby I ain't had your loving yet.

Bye bye baby, girl if you call that gone,
Ain't had no lovin' baby, since my rider went away.

Offline frankie

  • Member
  • Posts: 2431
    • Old Refuge
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2011, 06:36:54 PM »
That Friday woman, boys, they gotta go

I hear: That Friday woman, boys, SHE gotta go

She left one --------- came back that afternoon

She left one CHRISTMAS, came back that afternoon

Bye bye little woman now, if you call that gone
Better leave your things, baby, thinking all day long

This is the hardest verse for me to hear...  FWIW, Cecil's "Lucy Mae" is a cover of Frankie Lee Sims' 1953 recording.  In that, Sims sings this line as:

Bye bye little woman, babe, you call that gone
You may leave Frankie, baby, to think of you all day long

I prefer this verse for perhaps obvious reasons.


Offline uncle bud

  • Member
  • Posts: 8306
  • Rank amateur
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2011, 06:07:24 AM »
I'm hearing "When you leave here, think [possibly thinkin'] baby, thinkin' you all day long". It doesn't help that one of the channels on the recording seems to drop out at this exact point.

Offline Johnm

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 13190
    • johnmillerguitar.com
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2011, 10:01:58 AM »
Hi all,
I always heard Frankie Lee's singing of the first line of that last verse as:

Goodbye, little woman, babe, you call that gone, you may leave Frankie, baby, don't think you won't stay long

All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 13190
    • johnmillerguitar.com
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2018, 10:37:17 AM »
Hi all,
George Mitchell recorded Cecil Barfield singing an a capella number, "Captain Had A Bulldog".  Here it is:



Well, Captain had a bulldog, and he weighed four hunderd [sic]
Every time he bark, he roll like thunder

Captain had a little bulldog, and he barked like thunder
Every time he barked, he rolled like thunder

Well, Captain had a bulldog, he weighed four hunderd
And every time he barked, he rolled like thunder

Well, he loved the bulldog, he loved him so
'Til one day he went out, the bulldog laid down and died

You know what he said, never happened to him
Like it happened that day

Well, Captain had a bulldog, he weighed four hunderd
Every time he barked, he rolled like thunder

Now, look-a-here, peoples, have you every had a dog that you loved so well?
You loved him so well, the poor dog fell dead

So, Captain had a bulldog, he weighed four hunderd
Every time he bark, Lord, he rolled like thunder (Spoken: Looky here)

Now, Captain had a bulldog, he weighed four hunderd
Every time he barked, Lord, he rolled like thunder

You know, my thunder roll, and it sounds so loud
Every time lightin' flash, it begin to pop that thunder right on

So, Captain had a bulldog, he weighed four hunderd
Every time he barked, Lord, he rolled like thunder
Every time he barked, Lord, he rolled like thunder

Well, Captain had a bulldog, he loved him fine
He kept his dog, he walked through vines
Every time he walk, he walked in the dark

So, Captain had a bulldog, he rose over a hunderd
Every time he barked, he rolled like thunder

All best,
Johnm


 

Offline Johnm

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 13190
    • johnmillerguitar.com
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2022, 10:07:38 AM »
Hi all,
George Mitchell recorded Cecil Barfield playing "Big Legged Woman", accompanying himself out of E position in standard tuning pitched a little sharp of F#. Melodically, at least, Cecil Barfield's rendition seems to come from Johnny Temple's recording of the same title. I think Cecil Bartfield's playing here lays to rest the notion that he was just some kind of musical eccentric--he plays the hell out of this tune and it abounds in interesting and original licks and ideas, including a signature lick with descending bass in E that is one of the coolest ever. His acceleration over the course of the rendition really adds to the excitement, too. It's always seemed to me that this title should be written "Big-Legged Woman", she is not a big woman who is also "legged". I'd appreciate help with any of the lyrics that I'm missing or have wrong. Here is "Big Legged Woman":



INTRO SOLO

Big-leg woman, now you, pull off your gown, look and see what you got makes a bulldog, hug a hound, Lord,
Big woman, please pull off your gown, because,
You got somethin', make bulldog hug a hound

Big-leg woman sure got, somethin' good, don't b'lieve ask an'body in your, neighborhood, Lord,
Big-leg woman, sure got somethin' good, then if,
You don't b'lieve that, then, anybody in your neighborhood

She roll her belly like she roll her dough, lets it down so easy until you want some more--
She roll her belly like, she roll her dough, she lets you
Down so easy, until you want some more

SOLO

Big-leg woman sure got, somethin' good, don't believe, ask an'body in your neighborhood, Lord,
Big-leg woman, sure got something good, then if,
You don't b'lieve that, then, anybody in your neighborhood

Tell the big-leg woman, "Now you, lift your gown.", 'til some of you men here now will, run her down, oh,
See that woman, when you lift your down [sic], then if,
You don't b'lieve that, then, anybody in your neighborhood (Spoken: Get it out there!)

SOLO

Big-leg woman now, peel out your gown, look and see what you got make a bulldog, hug a hound, oh,
Big woman, (guitar) up your gown,
Let me see what you got'll make a bulldog hug a hound

Big-leg woman, now, peel out your gown, you got somethin' make a bulldog hug a hound, oh
(Guitar) please get out your gown, because,
You got somethin' make a, bulldog hug a hound

CODA

Edited 9/16 to pick up correction from Old Man Ned

All best,
Johnm 



 

 



 
« Last Edit: September 17, 2022, 04:29:37 PM by Johnm »

Offline Old Man Ned

  • Member
  • Posts: 387
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2022, 01:46:30 PM »
Only thing I noticed was a typo in the first line of the last verse.
All the best,
Ned

Offline Johnm

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 13190
    • johnmillerguitar.com
Re: Cecil Barfield Lyrics
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2022, 02:20:53 PM »
Thanks for the catch, Old Man Ned. I've made the change.

 


anything
SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal