And that last line is very intriguing, I still like the "mean iron steamer" for poetic imagery but was outvoted.
I've missed out on any wrangling you all have done with this in the past, so I'm sorry if I'm going over old ground, but if I may.....
The wife and I (this is her main music too) had a listen at this after we got home from work today. We agreed that the very last word more-or-less rhymes with "field" - "meal" being in keeping with the flour imagery. She then said "something like bolton?" and I got very excited because Bolton is a town associated with Ms. blues, being the home of the Chatmon family. A check of the map put it at or just outside the southeast corner of the Delta, between Vicksburg and Jackson. It was entirely feasible that a local mill or mills produced "Bolton meal." But I decided to check the word "bolted" which I'd never heard in this context, and it's real - bolted meal has from its coarse state been passed through a bolt, or kind of sifter. In that context the sentiment is one of love - she's promising her lover that from across the rich man's field - and presumably from his kitchen pantry - she'll bring him the best she can manage to get.
That's kinda poetic too. Anyway, like I said, sorry if I'm late to the game here.
John aka Dirty Red
I hear "If I don't bring you flowers I'll bring you beaujolais".
When you see me comin' look 'cross the rich man's field
If I don't bring you flour I'll bring you *bolted meal*
Lord, precious daughter, don't you be so wild
Okay, now who can play this song? Seems to be in standard, E, with an Am chord thrown in there, and I think the b string is a little flat. But I cannot come even close to getting the sound that Ms. Wiley gets. Has anyone had better luck than I have? I've heard theories about alternate tunings, but I'm not convinced.
I'd like to put in a vote for beaujelais.
"You say tomato, I say tomato".?
Anyway, I'll argue my case next week at Clifftop.?
buzzard meat
Point taken. But... can you cite another reference to buzzards in blues or old time? Other than Joe Bussard?
And while a dude like Luke Jordan might think that a bag of meal is a swell gift, no lady in her right mind is going to go for it. Maybe you guys should try it when you come back from PT. "Here baby, I bought you a bag of grits. They're the good kind, fine sifted!" See what she says.
The last kind words I heared my daddy say
Lord, the last kind words I heared my daddy say
?
If I die, if I die in the German war
I want you to send my body, send it to my mother'n law
?
If I get killed, if I get killed, please don't bury my soul
I cry just leave me out, let the buzzards eat me whole
When you see me comin' look 'cross the rich man's field
If I don't bring you flour I'll bring you bolted meal
I went to the depot, I looked up at the sign
Cried, some train don't come, Lord, be some walkin' done
My mama told me, just before she died?
Lord, precious daughter, don't you be so wild
The Mississippi river, you know it's deep and wide
I can stand right here, see my babe from the other side
What you do to me baby it never gets outta me
I mean I'll see you, (if I) have to cross the deep blue sea
I think part of the problem is that the lyrics to the song depict a few different speakers.
If I get killed, if I get killed, please don't bury my soul
I cry just leave me out, let the buzzards eat me whole
I'm not going to argue with you Frank, despite your attempts at baiting.
I did want to add though (back to the beaujolais/ bolted meal discussion) that while listening to Memphis Minnie's "Bake my Biscuits" one of the lines is:
Ain't got no flour
Ain't got no meal
Ain't got no man
You got to rob and steal.
Frank and Kim presented me with a very special bottle of Geeshie Wiley's Boosholee.? Just to rub a little salt in the wound (Ouch!).? I haven't drank it yet.? I'm waiting for a special occasion.? Maybe that will be running out of booze.
I can't believe nary one of you curmudgeons isn't going to call me on the carpet about this...? amazing!
?
V3 (If I get killed, if I get killed, please don't bury my soul) - GW
V4 (When you see me comin' look 'cross the rich man's field) - GW
Don't worry, we're all snickering behind your back. :P
Geechie would not bring her Lover flour and meal, becausue in that day and time, women did the cooking.
Are you happy now??;D
All right, in the seventh verse, I think the narrative voice actually switches to that of Elvie Thomas--and I can prove it!
I have heard this song but obvisouly I can't imagine a blues singer - is it a record from 30' ? - talking about Beaujolais !
When you see me comin' look 'cross the rich man's field
If I don't bring you flour I'll bring you bolted meal
This line is clearly sung from GW's perspective.? Certainly the guy of the two preceding verses could not be responsible for such a tender sentiment...? She will clearly do anything she can to keep her man happy, including stealing the best food she can from the house of her employer.
The song's about seeing and predicting the future and is generally crawling with ghosts and the supernatural.
The song's about seeing and predicting the future and is generally crawling with ghosts and the supernatural.
And don't forget, we're all still waiting for corroboration on "Bougelois" :D
And don't forget, we're all still waiting for corroboration on "Bougelois" :D
And don't forget, we're all still waiting for corroboration on "Bougelois" :D
Hi all,
Re bolted meal, I remember that when it was first suggested that this was what was "brought" in the lyrics to "Last Kind Words", there was skepticism in some quarters. I was listening to Walter Roland singing "Red Cross Store" tonight, and one of his verses began:
Say, you go up there early in the mornin', say they ask you, "Boy, how you feel?"
Gettin' ready to give you a nickel's worth of rice and a bag of that bolted meal
Finding a reference to bolted meal in another song's lyrics seemed a good corroboration that it wasn't too arcane a term to show up in blues lyrics after all.
All best,
Johnm
As for boulted(Chambers)/bolted(Merriam-Webster) meal occurring in blues, here are some instances:
RED CROSS BLUES Walter Roland
Gettin' ready to give you a nickel worth of rice and a bag of that boulted meal.
WELFARE BLUES Speckled Red
Give one little can of this tripe, some o' that boulted meal.
THE RED CROSS Brownie McGhee
They'll give you a bag of tomatoes, a peck of boulted meal.
THE RED CROSS STORE Pete Harris
They give you a nickel's worth of rice and a dime of that boulted meal.
And mr. mando, it seems like I would not have made the post or the point had I read dingwall's post any time recently, doesn't it, especially when it's so easy for everyone else to check? Examples don't mean much to me until I hear something for myself. I was not going to wade through the whole thread prior to posting something I had just heard and was excited about--shame on me!
All best,
Johnm
I think part of the problem is that the lyrics to the song depict a few different speakers. As I see it, there's no real narrative in the sense of a story to be told (not without painful amounts of interpretation, anyway), but it does describe a situation from GW's unique perspective.
Just one: I'd be careful about the perceived continuity or lack thereof between song lyrics and song titles. What appears on the record label didn't necessarily come from the hand of the singer or lyricist.
Floating lines or verses, and the lack of continuity or sense re: the lyrics have been the topics of many discussions here over the years.
I think the temptation to try and make the lyrics one coherent narrative pass is strong, but in fact, I don't see them as being more than a loose agglomeration of verses taken from here and there. Which is not to say they are any less evocative for that. I'm a big fan of the "all over the place" blues lyric as opposed to the thematic kind which keeps reiterating the title of the song. Sometimes that repetition of the title can seem a little pat, or like product placement in a movie. I think the magic of the song is how good the performance is.
It's unusual to hear so much reported speech in one song but it makes sense.
the 'river' + 'face' verse
the evidence of many gospel songs would support this
Much as I like Ovaltine on a cold winter night, 'malted milk' would be a big stretch in this context.
The 'depot' verse could be the unwitting recent widow going to meet the train bringing her man home from the war, she hadn't got a sad letter from the Department of War but suspected as much and had a plan B to hit the road.
Would you mind posting an example.
I read this thread and found it most interesting, i found the user name "SLACK" quite eerie after reading the L.V. Thomas article.
The last kind words I heard my daddy sayThese are the last words the song's protagonist hears from her lover's lips. They are gloomy and not particularly kind. But that's a clue to the unfolding of the song, because it hints that these were not the last words, but the last kind ones. Hearing farewell from a loved one is cruel and unkind, so this implies he was sent to the war and they parted ways here.
Lord, the last kind words I heard my daddy say
If I die, if I die in the German warOur protagonist's lover isn't asking her specifically to send his body home, but rather, he's expressing a feeling (powerlessness, hopelessness, sorrow).
I want you to send my body, send it to my mother, lord
If I get killed, if I get killed, please don't bury my soulHe further laments, please don't forget me (you can bury my body, but don't bury my soul). The metaphor of the birds of prey tearing him apart adds to the gloom of the imagery.
Cried, just leave me out, let the buzzards eat me whole
When you see me comin', look 'cross the rich man's fieldHere, we are no longer hearing her "daddy"'s words. Our protagonist decided that she will see him off before he's sent to war.
If I don't bring you flour, I'll bring you bolted meal
I went to the depot, I looked up at the sunShe goes to the train station, no trains are coming. She looks up, the sun is already high (mid-day), she will have to walk the distance (remember, her lover is departing, so she can't leave it for the next day).
Christ, some train don't come, gon' be some walkin' done
My mama told me, just before she diedAs she walks what is surely a considerable distance, under the scorching sun, she remembers her deceased mother's advice, not to be "wild" (don't be impulsive, be wise).
Lord, precious daughter, don't you be so wild
The Mississippi river, you know it's deep and wideShe finally arrives. She stands on the river bank and sees her lover on the other side, but it's too late. He's departing.
I can stand right there, see my babe from the other side
What you do to me baby, it never gets outta meShe can't forget the way he makes her feel, her feelings for him ("what you do to me baby, it never gets outta me"). He will be always on her mind (this line also brings me back to the story of Ruth: "where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, but death part thee and me").
I may not see you after, across the deep blue sea
I always thought it was "see my base from the other side", maybe that's far fetched.
New member here: Thank you so much for all this years-long analysis, this has been extremely interesting and enjoyable to read through. Now my turn: I had a realization last night that I haven't seen anyone else posit yet. For the verse:
"The Mississippi River, you know it's deep and wide
I can stand right here, see my face from the other side"
(for those who think it is face, as I do, rather than babe), I had been puzzling over how someone could see their own face from the other side of the river, and suddenly felt sure the line actually refers to looking down into the depth of the river and seeing one's own reflection.