Topic: Charlie Kyle Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Charlie Kyle was another early 12-string guitar specialist who shared with Emery Glen and "Dad" Nelson a somewhat careful, fastidious sound (though "Dad" Nelson was much looser than the other two musicians).  Kyle sounds as though he may have been a veteran of the stage, and also may have been an older man at the time he recorded.  For "Kyle's Worried Blues", he accompanied himself out of C position in standard tuning.  He has a nifty move in the sixth bar of his second verse, rocking from his IV chord, F, in the fifth bar to his bVII chord, B flat, to begin the sixth bar, then rocking back to F for the second half of the sixth bar.   His lyrics are interesting in that as early as they were recorded, he nonetheless relied almost 100% on lyric cliches.  Here is his performance:



I'm worried now but I won't be worried long
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long
It takes a worried man to sing this worried song

I'm goin' away, baby, 'til it won't be long
I'm goin' away, baby, it won't be long
You mistreated me, I'm going to leave my happy home

I'm going to the river, sit down on the ground
I'm going to the river, sit down on the ground
If the blues overtakes me, I'll jump overboard and drown

I woke up this morning, the blues were on my mind
I woke up this morning, the blues were on my mind
I was so down-hearted, I couldn't do nothin' but cry

When you see me leaving, baby, don't you cry
When you see me leaving, baby, don't you dry
If you mistreat me again, baby, you will surely die

Lord, I'm goin' away, honey, I can not stay
I'm goin' away, honey, I can not stay
I can't be down-hearted, mistreated this-a-way

Lord, I went up on the mountain, peeped in the little hole
I say, I went up on the mountain, peeped in the little hole
I saw two little monkeys doin' the monkey jellyroll

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "Walking Blues", Charlie Kyle chose to accompany himself out of G position in standard tuning.  The song uses the same melody as "TB Blues", substituting in its first line, "today" for "too late".  "Cherish" is not a word you encounter in many blues lyrics.  Here is Charlie Kyle's performance:



Today, today, today three weeks ago
Today, today, today three weeks ago
My baby walked out and left me standing in my door

I ain't got no mama, no one to cherish me
I ain't got no mama, no one to cherish me
Now I'm just like a mourner, I'm on my bended knee

When you're all alone, ain't got no happy home
When you're all alone, ain't got no happy home
Ain't got ho mama to hold you in her arms

SOLO

You can tell everybody, she left you all alone
Say, you can tell everybody, she left you all alone
And now I ain't got no baby, no happy home

I'm gonna leave here walking, chances I may ride
I'm goin' to leave here walking, chances I may ride
I'm gonna find my baby, if I don't I'll pray to die

You told me that you loved me, it was the last I heard
You told me that you loved me, it was the last I heard
You mistreated me and you gone back on your word

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Charlie Kyle played "Monkey Man Blues" out of G position in standard tuning, working at a pretty sedate tempo with a straight-up-and-down feel.  I'd very much appreciate some help with the bent bracketed portions of the taglines to the second and last verses.  Here is his performance of the song:



Blues is on the wire, blues everywhere I go
Blues is on the wire, blues everywhere I go
Since I heard from my baby, it's been the long time ago

Now, if I had a-listened to my Mother's plea
Now, if I had a-listened to my Mother's plea
I wouldn't be down-hearted, just pleaded I"ll have, on my knees

Now, come here, lovin' mama, give me your right hand
Now, come here, lovin' mama, and give me your right hand
Just because I tried to love you, I ain't no monkey man

SOLO

If I fail to keep my baby, and she don't write to me
If I fail to keep my baby, and she don't write to me
I am gonna give her, month in the county jail

I don't want to mistreat you, put you in the hole I'm in
I don't want to mistreat you, put you in the hole I'm in
But I'm sure gonna stop you from a-treating your best friend

Edited, 8/16 to pick up correction from banjochris
Edited 8/21 to pick up correction from davek

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "No Baby", Charlie Kyle chose to accompany himself out of G position in standard tuning.  His solo on this one is pretty snappy.  Charlie Kyle's lyric stance was consistently that of being the victim in his relationships, not all that common a position for Country Blues singers of his era.  He's not all that Country-sounding, though.  He sounds like he may have come from Vaudeville.  Here is "No Baby":



It was late last night, then the rain begin to fall
It was late last night when the rain begin to fall
And when I woke up, I didn't have no baby at all

I hate to see the evening sun go down
I hate to see the evening sun go down
Tonight my baby's gonna leave this lonesome town

I moan and I groan, I moan down on my knees
I moan and I groan, and I fell down on my knees
I ain't got nobody to give my poor heart ease

SOLO

I'm so down-hearted, I don't know what to do
I'm so down-hearted, I don't know what to do
You know it's hard to love someone that don't love you

I would rather be dead, sleeping in the clay
I would rather be dead and sleeping in the clay
To find the one I love to mistreat me this-a-way

When I first met you, you didn't know what to do
When I first met you, you didn't know what to do
And now you's a-leaving, and I don't know what to do

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

John, on "Monkey Man," I'm by no means 100% sure, but maybe this will help.

The first missing bit sounds like
pleading [?] on my knee

and the last one like
treating your best friend.

Hope that helps,
Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for the help, Chris.  I'm going to put "treating your best friend" in for the last line.  The other one is really a puzzler, isn't it?  I'll keep listening, and if you have any blinding flashes of light, please post again.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

[David Kaatz]

John, Chris,

On Monkey Man, I hear "I'll have on my knees" as the end of the 2nd verse, but the other words are really obscure. There may be "just" in there as John has it.
I think maybe Charlie Kyle makes a singing error on the line in question. If you compare the singing of last line that Chris provided "a-Treating..." to the problematic line, it sounds like Charlie starts to sing his last line "just treating...", but then corrects to say "I'll have on my knees" to finish the line.

So, to perform the tune, we need to come up with a reasonable word or words in there, like:

I wouldn't be so down hearted, just pleading on my knees.

Dave

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Dave.  I think you're right about "I'll have" being in that line, and I also think Charlie Kyle kind of stiffed the line, as you suggest.  I think the end of the line as he sang it was "just pleaded, I'll have, on my knees".  I've made the change, and I'm satisfied with it.
All best,
Johnm