Topic: Blind Joe Taggart Lyrics

[Slack]

Welcome to WeenieCampbell Andy.

[Cleoma]

I just listened to Frankie and Kim's rendition on Youtube - wow!!!  You two really nailed it, sounds just great.
Suzy

[frankie]

Thanks, Suzy...  I never really set out to sing the last verse, but I've always liked the way it felt to sing "All the love come down," wrong though it may be.  I have no idea what I was trying to express in the lines just before that one, though!   

note:  the juke is playing Georgia Stomp as I type this - cool.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been listening to "Been Listening All the Day" and wonder if that mystery verse might be:

   Now Mary came from Heaven
   Oh, and camped upon the ground
   And when she sound the trumpets
   Holy love come down

What do you think, folks?

All best,
Johnm

[dj]

I think I'd go with:

   OH A MAN HE came from Heaven
   OH YEAH, camped upon the ground
   And when she sound the trumpet
   ALL THE love come down

The two lines would make sense as referring to Jesus.  That "Oh yeah" to start the second verse sounds a bit like "Oh you", but the unknown second singer sings those two words and Taggart comes in over the end of the second word so it's going to be forever unclear.  I've gone with "Oh yeah" because it makes more sense.  Taggart definitely sings "she" in the third line, which would make more sense of the subject were Mary, so maybe I'm wrong about "man he" and Johnm is right about "Mary", but I'll stick with my transcription.     I've gone with "all the" instead of "holy" in the last line because of the short e sound at the end of the second syllable.

I hope this helps, though it probably just confuses things more!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Joe Taggart recorded "I Wish My Mother Was On that Train" at his first session, in Chicago on November 8, 1926.  Though the session notes accompanying the JSP set "The Guitar Evangelists, Volume 2" do not make it explicitly clear, it sounds from the set's liner notes that the female singer joining Joe on the recording was his daughter, Bertha.  They perform the song a capella, and it is a wonderful rendition.  I've noticed that Blind Joe Taggart often did songs in which the concluding line of a verse also served as the opening line of the song's refrain.  That is the case here, as it was on "Wonder Will My Troubles Then Be Over".



REFRAIN: Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
Wonder will my Mother be on that train?
The train I'm a-talkin' about, she's a-moving through the land
Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?

Some of us have mothers, Lord, they left us here below
They gone to live with Jesus, and they rest forever more
Expect to meet her there in the home beyond the sky
REFRAIN: Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
The train I'm a-talkin' about, she's a-moving through the land
Oh Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?

Oh Christians, you better be ready, a-standin' in one van
For the Gospel Train is coming, she's a-moving through the land
Make her station blow, Lord, you better be ready to go
REFRAIN: Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
Wonder will my Mother be on that train?
The train I'm a-talkin' about, she's a-moving through the land
My Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?

Oh sinner, you stand a-tremblin', and you don't know what to do
This train, she runs to Glory, she's moving through the land
Jesus is the man, he will always stop that train
REFRAIN: My Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
Wonder will my Mother be on that train?
The train I'm a-talkin' about, she's a-moving through the land
Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?

Oh sinner, your train is coming, I know she going to slack
I know her by her rumbling, for she's always draped in black
I'll bid you fare-you-well, for you made your bed in hell
REFRAIN: Oh Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
Wonder will my Mother be on that train?
The train I'm a-talkin' about, she's a-moving through the land
Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?
Good Lord, I wonder, will my Mother be on that train?

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Joe Taggart and Josh White recorded "Scandalous And A Shame" at a session in Chicago in October of 1928.  It is probably stretching a point to call the song a Joe Taggart title, because Josh is the only guitar player on the track, sings lead and Joe's role is pretty much confined to singing response lines on the chorus and joining in on the last line of the chorus.  Josh's accompaniment gives evidence of things to come in his use of Vestapol to play religious material; a lot of his characteristic sound in that tuning is already there, despite the fact that, if his birth date as reported is to be believed, he was fourteen years old (!) at the time of the session.  If true, that would put precocity in playing Country Blues as demonstrated by Henry Townsend, Jesse Thomas and Buddy Moss in the shade. 
If there are any questions as to what Josh White may have contributed to Blind Joe Taggart's sound, the first and foremost contribution of Josh's would have been chord changes--I believe all of Joe's self-accompanied solo numbers recorded prior to working with Josh employed the same one-chord accompaniment.  The point of view of this song's lyrics is pretty worldly to be coming out of the mouth of a fourteen-year-old.  There is a  strong strain of songs coming out of the blues/religious song context expressing anti-clerical sentiment.



Well the deacon's sittin' in the deacon's chair
Drinkin' all the whiskey and beer
And if you get aft'the deacon about it
Well, the deacon tell you he don't care

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

We got some men in this world
They claim to be your friends
They'll go with you, laughin' and grinnin'
Try to take your wife right then

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

Deacon's law, you got to quit
When you get to Heaven, you got to know where to sit

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

Well, you watch that old man, you watch him today
Done throwed his stick and his crutches away
Tellin' you young men what to do
And he's after young women just as well as you

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

You hear that preacher preachin'?
Teach me to preach mighty sweet
'Cause the reason he don't b'lieve in holiness
He wanta call every woman he meet

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

Well, the preacher will come to your house
He'll come with a snicker and a grin
"I just want to know, Sister,
How long 'fore your man comin' in?"

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

I sits one down by my fire
Thought I was treatin' 'im fine
But when I turned my head around
That preacher drank up my wine

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

Preacher will come to your house
He oughta come there to preach
But when you come to find out
He came there to eat

You invite him in your dining room
You try to treat him swell
You sit him right down to your dining room table
He'll give your chickens hell

REFRAIN:  Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Do you call that religion?  No, no
Just-a scandalous and a shame

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Joe Taggart recorded "In that Pearly White City Above" at a session in Grafton, Wisconsin around January of 1931.  Joe was playing by himself on the song, and chose to accompany himself in Spanish tuning, but with a rubato, freely-phrased  accompaniment that acknowledged the song's chord changes and backed up the song's exceptionally beautiful melody perfectly.  In his accompaniment, Joe manages to indicate all of the chord changes, sometimes, as with Robert Pete Williams, offering a harmonic signpost simply by hitting a note in the bass that suffices to communicate a whole chord.  I don't see how Joe could have done this tune any better, it is just perfect, and what wonderful singing!.  Here is a video for those of you who have not heard the song or don't otherwise have access to Joe's performance.



I have a dear old mother, and a father gone on before
They have gone to live with Jesus in that bright bright shining shore

REFRAIN:  In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above
In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above

If you live on Earth a Christian, and you die in the love of the Lord
He will take you safe to Glory in that pearly white city above

REFRAIN:  In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above

Teach me thy way, oh Lord, and lead me in a prayin' path
For I want to go to that city, that pearly white city above

REFRAIN:  In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above
In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above

In that great Judgement morning, when the graves give up their dead
We shall seek our loving Saviour with crowns upon our heads

REFRAIN:  In that pearly white city called Heaven, in that pearly white city above

Edited 11/1/14 to pick up correction from Johnm

All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

Perfection indeed.

[Gumbo]

"teach me thy way" good call, John - that was bugging me ...

[Johnm]

When I first posted it, I didn't have that either, Gumbo--I just couldn't hear it.  When I returned to add the video I re-listened and finally heard it.  It's nice when it works that way.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Joe Taggart recorded "Everybody's Got To Be Tried" with, I believe, his daughter Bertha, at a session in Chicago on November 8, 1926.  The duo performed the song, a capella, with Bertha singing lead, lining the song out, and Joe joining in on the response lines and the tagline to each verse.  The song has a spooky minor melody with a bV note in its scale that suits the text perfectly.  When the two singers hit the unison lines together, the sound is wonderful to hear.  I think I'll attach the performance for folks who've never heard it or don't otherwise have access to it.  Joe delivers the spoken intro and the addendum to the last verse.  In the transcription, the response lines follow the dashes in each verse, and both singers join in on them.



SPOKEN:  This song, which we want to sing next, is a evidentual fact: Everybody has got to be tried in the Judgement morning at God's second coming.

Everybody - got to be tried
Everybody - got to be tried
You can't get around it - got to be tried
Well, you got to go to Judgement you've got to be tried

Dear old Mother - she got to be tried
Dear old Mother - she got to be tried
She can't get around it - got to be tried
Well, she got to go to Judgement, she got to be tried

Dear old sister - got to be tried
Dear old sister - she got to be tried
She can't get around it -she got to be tried
Well, she got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried

Dear old Father's - got to be tried
Dear old Father - he got to be tried
Can't get around it - he got to be tried
Well, he got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried

All of you preachers - got to be tried
All of you preachers - you got to be tried
Can't get around it - you got to be tried
Well, you got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried

All of you deacons - got to be tried
All of you deacons - you got to be tried
Can't get around it - you got to be tried
Well, you got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried

My little baby - she got to be tried
My little baby - oh, got to be tried
Can't get around it - she got to be tried
Well, you got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried, oh Lord

All of you liars - you got to be tried
All of you liars - you got to be tried
Can't get around it - you've got to be tried
Well, you got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried, oh Lord

All of you gamblers - you got to be tried
All of you gamblers - you got to be tried
Can't get around it - you've got to be tried
Well, you've got to go to Judgement, you got to be tried
Oh, you've got to be tried, got to be tried 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Joe Taggart recorded "The Storm Is Passing Over" at a session in Chicago on June 30, 1927, accompanying himself out of Spanish tuning pitched at A.  Joe's accompaniment utilizes only the I chord, even when the melody suggests other chord changes and he utilizes a sort of ostinato, highly rhythmic and perseverative, that seems almost like an instrumental version of Versey Smith's approach to back-up singing in that a repeating figure is employed that appears to operate independent of text, melody, implied chord changes, meter and phrasing.  In fact, the accompaniment figure bends the vocal phrasing to its will.  Joe's accompaniment figure references the key the song is sung in and the underlying pulse; apart from that, it exists simultaneously along side of, but not exactly referring to the sung melody.
This song has a wonderful uplifting melody in its refrain, and Joe Taggart sang it so well.  When he hits a VI note on the syllable "lu" in the first "hallelujah" in the refrain, it may really send you.  "The Storm Is Passing Over" is yet another song of Joe Taggart's in which the final line of each verse also serves as the opening line of the refrain.  The first and last refrains are sung singly, but the other refrains are doubled up.



REFRAIN: Oh the storm is passing over, halleju
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu

Courage, my soul, as we journey on
The night is dark, won't be very long
REFRAIN: Oh the storm is passing over, halleju
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu

Courage, my soul, as we further go
The rolling sea obeyed God's command
When Jesus spoke, "Peace, peace, be still."
REFRAIN: Oh the storm is passing over, halleju
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu

Mother's dead and gone, Lord, she left us here to roam
Gone to live on high, home beyond the sky
REFRAIN: Oh the storm is passing over, halleju
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Oh the storm is passing over, hallelu

Edited 12/27 to pick up correction from banjochris

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

That "Storm" really is a beautiful song -- one suggestion, John, in the first line of the last verse, I think it's "left us HERE TO ROAM," although he swallows it a bit.
Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for the catch, Chris, you are certainly right.  I wasn't happy with the end of that line as I had it, and now it makes perfect sense.  I will make the change.
All best,
Johnm