Topic: She's Got The Jordan River In Her Hips - RT Hanen

[mr mando]

Hi,
I can't seem to make out parts of RT Hanen's 1931 recording that I attached. I like what I could decipher so far and now I'm curious about the missing parts. The liner notes of my LP "Good Time Blues" on Mamlish say it's actually Jaydee Short under a pseudonym, with Roosevelt Sykes and Clifford Gibson on piano and guitar. I attached an mp3 just in case. Here's what I have so far:



She?s Got The Jordan River In Her Hips

Now your motor don?t run, like no Cadillac or Ford
Run like a Packard, Mama, out on the road
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

The banks of this river is very high
But the stream in this river it don?t never go dry
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You [?.]
I want you to baptize me, knowing just what to do
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

I?m a-tired of [you], you don?t wanna [hold me in your arms]
You know good and well I love you and I?m coming back home
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You know I?m in town, get [strewn on your hay]
I don?t wanna be baptized by no other woman or man
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized



[attachment deleted by admin]

[David Kaatz]

Cool song!  Tough to make out and I don't have it all, but
I hear as marked below:

She?s Got The Jordan River In Her Hips
I hear "and" instead of "when on the last line of every verse
Now your motor don?t run, like no Cadillac or Ford
Run like a Packard, Mama, out on the road
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

The banks of this river is very high
But the stream in this river it don?t never go dry
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You know that's true mama, (? can a date of yours ?) but true
I want you to baptize me, knowing just what to do
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

I agree with this verse
I?m a-tired of [you], you don?t wanna [hold me in your arms]
You know good and well I love you and I?m coming back home
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You know I?m in town, get [strewn on your hay]got thrown on your hand ??
I don?t wanna be baptized by no other woman or man
You got Jordan River in your hips, Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips when and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

[banjochris]

As davek says, very tough to make out. In the first line of the chorus, I hear "hips your" (sometimes "hips and your" -- he sort of swallows the "your" but it's there. I agree with davek that it's "and" in the last line and with the "You know that's true mama".

However, I'm pretty sure that the line:
I?m a-tired of [you], you don?t wanna [hold me in your arms]

is
I'm a child of yours, you don't want to hold me in your arms.

Also, the last line might be
You know I'm a child, just strolled on your hand
the "You know I'm in town" is just as possible, just wanted to throw this out there. It sounds more like "strolled" than "thrown" to me.
Chris

[David Kaatz]

banjochris:
I also thought that line might be "I'm a child of yours" etc as you heard it.  Was unsure but on another listening yesterday think the child line is more likely.

"can a date" I first heard as "candidate" but I can't tell which makes any kind of sense!

Dave

[mr mando]

Thanks so much, davek and banjochris, for your invaluable help with the transcription of this set of lyrics. Very good catch, banjochris, to hear the swallowed "your" in the first line of the chorus. Now that I listened for it, I'm pretty confident there's a "n" sound before "your", which I added accordingly to the transcription.
In the third verse, I hear the first line now as "You know that's true mama, cannot believe else but true", which probably isn't right, but might be a start for further discussion.
I agree with banjochris on the fourth verse. In the fifth verse, I agree that it could either be "get thrown" or "just strolled". More opinions would be great.

Musically, I really like the guitar and piano interplay. The tune sounds in F#, the guitar player clearly playing out of E position. I'm not sure if the actual key wasn't F, which would probably have been a more piano friendly key. There are a couple of instances where the piano bassline goes from the minor to the major third which sound fluidly rolled down as from a black to a white key, but that's probably speculation.

Below is the present state of the lyrics in hope for more sets of ears able to help with this.


She?s Got The Jordan River In Her Hips

Now your motor don?t run, like no Cadillac or Ford
Run like a Packard, Mama, out on the road
You got Jordan River in your hips 'n' your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

The banks of this river is very high
But the stream in this river it don?t never go dry
You got Jordan River in your hips 'n' your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You know that's true mama, [cannot believe else but true]
I want you to baptize me, know just what to do
You got Jordan River in your hips 'n' your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

I'm a child of yours, you don't want to hold me in your arms
You know good and well I love you and I?m coming back home
You got Jordan River in your hips 'n' your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

You know I?m a child, [get thrown/just strolled] on your hand
I don?t wanna be baptized by no other woman or man
You got Jordan River in your hips 'n' your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized
You got Jordan River in your hips and your Daddy?s screaming to be baptized

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I know this song has not been posted to for a while, but it is such a great performance, and it would be nice to get it all.  I think Dave's hearing of "candidate" for the bent bracketed portion of the first line of verse three is right on.  I think the whole line is:
   You know that's true, mama, CANDIDATE OF YOURS FOR TRUE

The first line of the last verse, I think, is:

   You know I'm a child, GOT THROWN on your hand



For what it's worth, I don't think the identification of Clifford Gibson as the guitarist is correct.  It doesn't sound like his touch or tone to me.  I don't have any other candidates, though.  It does sound like Jaydee Short singing, though, sure enough.

All best,
Johnm