Topic: Anyone ever heard these lyrics and what song they might belong to?

[LB]

This is a long shot but has anyone heard of a song with lyrics like this? It was a party song popular with the older local blues generation long before my time, but I've heard it sang and the recording once or twice.  I'd love to identify it, learn it, then visit their family again sometime and play it. My memory is sketchy but I think it had lines like (Below). I think it's an upbeat swingy two chord kind of tune. Maybe bouncing back and forth from the 5 to the 1. I was visiting today and the grandson, in his 40s now, sang some of it for me. It is a major cool song. It might be blues, jazz, hokum, I'm not certain but any help is appreciated. I may also be hearing the words wrong.

I wish I was back in old gentlemen(?), old gentle men, old gentlemen
I take my bab' back to ole gentlemen, old gentle men, old gentlemen
I stand on the corner waivin my hand, you know by that I'm a gamblin man

 

[misterjones]

Possibly the following?

I wished I was back at old Jim Canan's
I'd take my baby back to old Jim Canan's
I'd stand on the corner and wave my hand
And if you don't believe that I'm a drinkin' man . . .

(Robert Wilkins - Old Jim Canan's)

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Rolling-Stone-Robert-Wilkins/dp/B000000G88

[LB]

Oh my .. I think you solved my mistery. LOL, so funny how a songs words can evolve into something so different by people listening and repeating it. I can't thank you enough misterjones, I knew this might be something that fell in the realm of Weenie town. When I was younger I used to hear this one played by the older crowd and it resurfaced and drove me mad trying to identify it. Plus the two chords making it a rag. Man, this song just screams beer hall.

I guess I'll search WC for some info on this tuning and way he gets that sound..


I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's
I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's

I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd stand on the corner and wave my hand
and if you don't believe that I'm a drankin' man
Then baby stop by here with-a your beer can

Because I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's

I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's
I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's

I'm goin' up town buy me coke and beer
Comin' back and tell you how these women is
They drink beer whiskey drink their coke and gin
When you don't pay the (girl or dozen?) they will ease you in

Still I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's

I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's
I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's
I'd take my babe back to Old Jim Canan's

The men and women runnin' hand in hand
Goin' to and fro to old Jim Canan's
Drinkin' beer whiskey and sniffin' cocaine
That's been why I wished I was back at Old Jim Canan's

And I wished I was back at Old J?m Canan's

[Bunker Hill]

In case you are interested in just who Jim Canan was here's a Weenie discussion of 2006.

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=60&topic=2584.0

[LB]

In case you are interested in just who Jim Canan was here's a Weenie discussion of 2006.

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=60&topic=2584.0

Absolutely, thanks!!!

P.S. Does anyone know off hand the tuning he uses? I noticed this is not one of the songs JM teaches but I'd love to get that sound Wilkins gets.

[Alexei McDonald]

When you don't pay the girl they will ease you in

I hear this line (4th line of the 4th section) as "if you don't play the dozen, they will ease you in".

[unezrider]

hey lb,
i believe the song is played in the G position.
chris

[CF]

When you don't pay the girl they will ease you in

I hear this line (4th line of the 4th section) as "if you don't play the dozen, they will ease you in".

Yep, that's what I've always heard. The Dozens being the 'Your mother is so fat . . . ' dissing game.
My band recorded a bluegrass version of Canan & it should be on our next record, if it ever gets released 

[Stuart]

I hear, "if you don't play 'the dozens,'" as well.

[LB]

I added "dozens" to the lyrics and I hear how it can be that.

Ezrider, thanks but I'm not hearing it as G tuning or G key for some reason, maybe I'm missing something.... I can make it kinda work in Open D tuning

[JohnLeePimp]

It's interesting how I had this song in my head just recently - trying to remember who it was by

...so LB, I'm thinkin that you met these old local bluesmen - from georgia, no less - it would be cool if you could point me into the right direction for like finding out about 'em (...if they made recordings that is)

[banjochris]

I added "dozens" to the lyrics and I hear how it can be that.

Ezrider, thanks but I'm not hearing it as G tuning or G key for some reason, maybe I'm missing something.... I can make it kinda work in Open D tuning

It's definitely in G standard as unezrider said, but each line starts on a C chord (with the G on top 1st string/third fret), then D and back to G. The "verse" part goes between a D7 and G chord, with the D7 played as a C7 slid up two frets and the G chord as an F chord slid up two.

[LB]

Thanks banjo chris, I must admit I'm not hearing in that way, in fact if I follow your format I have to capo on fret 2 to reach his pitch then I still don't hear the C7 droning sound like his recording. There's one note I'm missing when I play it this way. I wish I could hear how you guys play it. I may still be missing something.

On the other hand if I use standard tuning and play D7 the way shown in this 12 second video clip (below) you can hear that drone in the first chord. Of course I'm not 100% certain of anything. The sound of this "sat night rub" D7 chord just seems to be a good fix for the moment.

Interestingly enough when I drop my standard tuning by a whole step, then capo on 2, bringing me back up to standard, I can get a more slack string tone like his recording. Am I chasing down the wrong rabbit hole?





P.S. JohnLee, I'd be glad to share any tidbits of info I might know, just shoot me a PM sometime.

[LB]

Final comments, thanks everyone for the posts and private messages helping. You made some great points.

Chris says in other recordings Wilkins plays a different song with the same guitar part and only one guitar is recorded which clearly shows the basic G position. This recording above "Jim Canan's" is played with two guitarists which threw off my ear.

I'm also finding the key and system I play it with the video sample above works great for "me" instead. It gives me some of that fat grind they get with two guitars and opens up several more options for me playing it alone.