Topic: Robert Johnson lyrics

[banjochris]

Pretty sure it's "study/studyin'," which also makes sense – he's watching and thinking about the rain.
Chris

[Blues Vintage]

Thanks for helping out everybody.

Re listening I hear 1.1 "got" up this mornin' and 1.2 "I's" up this mornin'
1.3 I hear "worried"
4.2 I don't hear "but"

I took "Michael Taft, Talkin' to Myself: Blues Lyrics, 1921–1942” (Revised Edition) from the shelf.
For some reason he transcribed 2 versions of Preachin' Blues although the lyrics are identical.
Take 2 (SA-2632-2) was never found (but probably was recorded) so I'm not sure why this was done.

He transcribed 5.2 Now if it's starting a-raining I'm going to drive my blues away.

[Lyndvs]

Pretty sure it's "study/studyin'," which also makes sense – he's watching and thinking about the rain.
Chris

I agree.I`ve always thought that last verse was about distilling shine.He`s waiting for the rain to stop so that he can go out and cook up a batch of shine and have a good old booze(drive my blues away).You can`t run a still successfully in the rain as it cools the still and ruins the batch(or so I`m told!!).

[Blues Vintage]

Last Fair Deal Gone Down

Not sure about some words. Don't mind the truck engine from Houston Street at the end of verse 1.


November 27, 1936 
San Antonio, Texas

Robert Johnson - Vocals, Guitar





INTRO


It's the last fair deal goin' down
Last fair deal goin' down
It's the last fair deal goin' down, good Lord
On that Gulfport Island Road

Eh, Ida Belle don't cry this time
Ida Belle don't cry this time
If you cry about a nickel you'll die 'bout a dime
She wouldn't cry but the money won’t mind

I like the way you do
I love the way you do
I love the way you do, good Lord
On this Gulfport Island Road

My captain's so mean on me
My captain's so mean on me
My captain's so mean on me, good Lord
On this Gulfport Island Road

Take camp A, B and C
Camp A, B and C
There's camp A, B and C, good Lord
On that Gulfport Island Road

Ah, this last fair deal goin' down
It's the last fair deal goin' down
It’s the last fair deal goin' down, good Lord
On this Gulfport Island Road

I'm working my way back home
I'm working my way back home
I'm working my way back home, good Lord
On this Gulfport Island Road

And that thing don’t keep-a ringin' so soon
That thing don't keep ringin' so soon
And that thing don’t keep-a ringin' so soon, good Lord
On that Gulfed and Port Island Road

[Alexei McDonald]

I think Mr Johnson sings verse 5 as:

Take Camp A B and C
Camp A B and C
That's Gal A B and C good Lord
On that Gulfport Island Road

It sounds a lot clearer if you take it down to 0.75 speed, in particular the G of 'gals' really stands out.

[Blues Vintage]

Thanks for the suggestion Alexei but I don't hear it and it doesn't make sense either. I'll stick with "camp".

[waxwing]

I hear "That's gal" pretty clearly, Harry, without any slowdown. The fact that he has a girl in each camp makes perfect sense. RJ was a man with options.

Wax

[harriet]

I'm wondering if that "camp A B C" is really an abbreviated "Cabin A, B, C"

I checked on google "cabin A, B, C on train" and those letters are sometimes used to refer to types of cabin, but I don't know about Johnson's time.

HArriet

[islandgal]

Could camps A, B and C be work camps? He says he's working his way back home. And his reference to the mean captain and thing ringing so soon (so early?), could be the wake-up call at the work camp?

[Johnm]

I think you have it right, Jean. There was a discussion earlier in the thread that noted that at Parchment Farm at that time there were work camps with letter designations and the thought was that the railroad may have used the same naming practice.
All best,
Johnm

[taft]

I took "Michael Taft, Talkin' to Myself: Blues Lyrics, 1921–1942” (Revised Edition) from the shelf.
For some reason he transcribed 2 versions of Preachin' Blues although the lyrics are identical.
Take 2 (SA-2632-2) was never found (but probably was recorded) so I'm not sure why this was done.

I just checked my source for Preachin' SA-2632-2. It was Columbia C-30034 (RJ Vol. 2), but take 2 is not on that album. 45-50 years later, I have no idea why I thought there was a take 2 on that album. One of many slip-ups and mis-transcriptions in my anthology! Sorry folks.

[Blues Vintage]

OK, thanks for clarifying that Michael.

For a moment I thought there was a take 2 of Preachin' Blues out there that I missed somehow.
Preachin' Blues SA-2632-2 among others (8 songs total) was disposed by Columbia Records and utilized in WWII.
Of 9 songs (among them takes 2 of "Terraplane Blues" and "Walkin' Blues") there is no further documentation of their ultimate fate.

[dj]

Preachin' Blues SA-2632-2 among others (8 songs total) was disposed by Columbia Records and utilized in WWII.

Harry, where'd you get that info?  I've never seen any listing of what the various record companies disposed of for the war effort.

[Blues Vintage]

Booklet from "Robert Johnson ‎– The Centennial Collection (CD Version)" written by Stephen C. LaVere.

[Blues Vintage]

Walkin’ Blues


Robert Johnson – Vocals, Guitar

November 27, 1936
San Antonio, Texas





I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ ‘round for my shoes
Know by that I got these old walkin’ blues
Woke up this mornin’ feelin’ ‘round oh for my shoes
But you know by that I got these old walkin’ blues

Lord I feel like blowin’ my woh-old lonesome horn
Got up this mornin’ now little Berni-ice was gone
Lord I feel like blow-hoo my lonesome horn
Well I got up this mornin’ woh-all I had was gone

Well leave this mornin' if I have to woh-ride the blind
I’ve been mistreated an’ I don’t mind dyin’
Leavin’ this mornin’ I have to ride a blind
Babe I been mistreated baby and I don't mind dyin’

Well some people tell me that the worried blues ain't bad
Worst old feelin’ I most ever had
Some people tell me that these old worried old blues ain't bad
It's the worst old feelin’ I most ever had

She got a Elgin movement from her head down to her toes
Break in on a dollar most anywhere she goes oh
Ooh from her head down to her toes  (oh honey)
Lord she break in on a dollar most anywhere she goes