Topic: Daddy Hotcakes Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
George "Daddy Hotcakes" Montgomery was recorded by Samuel Charters in St. Louis in 1961. His recordings can be found at the Smithsonian Folkways website on the CD, "The Blues In St. Louis, Vol. 1, Daddy Hotcakes". Daddy Hotcakes played "Strange Woman Blues" out of E position in standard tuning, as he did most of his repertoire. He seems to have made up most of his song lyrics on the fly, a skill that Charters said he had not encountered previously. His energy, at least vocally, reminds me a bit of Guitar Shorty, John Henry Fortescue, in that he liked to insert spoken commentary into his songs. He sounds like he would have been really entertaining to see in person. Here is "Strange Woman Blues":



INTRO (Spoken: Now look right good--listen, let me tell you somethin'. I ain't gon' do it myself. Gon' let that guitar do it with me. Honey, you got me blue.)

I ain't got no one now, baby, to even call me "Baby" now
I ain't got no one now, baby, to even call me "Baby" now
Well I'm broken down now, baby, none of my friends won't come around

(Spoken: That's all, that's awful. Only reason now, when you've got, when you've got a friend. Now, baby, you got me all down. I got to walk all over town. I ain't got nowhere to lay down--why?--'cause the women have got me down. I know, yeah!)

SOLO (Spoken: Yeah!)

Yes, I met a strange woman, just about half past two
Yes, I met a strange woman, just about half past two
She said, "Now, mister, mister, please tell me what you trying to do." (Spoken: Tryin' to make love, tryin' to make love!)

SOLO (Spoken: Ow! Aa, baby, quit that rough stuff, you make me get enough of, stop it! I used to have the blues but I ain't got 'em now. No, I ain't got the blues, nothin' at all! 'Cause I done pulled my window shade down right, lay it right low! Yeah, right low! I know! Somebody else takin' my place.)

Nothin' but the strange woman blues

CODA

Edited 12/16 to pick up correction from lindy

All best,
Johnm

[lindy]

Minor point, I think in the last spoken part he says

'Cause I done pulled my window shade *down* right,

Lindy

[Johnm]

Thanks for the catch, lindy. You are certainly right and I made the change.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Daddy Hotcakes accompanied himself in Spanish tuning with a slide for his version of "Corrine Corrina". His melody is similar to the one that Furry Lewis used for "Perlee", rather than the one that Bo Carter used for his version of the song. This is the only song on the Daddy Hotcakes recording that he did not accompany in E position in standard tuning. His rendition is also notable for having no spoken commentary. Here is "Corrine Corrina":



INTRO SOLO

Corrine, Corrine, Corrina, Corrine
Why didn't you come home last night?
You come in this mornin' when the stars was shinin' bright

Corrine, Corrine, Corrine, Corrine
(Guitar finishes verse)

Baby, baby, baby, honey, baby, ba-baby
Oh you done your daddy wrong
You come in this mornin' when you have done your daddy wrong

SOLO X 2

Corrine, Corrine, come home, baby-baby, baby-baby
Why don't you come back home?
Haven't had no lovin' since my Corrine been gone

SOLO X 2

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Daddy Hotcakes once again accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for "Don't Sass My Grandmother". This one has some wild spoken spritzing--in the last long spoken bit he carries on a dialogue between himself and an imaginary interlocutor, a la Charlie Patton's version of "Spoonful". I'm not at all sure I have it all right, so if you hear anything differently I'm open to suggestions. Here is "Don't Sass My Grandmother":



INTRO

Whatever you do now, partner, please don't you sassin' my grandmother now
Whatever you do now, partner, please don't you sassin' my grandmother now
Yes, I love my grandmother, partner, I don't want you to insult her now

INTERLUDE (Spoken: How come I don't want you to sass her? That's my grandmother! She raised me from a child, until I got a man. She always taught me right from wrong, so whatever you do, you may come rich or poor, all that have man behavior, and it carry some place for the money well, that's what my grandmama told me, and I love her!

INTERLUDE (Spoken: And if you love your grandma, you be the same thing I got, about you don't want anybody insult your grandmother, no, it'd hurt you! But I'm gonna try to keep 'em in so, I"m gonna do right, okay?

INTERLUDE (Spoken: Where's she at? She's at home! Oh, she at home? Yeah, she's at home. She well? Yeah, she doin' fine. She raised me so I never had no hard time. Got me raised so I can make a living without stealin' or robbin', in particular. Don't be--uh, she told me that, but I got settin' here, do right. What'd you say? I'm gonna tell you on the guitar. (Guitar tells) Yes, I love her.

I don't nobody even insult my grandmother, too

CODA

All best,
Johnm   

[Lignite]

I have never heard another blues artist to perform as similarly to Guitar Shorty (John Henry Fortescue) as Daddy Hotcakes. The spontaneity, free riffing and imaginary dialogs are so uncannily like the tangents that Shorty used to go off on during performance. I must say that Daddy Hotcakes is a bit more restrained and not quite as manic as Shorty could get.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Daddy Hotcakes was once again back in E position in standard tuning for "I've Got A Woman Who's Very Nice To Me". I'm glad to hear that the comparison to Guitar Shorty occurred to you too, Lightnin'. I agree that, at least on the basis of these recordings made by Samuel Charters, Daddy Hotcakes never did any spoken performances as wild as Guitar Shorty's "Your Dress Too Short", which almost seems to venture into Richard Pryor territory. Daddy Hotcakes seems like he may have had a more settled disposition than Shorty. In any event, here is "I've Got A Woman "Who's Very Nice To Me":



INTRO

Yes, I got a woman, and she sure is very nice to me
Yes, I got a woman, and she sure is very nice to me
When she see me out and down now, partner, she'll do her best to try to help poor me

SPOKEN: But man, you know I like my old lady, why? She don't run around, no, she don't run around, no! I ain't gon' run around either. 'Cause I catch her doin' wrong, I'm gonna do wrong. But always take care of your home first. You take care of your home, you got somethin' good, man. But here, let me tell you somethin'. Don't get mad and start to fight, don't fight no woman, don't fight her, don't need to fight her! She'll do right, don't do right, that's gonna get you another 'un! But another 'un that'll come along make a rattle just the same--by a
woman wants another will, try to pay your bills.

Yes, I treat my woman like I do a baby in the cradle
Yes, I treat my woman like I do a baby in the cradle
I'm gon' love her now, baby, just as long as she live in my arms at my home

SPOKEN: Baby, I love you. Baby, yes I love you, honey. I really love you, I don't hate you. Now baby, you keep on I'm gon' teach you right, but I know right from wrong. I don't think you do wrong, and I ain't gon' do wrong myself. But my money--you gon' get it, goin' to my honey.

I don't, no, let no one woman even run me crazy, after a time

All best,
Johnm

[eric]

This guy is great.