Topic: Dan Pickett Lyrics

[fosjet]

Hello board,

Any help with the lyrics for Riding to a Funeral on a V8? This is all i can interpret so far:



A second an accident too
The nexts going to happen aint going to ha[[en to you more

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby don’t you dance no more

Six white horses going to Haul you to your grave
?  ?  Dirt on your grave ?

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby don’t you dance no more

I buy you a buick, you go on down the road
Nothing like rocking on a v8 ford

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby don’t you dance no more

Going hire me a shovel, ?   ?   ? too
Blah be blah.. ?   ?

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby don’t you dance no more


I put in the I’ll tell you the reason why
You run around little little girl and you telling me your lies

Something something little girl

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby won’t you dance no more

Im going downtown … ? ? ?
??

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby won’t you dance no more

Take a ? ?,  and  a rubber ball to role
Take a ? ?  to satisfy my soul

Ride to a funeral, baby on a vee

So baby won’t you dance no more

Regards, FJ

[Blues Vintage]

That's quite a challenge. I did this rather quickly, I'll listen more later.
Mose Allison did this song where I remembered a lot of lines.




INTRO

Straight life policy a sick and accident too
The next thing that’s gon’ to happen is goin’ to happen to me no more
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

Six white horses a-haul you to your grave
I mean they're there so they gon’ drag some dirt in your face, said I’m gon’
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

I buy you a Buick, she good on the road
Ain’t nothing like to ride my own V8 Ford said I’m gon’
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

I'm gonna hire me a chauffeur, I'll get a cook and a maid too
I taken enough insurance goin' to buy me a house and lot too said I'm gon'
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

I put you in the insurance doggone I’ll tell you the reason why
You runnin' 'round little girl and know you telling me really lies but I’m gon’
Run on with you little girl baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know
She want to (scat lines) she want to

Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

I'm goin' downtown, I'll hurry right back
They showed me somethin' over there'd my baby really like but I'm gon'
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

You take a rockin’ chair to rock and a rubber ball to roll
You take a nice lookin teasin’ brown to satisfy my soul said I’m gon’
Ride to 'er funeral, baby on a V
She thinks she wise, say baby, but you just don't know

[Johnm]

I think the first verse begins

   A STRAIGHT LIFE POLICY, sick and accident, too

as per Buddy Moss' song of the same title. I just looked at his lyrics in Weeniepedia and they're very helpful.

[Blues Vintage]

Helpful indeed

[Blues Vintage]

I'll take back my Ralph Willis comment from some time ago. Dan Pickett is the fastest singer I've ever heard.

[banjochris]

A few suggestions:

I'm gonna hire me a chauffeur, I'll get a cook and a maid too,
I taken enough insurance to buy me a house and lot too,


The "she want to" verse is just scat syllables, "bee" mostly


I'm goin' downtown, I'll hurry right back,
They showed me somethin' over there'd my baby really like

[Johnm]

I think in the refrain Dan Pickett is consistently singing:

   Ride to 'er funeral, baby, on a V
   She think she wise,  say baby, but you just don't know

So it's" her funeral" rather than "a funeral"

   

[fosjet]

All very helpful, thank you

Regards, FJ

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Dan Pickett recorded "I Can Shake It" at his single recording session, in Philadelphia on August 23, 1949. He accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning, capoed up for the song. "I Can Shake It" is a chorus blues in which each verse opens with a four-bar lyric break, squeezing in the pick-up lyrics to the chorus at the tail end of the line. As Blues Vintage noted earlier in this thread, Pickett may have been the fastest enunciator in the blues, and some of his lines are really hard to catch. He had an exciting, intense vocal delivery which has always struck me as being influenced by Tommy McClennan. Here is "I Can Shake It":



INTRO (Spoken: I want 'er to go down)

Talking 'bout length, I'm little and I'm slim, the way that I can shake it, you know, it's too bad, Jim, 'cause I can
REFRAIN: Shake it, yeah man, I can shake it, yes the
Way that I can shake it'll make a monkey man leave his home

I'm goin' downtown, I hurry right back, and showin' some lovin', now partner, that my baby really likes, 'cause I can
REFRAIN: Shake it, yeah man, I can shake it, yeah, and I'm 'onna
Monkey man leave his home

Now, my mama, she told me my papa, he told me too, "The way you're shakin' it uh-son, it'll make a fool outa you, so why don't you
REFRAIN: Shake it?" (Spoken: Go on, shake it now, man.) (Sung: Yeah, and I, I'm
Gonna shake it, the monkey man leave his home)

I'm goin' downtown, I shake 'em on down, should that close down on a partner, shake it from town to town, why don't you
REFRAIN: Shake it? Yeah man, I can shake it. Yeah man, the
Way that I can shake it'll make a monkey man leave his home

I get a nickel, from shakin' it on down, I'll get a dime to shake it from town to town, 'cause I can
REFRAIN: Shake it, yeah man, I can shake it. Yes, and I
Don't have to worry now (guitar finishes verse)

I shake it up, I shake it, I shake it down on, partner, from town to town, 'cause I can
REFRAIN: Shake it, yeah man, I can shake it. Yeah, and I
(Guitar), monkey man leave his home

CODA

Edited 1/25/25 to pick up corrections from banjochris

All best,
Johnm 

     
 

[banjochris]

John – I think 2.1 is "I hurry right back" and the "REFRAIN" indicator was misplaced on the last couple of verses.
Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Chris. I originally had "hurried back", changed it to "hurry right back", and changed it back to "hurried back". Re-listening, I agree with you that it is "hurry right back", which also has tense agreement with the beginning of the line. I must have had some kind of vapor lock to misplace the "REFRAIN" indication on the last two verses!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Dan Pickett's "Chicago Blues" is a re-working of a song that Tampa Red performed on "Jim Jackson's Jamboree" some seventeen or eighteen years before Pickett recorded his version of the song. Pickett played his song as a one-chorder in Vestapol, using a slide. I'd very much appreciate help with any portion of the lyrics I'm missing or have wrong. I'm accustomed to the use of "womens" as a plural for "woman"--"menses" as a plural for "man" is new to me. Here is "Chicago Blues":



INTRO

Well I bet you don't know, 'cago, like I do
Yes, I bet you don't know, 'cago, like I do
Yes, the reason I know it, I done rambled it through and through

I tell all you menses [sic], what-a you all do not do
Now, I'll tell you menses, now what-a you all do not do
Don't place your women down here, to Memphis, Jim Jackson may take away from you

He took my woman and he hurted me, to the bone
Lord, he took my woman, he'd a-hurted me, to the bone
Lord, he left me here now to do nothin', honey, but sit and moan

SOLO (humming during solo)

I'm going Down South if I, a-wear out ninety-nine pair of shoes (Spoken: Yes, play it, Mr. Dan!)
Yes, I'm going Down South, I wear out ninety-nine pair of shoes
I won't have to stand on the corner, cryin' these Chicago Blues (Spoken: Yes, play it, Pickett!)

SOLO (Spoken: Well hello again, say here's old Tampa Red out here with that gold guitar. Come out here, boy, let me hear you play that thing some.
Yes!)

Now see here, woman, see what you done done
Lord, you see here, woman, see what you done done
Now, you done got me to love you, mm-honey, now your man done come

CODA

Edited 3/2/25 to pick up corrections from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm



 
 

[Blues Vintage]

3.3 Lord, he left me (down) here -now- to do nothin'

Spoken  Well hello again, -say- here's old Tampa Red

Final line   -and- honey, now your man done come

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Blues Vintage. I agree with the first two corrections you suggested and have made those changes. In the third one, he does not sing the word "and" there, but closes his lips and makes an "mm" sound before "honey" which I have added to the transcription.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Dan Pickett recorded "Something's Gone Wrong" at his session in Philadelphia on August 23, 1949, once again accompanying himself in Vestapol tuning with a slide. His work with the slide was beautifully nuanced, and vocally he was his normal fast-enunciation self. I'd very much appreciate help with anything I'm missing or have wrong. Here is "Something's Gone Wrong":



INTRO

When I woke up this morn, somethin' other's goin' on wrong
I-hi woke up this morning, hoo-well, man, know somethin' was goin' on wrong
Yes, I lookin' for my woman, hoo-well, boy, she had already done left home

Gwine uptown in the morning, call up the Frigidaire
Gwine uptown early in the morning, man, I'm gonna call up the Frigidaire
Ah-ha, that's the reason why, hoo-well, boy, to keep your iceboys away from here

I'm gonna start walkin' in the morning, gwine on the edge of town
Start walkin' in the morning, hoo-well, man, gwine out on the edge of town
That's the reason why, hoo-well, boys, I don't want the icemens hangin' around

Now I'm goin' down to the grocery stores, order my own groceries myself
Gwine down to the grocery store, hoo-well, boy, order my own groceries my own self
Now, you know that's the reason why, hoo-well, boy, to keep these grocerboys away from here

Bye-bye, Rowland, mister, farewell to the state of Tennessee
Bye-bye, Rowland, mister, farewell to the state of Tennessee
If I don't come home on that old milk train, hoo-well, child, that'll be the only fare I see

CODA

Edited 3/5/25 to pick up correction from David Kaatz
Edited 3/6/25 to pick up correction from Johnm

All best,
Johnm