Topic: Booker White Lyrics

[dj]

A few suggestions:

"When she's taken down with the flu, you know, the TEC MAN and the Chief come 'round that morning, they're going to put out, you know."  Tec man = detective, i.e. the police were going to evict her.

"When her HEARDED, you know heard the train cut down, you know, the old soul got happy, y'know, she commenced to singin', y'know,"   I think Booker just got the verb wrong to start the line and corrected himself.

[banjochris]

dj, I think you might be right on both of those. I had thought about "detective" to go with chief but couldn't hear that, but "tec man" could fit. I'll listen again when I get home.

[banjochris]

Just thought I'd bump this one up. I need to check back on "Panama Limited" for corrections but the only two left of Booker's pre-war recordings are "I Am in the Heavenly Way" and the LoC "Poor Boy." Might get to the first of these tomorrow if I have some time. I really am not a fan of his "Poor Boy" in any of its incarnations if someone else wants to give it a whack...
Chris

[Johnm]

Good on you, Chris!  I never gave "Panama Limited" the strong listen.  I'll do that and work on "Poor Boy".
All best,
Johnm

[Michael Cardenas]

work on "Poor Boy".

I would be very interested to see how people hear the whole second verse as well as the second lines in the third and fourth verses.

Po' Boy he was travellin'
he's heading on the road
Po' Boy he got hungry
he didn't even have nowhere to room

Po' Boy says a hateful
till evening sun go down
he say me rock fill my pillow
and the cold ground was sleeping frame

Po' Boy momma's come to see him
boys [sic] is heading river bound
when she looked and seen him
Oh she went screamin' and cryin'

She said to her Mother
Po' Boy must [sic] river bound
Oh she kneeled on her knee
Oh how Ole momma scream and cryin'

(spoken) Love her boy

`Fore she says goodbye
your mother's going to leave you alone
she says you be a good boy
you'll be home by and by

[Johnm]

Thanks for helping out, Michael.  Here's what I hear relative to your transcription:

1.4 He didn't even have nowhere to GO

2.1 Poor boy says, "I HATE 'FORE
2.2   YOUR evening sun GOES down.
2.3   THE CURB, THE ROCKS ARE my pillow,
2.4   And the cold ground MY sleeping PLACE."

3.1 Poor boy's MOTHER come to see him
3.2   [           ] IS THEN PRISON bound
3.4 Oh, she went TO screamin' and cryin'

4.1  TAKE BACK, YOUR OLD mother
4.2 Poor boy IS NOW PRISON BOUND
4.4 Oh how, old mother SCREAMED and CRIED

spoken:ONE MORE (from Lomax)

5.3 She says YOU'LL be a good boy

The front end of 3.2 is especially hard to hear, sounds like "Widen", which makes no sense at all.

All best,
Johnm
   
   

[banjochris]

I think between John and Michael you have it right -- I would suggest two things:

2.1 John has right but it should be "I hate for" not "'fore" -- he hates for the sun to go down, because it means another night homeless.

3.2 I hear as "Boys was sad and prison bound"

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Chris.  Here is a melded version of "Po' Boy" with Michael's start, my changes, and the final suggestions.  Here is "Po' Boy":



   Poor boy, he was travellin'
   He's headin' on the road
   Poor boy, he got hongry
   He didn't even have nowhere to go

   Poor boy says, "I hate for
   Your evening sun goes down.
   The curb, the rocks are my pillow,
   And the cold ground my sleeping place."

   Poor boy's mother come to see him
   Boys was sad and prison bound
   When she looked and seen him
   Oh, how old mother screamed and cried

   Take back your old mother
   Poor boy is now prison bound
   Oh, she kneeled on her knee
   Oh, how old mother screamed and cried

   Spoken by Lomax:  "One more."

   `Fore she says goodbye,
   "Your mother's going to leave you alone."
   She says,"You'll be a good boy.
   You'll be home bye and bye."

All best,
Johnm

[Michael Cardenas]

All pretty close now withstanding the missing 5th verse, I'm so impressed you folks have such great ears. For what its worth makes the music mean more, clarity and all. I use a slowed down version of this song to keep from going nuts. In using a slowed down version it seems he is out of A flat.

   Poor boy, he was travellin'
   He's headin' on the road
   Poor boy, he got hongry
   He didn't even have nowhere to go

I didn't hear him using a G consonant for Go, rather I hear R as in either Roam or Room. I do see the logic in Go because there is no M on the end, but I can't hear his teeth coming together on that word to form a G. He sounds open like an R (roh). Keep in mind stylistically he favors ending lines with a teeth-clenched hum/vibrato.

   Poor boy says, "I hate for
   Your evening sun goes down.
   The curb, the rocks are my pillow,
   And the cold ground my sleeping place."

   Poor boy's mother come to see him
   Boys was sad and prison bound
   When she looked and seen him
   Oh, she went to screamin' and cryin'

I didn't hear 5 syllables before the screamin' & cryin', only 4 and the "to" I am hearing right before is very faint. It's true that his meter delivery is faster in these stanzas, but I'm hearing S & W consonsants. What I think's happening here is we're confusing the 4th and 5th verses because the "how old mother" would be correct in verse 5. However, the second line in verse 5 is still illusive, obvious that he's telling her something. Is it must or was and is he even saying river bound? If he were singing river bound then that would validate her reactions.

He said to her Mother
Po' Boy must [sic] river bound
Oh she kneeled on her knee
Oh how old Mother scream and cried

   Spoken by Lomax:  "One more."

It's so faint and slurred and when I listen without direct focus it comes out One more. When I listen tightly I hear 3 syllables and since it's spoken I compare it with other tunes where Booker is using a speaking voice and it doesn't seem so far from his speaking voice. Might as well be Lomax though chiming in which is what I initially thought.

   `Fore she says goodbye,
   "Your mother's going to leave you alone."
   She says,"You'll be a good boy.
   You'll be home bye and bye."

[Johnm]

Hi Michael,
I missed the fourth verse altogether in putting together the melded version of the lyrics, as you noted.  I've got it in there, now.  Thanks for your help.
All best,
Johnm

[alyoung]

It's a lyric that pops up on the quote overlines -- "It may get lonesome now, cause I'm a hobo myself sometime - Bukka White, Special Streamline "

Finally I get round to suggesting... I think it's "Make it lonesome now, cause I'm a hobo myself sometimes." (It's Booker's injunction to himself as he mimics the train whistle with his slide.)

[banjochris]

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=2438.msg57281#msg57281

[Rivers]

Thanks guys. Since I was the one who transcribed it originally I'd better go back and give it another listen.

Later...

'May get...' versus 'Make it...'. It's 50/50 to my ear and I can't form an opinion either way. I agree there's no 'It...' on the front end. Would anyone else like to take a listen?

The version on Genes Blues Vault CD, '1963 Isn't 1962', which will be forever one of my favorite album titles, does not have the line. It's great to listen to the two versions back to back, totally different narrative yet somehow the same, just Booker moving on through life.

[Slack]

I've always heard it as "Make it..."   ...Booker coaching himself.

[Mr.OMuck]

I concur "Make it lonesome"