Topic: Blind Willie Davis Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Willie Davis recorded "Rock of Ages" at a session for Paramount in Chicago arund May of 1928. accompanying himself out of Vestapol tuning with a slide. He recorded a total of six titles for Paramount between January of 1928 and October of 1929, with all of them being religious songs. I don't know if anything is known about him in the biographical sense. I have never heard "Rock of Ages" done before with the melody he gave it. His playing of the song had tremendous drive, and he used his slide to play the first two strings simultaneously. Despite the song's title, he sang it as "Rocks of Ages" from beginning to end. Here is "Rock of Ages":



INTRO
My lovin' mother, when the world's on fire,
Don't you want God's bosom, to be your pillow?
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

My lovin' sister, when the world's on fire,
Don't you want God's bosom, to be your pillow?
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

Oh rocks of ages, oh rocks of ages
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

My lovin' brother, when the world's on fire
Don't you want God's bosom, to be your pillow?
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

Rocks of ages, oh rocks of ages
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

SOLO

My lovin' elder, when the world's on fire,
Don't you want God's bosom, to be your pillow?
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

Rocks of ages, oh rocks of ages
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

My lovin' mourner, when the world's on fire,
Don't you want God's bosom, to be your pillow?
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

Oh rocks of ages, oh rocks of ages
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages
Rocks of ages, cleft for me

SOLO

Edited 3/3 to pick up correction from Old Man Ned

All best,
Johnm







   

[Old Man Ned]

Hi John,
In the penultimate verse I think the lyrics are missing the line:
REFRAIN: Oh hide me over, in the rocks of ages

All the Best,
Ned

[Johnm]

Right you are, Old Man Ned, thanks for the catch! I will make that change.

[Lignite]

It looks like this tune got taken up by several rural hillbilly acts in the 1930s. The Carter Family recorded an interesting version in 1930 as When The World's on Fire with Maybelle playing steel guitar and A.P. performing the lead vocals. Charlie Monroe's Boys followed up in 1938 with When The World's On Fire pt.2 on the Bluebird label. It is pretty obvious that Woody Guthrie borrowed from the Carter Family's melody on this tune for his composition of This Land Is Your Land.

https://youtu.be/qxo-zayI6tE?si=Lxq5I7MdPUOR5YNY

[Johnm]

Thanks for pointing out those similarities, Lightnin'. It's hard to know at this point how widespread the melody that Willie Davis used for the song was, but the Carter Family's version certainly used the same melody as his, except for the end of the first line. Interesting, too, the way they put one of their "dwells" in the last line of the refrain, around "cleft". It's always neat to hear these cross-overs between traditions.

[Stuart]

Thank you John, Lightnin' and Ned. Weenie Campbell is always an educational experience.

I was curious and found that the song (or a similar song) was published in 1916. The title used was, "Hide Me Over In The Rock of Ages."

https://hymnary.org/hymn/NJM1916/62

There's a MIDI file based on the score that sounds similar to the melody Blind Willie Davis played.

https://hymnary.org/tune/o_my_loving_sister_when_the_worlds_on

Of course, there's more to follow up on, but my guess is that the song was in circulation. I don't know whether or not it was recorded earlier than the Blind Willie Davis recording.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Willie Davis once again accompanied himself with a slide in Vestapol tuning for "Trust In God And Do The Right", recorded around October of 1929 in Grafton for Paramount. He achieved a distinctive rhythmic emphasis in his performance by hitting the melody notes with his slide on beats one and three and answering with big thumb brush strokes on beats two and four, for the most part. He very slightly altered the lyrics of his last two choruses. Here is "Trust In God And Do The Right":



REFRAIN: Trust in God and do the right, trust in God and do the right
If you want to go to heaven when you die, trust in God and do the right

SOLO

How, my brother, do you want to go to heaven when you die?
How? Trust in God, in day, well as night
Don't think He has forsaken you
Trust in God and do the right

REFRAIN: Trust in God and do the right, trust in God and do the right
If you want to go to heaven when you die, trust in God and do the right

SOLO

I stood by the bedside, mm, I saw my mother die
It hurt me to my heart, when she said goodbye
Now I'm going to leave you, in the hands of the Lord
Trust in God and do the right

REFRAIN: Trust in God and do the (guitar), trust in God and do the right
If you want to go to heaven when you die, trust in God and do the right

SOLO

How soon I must leave you, in the hands of the Lord
How is your soul converted and be ready for that day
So when Jesus comes, you can say your work is done
Trust in God and do the right

REFRAIN: Trust in God and do the right, trust in God and do the right
If you expect to go to heaven when you die, trust in God and do the right

SOLO

REFRAIN: Trust in God and do the right, trust in God and do the right
If you expect to go to heaven when you die, trust in God and do the right

SOLO X 2

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Willie Davis recorded "When The Saints Go Marching In" at a session in Chicago around January of 1928. It's a riveting performance of that oft-recorded number. He accompanied himself in Vestapol, as on his other recorded performances. I'd very much appreciate help with the bent bracketed phrases. Here is "When The Saints Go Marching In":



INTRO

REFRAIN: When the saints, go marching in, oh when the
Saints go marching in, Good Lord I
Want to be one in that number, oh when the
Saints go marching in

Oh we go down, to the Jordan stream
Oh we go down to the Jordan stream, Lord I
Wants to be one in that number, oh we go
Down to the Jordan stream

REFRAIN: When the saints, marching in, when the
Saints go marching in, Lord I
Want to be, one in that number, oh when the
Saints go marching in

SOLO

When they crown, him lords of all
When they crown him lords of all, Lord I
Want to be, one in that number, oh when they
Crown him lords of all

REFRAIN: Oh when the saints, go marching in, when the
Saints go marching in, Lord I
Want to be one in that number, oh when the
Saints go marching in

SOLO

Edited 3/8 to pick up correction from banjochris

All best,
Johnm





 

[banjochris]

Sounds like he's singing "Lords" – not sure why the plural there.

[Johnm]

I does sound like "Lords", Chris--it also sounds a bit like "lost" which makes no sense at all. I will make that change, thanks.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Willie Davis recorded "Your Enemy Cannot Harm You", accompanying himself in Vestapol tuning with a slide, at a session in Chicago in December of 1928. I was having a very difficult time hearing the lyrics to his verses until it occurred to me to check Rev. Edward Clayborn's version of the same song, recorded in 1926. It turns out that Blind Willie Davis's version of the song tracks Clayborn's pretty closely. There are still a couple of places I'm unsure of, so I'd very much appreciate help with the bent bracketed places and any other place you think I have wrong. Here is "Your Enemy Cannot Harm You":



INTRO SOLO

REFRAIN: Your close friends, your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm you, you better watch your close friends

SOLO

When the soldiers was after Jesus, they could not get to him
They made a plot with Judas, whom Christ took for his friend

REFRAIN: Your close friends, your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm you, you better watch your close friends

SOLO

They planned to give a little money, until they got a little start
Judas didn't bring his soldiers in the light, now they wait until it got dark

REFRAIN: Your close (guitar), your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm, you better watch your close friends

SOLO

As the wine was on His table, told the boys to, "Watch and see,
That the hand betrays your Master, now sops in the dish with Me."

REFRAIN: Your close friends, your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm you, you better watch your close friends

SOLO

Judas was Christ's enemy, he let those soldiers in
When they had reached the garden, Christ still called Judas his friend

REFRAIN: Your close friends, your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm you, you better watch your close friends

SOLO

People, I just want to tell you, just how your friends will do
They will wait and get your secrets, they'll dig a pit for you

REFRAIN: Your close friends, your close friends
Your enemies cannot harm you, you better watch your close friends

CODA

Edited 1/21 to pick up corrections from banjochris, Blues Vintage and Johnm

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

That part about the table is very hard to hear – it might start with Master (and of course it's different than Clayborn's version). For the other one I would suggest:

They planned to give a little money, AND SO THEY GOT A LITTLE START
(Clayborn has "for the garden they made a start")

[Blues Vintage]

Very hard to hear, hope this helps a bit,


Maybe the double "you" is not there in the 2nd line for the refrain.

Your enemies cannot harm you, better watch your close friends


4.1 {until they got a little sign} ?

4.2 (so they) -and- wait until it got dark

6.2 -Heard the words from ? table-

10.2 (they'll) -and- dig a pit for you

[Johnm]

Thanks Chris and Blues Vintage, I took some of each of your suggestions and made some additional edits of my own. I sure like this track, but it is really hard to hear!