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Country Blues => Country Blues Lyrics => Topic started by: chickenlegs on November 14, 2017, 08:43:13 AM
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Hey to all,
I've been listening to and attempting to play "pony blues" for a long time. And while the lyrics seem to be some of Patton's easiest to understand (other than the minutia), l have always struggled relating the first part of the opening repeated phrase to various transcriptions.
https://youtu.be/zoKKJjf-oQA
The two most common interpretations "hitch up my pony", and "baby, saddle my pony", I could never really hear. And they're not the right amount of syllables.
A few days ago while listening casually I heard what sounded like "need to shed my pony" (pronounced "nee-ta"). A wow! moment for me. When listening again a few times, I could clearly hear it (especially in the repeated phrase).
This seems to fit both aurally and contextually (I never got why he wanted to saddle both his pony and his black mare in the most often used transcription). If he is indeed saying "need to shed my pony", it's hard to know whether he meant? put his pony in the shed, or shed as in, get rid of it. The latter makes for an interesting interpretation of the third verse.
"Got a brand new Shetland, man already trained
Brand new Shetland, baby already trained
Just get in the saddle, tighten up on your reins"
Is he just bragging about his new pony, or is he trying to sell it?
I guess It's all open to interpretation. Just wanted put it out here and see what others think.
P.S. A quick search on weenie found no lyrics for this.
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After listening to the last Yazoo re-mastering many times, I am 99% sure that Patton sings
It is catch my pony, saddle up my black mare
both times in the first stanza. Seems weird, but I think it's along the same line as something like "And it's T for Texas, T for Tennesee," or Sleepy John's "Now..." before many lines.
Chris
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After listening again repeatedly, I still couldn't hear "it is catch". The first two syllables could be "it is" (or almost anything else), but I just don't hear "catch" at all. For that word I hear a "sh"(?) followed by an "eh" sound followed by a "d" or possibly a "t" sound. It's hard to be sure. It could maybe be "it is get my pony" or "need to get my pony", but I'm 99% sure it's not "catch". So one of us is wrong by a long shot (and it very well could be me). But we can never know for sure.
Thanks for your input banjochris.
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chickenlegs,
After you first proposed "need to shed my pony" I started hearing that. Then, after Chris suggested it might be "it is catch my pony" I started hearing that as well. Now upon close listening I can hear "it is catch my pony" the first time he sings the phrase and "it is shed my pony" the second time he sings it. Perhaps my brain/ears are just trying to be conciliatory.
Lew
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How about "It is tend my pony"? :)
Cheers
Pan
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Hey TenBrook,
Yeah, the power of suggestion is a funny thing. I almost thought I heard "it is catch" after it was suggested. But when I listened again I couldn't hear it. I just don't hear a "ch" sound at the end.
That's why "need to shed" struck me so, because I wasn't trying to hear it, it just jumped out at me.
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How about "It is tend my pony"? :)
It could be that, or maybe "need to tend my pony". Either would fit. Thanks Pan
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In 1941 Son House sung "why don't you catch my pony" which may have an influence on how we hear it.
Following this thread, I can hear Patton singing "Catch" and "shed" depending on what I'm listening for. Very hard to say which it is.
However, unless the US usage of "pony" is different from that in the UK, shed seems to make more sense, despite Son's use of "Catch". A pony is a smaller lesser animal than a "black mare" as I understand it. Is it possible that saddle my black mare is innuendo?
Charley is perhaps saying- "put my pony away, I need a proper horse for the travelling I'm going to do;( i.e. the black mare)"
'Catch my pony and saddle my black mare' makes less sense. Unless the pony is a pack animal who will follow Charley and the Mare?
My ears say that "Shed my Pony" is what Charley is singing- and its a bit of a revelation. How is it so many people (me included) sing "Hitch up my pony"? Before going back to listen after this thread, I'd have sworn that was the line, but it quite clearly is not- on any analysis.
I think I have expressed my bemusement at the Shetland pony verse previously. Perhaps its a usage thing, but a Shetland Pony is about 3 feet tall and no good for travelling anywhere!
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For what it's worth, I think "shed" is ridiculous.
He's catching the pony because he's going on a trip to find his rider. Saddling up the black mare for emphasis. Nothing stopping them being the same animal, he could be using "pony" figuratively. It's not a verse about tending a horse.
I hear catch both times, he's not really enunciating the "ch" at the end. The second pass is slightly obscured by surface noise. It might be something else possibly, but it ain't "shed."
Chris
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Yeah Norfolk, I used to sing "hitch up" also. And then tried "baby saddle" after I saw it somewhere. But I could never get the phrasing right on either.
In 1941 Son House sung "why don't you catch my pony" which may have an influence on how we hear it.
This makes good sense to me. I remember reading more than once where researchers were asking people who knew or had heard Patton, about his music. They responded (paraphrased), "yeah, he sang, hitch up my pony", or "he played, hitch up my buggy". It could've been passed around like that also, both then and now.
It seems nobody knew exactly what Charlie was singing and had their own take on it, or maybe he sang it differently each time he performed it.
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Hi all,
I agree with Chris that "shed" would really be non-idiomatic, either for putting the pony in the shed or selling it. It makes no sense in either usage based on how people talk and talked where Charlie was from. I've never heard someone use the word shed in either of the proposed contexts.
All best,
Johnm
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"For what it's worth, I think "shed" is ridiculous."
And I think catch doesn't work very well.
"Nothing stopping them being the same animal, he could be using "pony" figuratively."
I think there's an obvious distinction, and there probably was then also.
"It might be something else possibly, but it ain't "shed.""
Are you more than 99% sure?
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I agree with Chris that "shed" would really be non-idiomatic, either for putting the pony in the shed or selling it. It makes no sense in either usage based on how people talk and talked where Charlie was from. I've never heard someone use the word shed in either of the proposed contexts.
I haven't heard it before either, but that's what it sounds like to me.
I don't really know how people spoke in that time and place. And while I agree the idiom is unique, I think Charlie was a pretty unique character.
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Hi all,
I'm pretty clearly hearing Charlie Patton sing,
You just catch my pony, saddle up my black mare
in both of the first two lines of "Pony Blues". The hard "c" sound in "catch" is quite clear, as is the rest of the word in the first iteration of the line.
All best,
Johnm
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I listened to this a few times last night and I heard something. Didn't have time to post. Listened to it again now. The "ch" sound is at the beginning of the word, like "shed" but harder. I like "It is" a lot, because it is so bereft of meaning, but theres probably 20 things he could be saying that would sound like that.
I hear: "It is chain my pony"
Wax
{Edit} "It is" could also be full of meaning, I am, after all, an existentialist. I like "Y' jes" too, Johnm, it has the little tongue stop and gives it more meaning.
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Actually, Googling I found that a horse chain or halter chain is a short piece of chain attached to the halter so that, when leading a "spirited" horse the chain lends a little more "feel" to a tug on the halter. This led me to another lead in phrase. How about "heed this" elided?
"Hee'dis chain my pony"
I think Charley's could be saying the pony's a little too frisky today, maybe he'll ride the mare. But he's gotta ride something. Could fit any euphemism you want?
Wax
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I can absolutely hear "Y jess.." as the start of the line now its been pointed out. I think that's spot on, and it dovetails well with what House sung later on.
I really don't hear the soft "ch" at the end of catch though. Of course, Charley's diction was all over the place, so that doesn't mean that's not what he's singing and people with better ears than mine plainly hear it that way.
John and Chris's comments about the the likelihood of the phrase "shed my pony" are important context which, not being from the US, I don't have. If it is really an outlandish suggestion that Charley would have used such a phrase, then that is pretty firmly persuasive against it.
The juxtaposition of a pony and a black mare seems to me to suggest two different animals. I agree that the use of 'pony' could be figurative though and it would not make lyrical or musical sense to have sung "catch my black mare, saddle up my black mare" so there is a clear alternative reason for using 2 different words for the same animal... Again some US context is helpful from my perspective; is that sort of figurative use something that rings true?
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"Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare".
Simple.Makes sense too.
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"Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare".
Simple.Makes sense too.
Exactly. Why complicate matters? Also sing what you like if you do that song - that's how the tradition moves forward and performers back in the day did so, and didn't get criticised for it. Different versions of the same piece often feature slightly different words and chord progressions.
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"Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare".
Simple.Makes sense too.
Exactly. Why complicate matters? Also sing what you like if you do that song - that's how the tradition moves forward and performers back in the day did so, and didn't get criticised for it. Different versions of the same piece often feature slightly different words and chord progressions.
It's not about what to sing for me, it's about what Patton sang. And to my ear, it wasn't "hitch up", and it wasn't "catch" either.
But you're right, performers change words all the time, and I'm fine with that.
Also, transcribers shouldn't change words. Or make them up, if they don't know them.
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"Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare".
Simple.Makes sense too.
Hi Lyndvs,
The sound is wrong though. There are two syllables prior to the verb at the front end of the line.
All best,
Johnm
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I hear: "It is chain my pony"
I could buy this. Or "nee-tuh chain my pony".
I'm hearing an "uh" or "iss" or "jus" sound for the second syllable, depending on what I'm listening for.
This uh, iss jus' too unclear.
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I hear: "It is chain my pony"
I could buy this. Or "nee-tuh chain my pony".
I'm hearing an "uh" or "iss" or "jus" sound for the second syllable, depending on what I'm listening for.
This uh, iss jus' too unclear.
Yeah, there was a point when I was thinking "'Nita, chain my pony" as in short for Anita, but I couldn't make sense. "Need to chain my Pony" makes a lot of sense. Just listened about 10 times. I like that a lot.
Wax
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My hearing is shot, but I'm hearing "need to," as Charley pronounced it, followed by "get" (or perhaps "catch" as other hear). Pony could be used as a generic term for horse, which is attested. "Going to the race track to see my pony run," etc.
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The juxtaposition of a pony and a black mare seems to me to suggest two different animals. I agree that the use of 'pony' could be figurative though and it would not make lyrical or musical sense to have sung "catch my black mare, saddle up my black mare" so there is a clear alternative reason for using 2 different words for the same animal... Again some US context is helpful from my perspective; is that sort of figurative use something that rings true?
I think that the lyrics of "stone pony blues" make the distinction very clear. He also distinguishes between the Shetland and Stone ponies.
Since I couldn't find them on weenie, I'm posting them here.
Note: I found these on line and changed some things that were obvious to me. The words followed by (?) are ones I'm unsure of, with an alternative word.
"Stone Pony Blues"
I got me a stone pony and I don't ride Shetland no more
I got me a stone pony don't ride Shetland no more
You can find my stone pony hooked to my rider's door
Vicksburg's my pony Greenville is my grey(great?) mare
Vicksburg my pony Greenville lordy my grey(great?) mare
You can find my stone pony down in Lula town somewhere
And I got me a stone pony don't ride Shetland no more
Got a stone pony don't ride Shetland no more
And I can't feel(be?) welcome rider nowhere I go
Vicksburg's on a high hill and Natchez just below
Vicksburg on a high hill, Natchez just below
And I can't feel(be?) welcome rider nowhere I go
Well I didn't come here steal nobody's brown
Didn't come here steal nobody's brown
I just stopped by here well to keep you from stealing mine
Hello Central the matter with your line
Hello Central matter now with your line
Come a storm at(last?) night and tore the wires down
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I think that the lyrics of "stone pony blues" make the distinction very clear. He also distinguishes between the Shetland and Stone ponies.
True enough, but so what? They are different songs. And they are songs, not tightly written expositions where consistency and continuity are of the utmost importance.
However, as common means of conveyance, a black mare is faster than a pony--and perhaps one can ride farther--, which brings us back to "shed," which has been dismissed, or "chain." The sense could be "not take my pony" (put him in the shed or chain him up), because I'm riding my faster black mare.
Of course, this may be way off the mark and completely wrong, but I'm never one to pass up the chance to pontificate from on high. ;)
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I think that the lyrics of "stone pony blues" make the distinction very clear. He also distinguishes between the Shetland and Stone ponies.
True enough, but so what? They are different songs. And they are songs, not tightly written expositions where consistency and continuity are of the utmost importance.
I think you're absolutly right about this.
I was just perusing Son House's version of pony online, and he obviously made no distinction. He interchanges pony and horse throughout the song, making it an incoherent read.
And wasn't it Son that said that Charlie's songs didn't make sense.
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Yeah, this stuff can drive one crazy, if we let it. And it ain't a long trip, as the old joke goes. Trying to suss out what Charley actually sang and meant is a challenge, to be sure. Around here we do our best to serve and preserve the integrity of the original songs, but Lord knows it's far from easy.
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Hi all,
I'm pretty clearly hearing Charlie Patton sing,
You just catch my pony, saddle up my black mare
in both of the first two lines of "Pony Blues". The hard "c" sound in "catch" is quite clear, as is the rest of the word in the first iteration of the line.
For me, the "t" of "it" before the second word and the "s" in "is" really jumps out at me. I will say that I had never heard it that way until I heard the remastering on the Yazoo "Best of Charlie Patton" release -- it really brings out more of Patton's singing and playing than any other version I have heard, and I have the original Yazoo, the Revenant and the Document. In particular I don't hear the "j" of just in there.
This may shape up to be as bad as the "world unknown" thread! :)
Chris
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This may shape up to be as bad as the "world unknown" thread! :)
Chris
Or as interesting and challenging, depending on your POV. I don't have the Yazoo "Best Of...," so you are probably listening to a better recording/remastering than I am. Andrew Rose at Pristine Classical remastered some of Charley's songs including "Pony."
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pabl006
Now all we need is Nick Bergh to take on Charley's 78s as a project.
If it turns out to be "It is...," then so be it. I like Wax's insight--It leads to a great title for a CD: "Charley Patton: Existentialist." (With "Jean Paul Sartre ain't got nothin' on me," as the subtitle.)
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Not to muddy the waters but while trying to find more information on the usage of the word 'shed' I found the below, which is a bit off topic but does have this:
"This is the rebirth of a favorite old Americanism. H.L. Mencken traced the verb 'to horseshed' to Kansas, and defined it as 'to wheedle, cajole'; in his Dictionary of Americanisms, Mitford Mathews cited a use by James Fenimore Cooper in his novel, 'The Redskins': 'Your regular 'horse shedder' is employed to frequent taverns where jurors stay, and drop hints before them touching the merits of causes known to be on the calendars.' In the days of circuit-riding judges, those who sought special favors did their work before the judge entered the courtroom - out in the horse shed, a synonym for 'stable.'"
That led me to try to suss out how common the use of the word 'shed' in place of 'stable' was but of course a google search for 'horse shed' brings up mostly, well, pages offering sheds for sale to keep your horse in.
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/13/magazine/on-language-by-william-safire-woodshed-blues-kimble-mead.html?pagewanted=all (http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/13/magazine/on-language-by-william-safire-woodshed-blues-kimble-mead.html?pagewanted=all)
I also stumbled on this intriquingly titled article which unfortunately costs $ to read:
?The Matter with Your Line?: Gender, Sexual, and Racial Politics in Charley Patton's ?Pony Blues?
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jacc.12288/abstract (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jacc.12288/abstract)
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Thanks for the link to Tim Ryan's article, Lew. I'll try to read it the next time I'm at the UW.
As for "shed," if Charley actually sang "shed my pony...," this might be another example of a noun functioning as a verb (word class vs. word function). "Chain" is another example, and we've all heard of a car being "garaged." It's how the meanings and usages of words evolve and expand.
Since language is spoken (speech) and writing is an external representation and record of speech, naturally what is written is not a complete and accurate record of all that was spoken and/or sung. While what survives in writing provides us with a lot of useful info, it's best to remember its limitations and look at it with both eyes open.
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You're very welcome Stuart. I just scanned the article (searching for 'shed' first, with no hits) and it seems the author is approaching the song from the perspective of the opening lines being ?Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare? which in his interpretation means that the singer is hitching his pony to his mare to go out and find a rider for the pony which he then notes is likely being used as a euphemism for a companion. I hadn?t thought of that interpretation before and though I think we all agree ?hitch up? likely isn't what Charley's singing, it does open up a new perspective (to me at least) of taking the pony with him to find a rider.
My interpretation, if the line was something like ?It is shed my pony, saddle up my black mare? or ?It is chain my pony, saddle up my black mare?, is that the song is about the singer putting aside one companion and switching to another as I assumed pony and mare were both euphemisms.
I looked up pony in my copy of the ?The Pocket Dictionary of American Slang? published in 1960 and it states: pony, n. 1. A literal translation of a foreign language text, employed without the teacher?s knowledge. Used at least as early as 1827. Very common -> 2. Any unethical aid, list of answers etc., used by a student in a test. -> 3. Any physical or mental aid, such as a crutch, reference book, hearing aid, or list of telephone numbers. 4. A small glass for liquor or apertifs, often bellshaped so that the contents can be more easily held, sniffed, and admired. Since c1850. 5. A small glass of beer; the glass itself. Since c1885; colloq. 6. A horse. 7. A chorus girl, burlesque dancer, etc.; esp. a small, attractive chorus girl. Orig. theater use. From the prancing movements of such dancers.
It?s that last definition that I had imagined Charley was using, though a more generalized version, i.e. a small, attractive woman. But, of course, as others have pointed out, that?s only my interpretation and knowing what Charley meant and indeed what he actually sang, is another matter. I found the other definitions interesting. I?m sure most of us wish we had a ?pony? when interpreting Charley?s diction and meaning.
I hope I haven't belabored the point, and must give thanks to chickenlegs and all the rest for giving my wandering mind something to focus on for a bit.
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I hope I haven't belabored the point, and must give thanks to chickenlegs and all the rest for giving my wandering mind something to focus on for a bit.
You're welcome TenBrook, and thanks to you for your extensive research (interesting stuff).
My own search of idioms, slang, and catch-phrases related to "shed" didn't turn up anything that was on topic.
But I did learn through your research and a search of definitions and usages of "shed", that it has been in use (as a verb) in various forms for a long time.
It is ubiquitous in the bible, in as "to shed blood" and "to shed tears" (man, it's been a long time since I've read biblical verses). But nothing in the specific sense of "to cast off; get rid of", which is what I was hoping to find.
Thanks again to you, and to all, for your input and feedback. Even if we haven't "shed" any light on the matter, as related to Patton's lyric.
P.S. Edited three times for clarity and grammar, due to my lack of texting skills and my neurosis.
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There are obviously limits on how accurately you can tease the words out of records as beat up as Pony Blues, so I think there?s some merit in considering how it was covered by those who would have heard the song straight from the horse?s mouth, if you?ll pardon the pun.
Big Joe Williams sang Pony Blues on his Classic Delta Blues record, and verses one and three give us:
?Catch my pony, saddle up my black mare?
?Yeah catch my pony, saddle up my black mare?
?Well, hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare?
?Yeah catch my pony, saddle up my black mare?
Hayes McMullen?s Hitch Up My Pony has:
?Hitch up my pony, saddle up my black mare?
Howling Wolf?s Saddle Up my Pony has the following in the first and last verses:
?Grab(?) my pony, saddle up my brown mare?
?Hook up my pony, saddle up my brown mare?
Son House?s LoC versions have:
?Why don?t you catch my pony / Shetland, and saddle up my black mare?
Honeyboy Edwards, on Mississippi Delta Bluesman and I?ve Been Around, has:
?Will you hitch my buggy, saddle up my grey mare?
Johnny Shines, on Hey Ba Ba Re Bop, Live 1970 and Traditional Delta Blues, goes his own way with:
?Get my pistol, saddle up my black mare?
So, ?hitch? and ?catch? making most of the running and it?s possible of course that Patton sang many variants in performance. For my money, I think Patton sings ?You just catch? on the record, but it could be lots of things.
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Hey Longsands,
I had mentioned in an earlier post that his contemporaries seemed to have their own take on what Patton sang. I also implied and agree that he could've sung it differently other times he performed it.
However, since Patton was the first to sing it (as far as we know), it would be nice to know exactly what he sings on his one immortalized performance of it. Since all we can do is take an educated guess at what Patton sang, in the end you are right.
Others' versions of "pony" are the only other information we have, so we should accept them as strong evidence for "hitch" or "catch".
While I don't happen to hear either one, I'm okay with not knowing for sure. After all, this has been at question in my mind for a long time. For me this is just an intriguing curiosity.
BTW, nice work digging up all of those lyrics for "pony".
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Of course I was wrong when I said above that Patton was the first to sing those lines. Tommy Johnson recorded "black mare blues" earlier, in 1928 I believe (are there earlier recordings of them?).
Johnson sang basically identical verses in two takes of "black mare".
"Hitch up my buggy, saddle up my black mare, saddle my black mare"
"Hitch up my buggy, saddle up my black mare"
"Find my woman, know she's out in the world somewhere"
Though the point can be argued as to whom got the lyrics from whom.
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Oh yeah (wow! my mind is slipping), BLJ recorded "black horse blues" before Johnson in 1926.
The title verse, the third in the song is;
"Go and get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare"
"Go get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare"
"I'm goin' off to my good gal, she's in the world somewhere"
Are there any others?
Now I'm thinking maybe Patton got it from Lemon and sings "get". Man, I gotta go play.
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I hear: "Need to stirrup my pony, saddle up my black mare."
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I hear: "Need to stirrup my pony, saddle up my black mare."
Hey big joe weems,
I suppose you could be right if Patton sings "stirrup" as "stir'p", since it sounds as a one syllable word. But I don't really hear a "p" sound at the end.
After some objective thought, I'm thinking that "need to get" or "need to catch" make the most sense. This would fit with the third verse as; describing the attributes of his Shetland, which he needs to "get" or "catch", with Shetland in the third verse, and pony in the first verse both being metaphors for the same lover. The problem arises while listening. I don't hear either word, and the preceding two syllables (need to?) could be almost anything.
After all of this, I'm resigned to the fact that this is probably unresolvable.
Thanks for your input.
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Since language is spoken (speech) and writing is an external representation and record of speech, naturally what is written is not a complete and accurate record of all that was spoken and/or sung. While what survives in writing provides us with a lot of useful info, it's best to remember its limitations and look at it with both eyes open.
Well said Stuart, and right on.
I've always thought of music notation and theory in this way too. As coming after the fact, to document and explain the what and why of what has already been played and/or sung.
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Hi all,
For what it is worth, I listened the day before yesterday, and despite being pretty well convinced at that point that "You just catch my pony, saddle up my black mare" was the line as Charlie Patton sang it, I heard "It is, catch my pony, saddle up my black mare" clearly, for both renderings of the first line of that verse, which is as Chris had it early on. I hear no "n" sound at the front end of the first syllable, which "need" requires, no long e sound, which "need" requires, a soft s sound at the end of the second syllable, which "to" doesn't have, etc. We're definitely moving into the territory as per Mark Twain's description of Henry James' writing: "He chewed more than he bit off."
All best,
Johnm
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As I said before, I think the first two syllables could be a dozen different things. Charley just doesn't vocalize anything fully there. But I can't figure how anyone can hear "catch" for the 3rd syllable. It doesn't start with the hard attack of a "k" sound and it clearly doesn't end in a "ch" sound. Even those who promote it state the "ch" is left off, but I don't hear a "t" sound either, so all I hear that might be part of "catch" is the flat "a" sound, very de-emphasized. I'm listening with headphones or with earbuds pressed in, dozens of times, never slowing it down, over the last few days, to the Yazoo "Best of", the Revenant, and the one from the 2nd Blues Images calendar. (All of which sound surprisingly similar, which makes me worry that iTunes Match has replaced them all with the same remastering, but whatever, the vocal sounds relatively clear in all.) To me the beginning has the softer fricative attack of a "ch". Charley's accent, because he vocalizes from the throat, makes a long "A" sound more like a flat short "a" or even short "e". The "n" at the end seems clear to me also, eliding nicely into "my". So I here something like "chen my pony" and try as I might, can't hear anything else recommended. It is suggested by those who hear "tend" but again, no hard "t" at the beginning.
I agree that the first two words are nigh impossible, but it ain't "catch", even if that was what every other singer who covered the song sang. Charley has demonstrated in many songs that when it came to lyrics, he was his own man and would often change standard lyrics slightly to suit his personalization of the song.
Wax
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So I here something like "chen my pony" and try as I might, can't hear anything else recommended.
Yeah! "jes kit chen my pony", you know? as in; put 'em in the kitchen.
Just some levity.
But in all seriousness, I with you Wax, I don't hear "catch" either.
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I took time time off and then listened to the Revenant and Best of tracks several times on the computer, but with decent headphones. I'm leaning towards "It is..." or "It's just..."--or maybe a drawn out "It's"-- (as Charley pronounced it) for the first two syllables. Then followed by something that sounds like "catch" in the first line and "get" in the second line. But I have to agree with Wax about this one and might add that even a pristine, unplayed 78 might not help, or even being there to hear Charley sing into the microphone as per Son House's recollections about the difficulty of understanding Charley. Maybe some things he sang really were incomprehensible to the listener and not just a function of the recordings.
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But I can't figure how anyone can hear "catch" for the 3rd syllable. It doesn't start with the hard attack of a "k" sound and it clearly doesn't end in a "ch" sound. Even those who promote it state the "ch" is left off, but I don't hear a "t" sound either, so all I hear that might be part of "catch" is the flat "a" sound, very de-emphasized.
Wax
I can hear the hard "c" and the "ch" both quite clearly in the first line, and the "c" clearly with the "ch" a bit swallowed but still there in the second line.
Chris
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https://youtu.be/zoKKJjf-oQA
To my hearing aid assisted ears his opening words are ?Better take my pony, saddle up my black mare?. The rest of the song sounds to me as though he?s singing in Albanian, Finnish or Hungarian!
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Hey Folks -- Thanks for using your ears and minds to tackle this mystifying phrase. I have two points to add:
1. "Shed" certainly can mean to rid oneself of something. E.g., shed one's clothes, shed one's inhibitions. Maybe that meaning comes from the idea of putting something into a shed to get rid of it, which would make it even more likely that someone with an agricultural background would use it.
2. It might be significant that "shed" sounds like "Shet," the first syllable of Shetland, which is a word Patton uses often before "pony." In this song, though, we all seem to agree that the syllable after "shed" (or whatever) is the word "my." But could it be something different, and he is talking again about his Shetland pony?
Thanks. Cheers, Chezz
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""Shed" certainly can mean to rid oneself of something. E.g., shed one's clothes, shed one's inhibitions."
"though, we all seem to agree that the syllable after "shed" (or whatever) is the word "my." But could it be something different, and he is talking again about his Shetland pony?"
Hey Chezztone,
While I can appreciate that you're thinking outside of the box, the fourth syllable has never been at question. I feel certain that it is "my" as a complete word. So I'm limiting my query to the first three syllables, but if you come up with something that fits, I would like to hear it.
As to "shed" being the word of the third syllable. I've never been definite about it, it's just what I hear. While I think it's a possibility, and could make sense, some others think it's totally implausible as there appears to be no other instances of it's use within the country blues genre. I'm inclined to agree that it's unlikely the word, so it's still an open question to me. And yes, it is mystifying. Thanks for your input.
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To my hearing aid assisted ears his opening words are ?Better take my pony, saddle up my black mare?.
I'd been assuming that this three syllable unknown part of the phrase ("blank blank blank my pony") represents three different words.
Your post made me realize that this could be a false assumption. It could be two words, or even one.
It may be adding complexity to confusion, but it does broaden the scope. Thanks Professor.
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It might be significant that "shed" sounds like "Shet," the first syllable of Shetland, which is a word Patton uses often before "pony." In this song, though, we all seem to agree that the syllable after "shed" (or whatever) is the word "my." But could it be something different, and he is talking again about his Shetland pony?
Giving this more thought, I suppose Patton could have said it out of habit (a slip), but I don't think that he would have repeated it.
Or it could've been used as a nickname for his pony (e.g. "she is Shet, my pony"), but there are no other sources for this (that I know of), so it seems unlikely.
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I'm leaning towards "It is..." or "It's just..."--or maybe a drawn out "It's"-- (as Charley pronounced it) for the first two syllables. Then followed by something that sounds like "catch" in the first line and "get" in the second line.
Thanks for this Stuart, it got me back on track, l think you may be more than half right.
My last best guess and analysis of what Patton sang on these lines.
"It is get my pony, saddle up my black mare", both times that it's sung.
We hear this differently because Patton's diction squashes the syllables, making it sound as one word.
After listening repeatedly for suggested variations. I can hear what others hear as the "c" in "catch". I think this is because the "s" of "is" is blending with the "g" of "get", giving us "sget" which creates a sort of "sket" sound. And that created "k" sound is the "c" sound heard in "catch" (possibly heard as "ketch"?). Similarly, I can hear "sh" in "shed" because the mixed consonants fool my ear. And the "need to" I was hearing as "nee tuh" was due to a different pairing of consonant and vowel sounds (e.g. "eet uhs", "it is" vs "ee tuh s", "need to s" with the "s" belonging to "shed") and my brain assuming the rest, if this makes any sense.
When listening for "get", I hear the ending "t" sound pretty clearly the first time, but the second time it's clipped and the ending consonant sound is hardly there, with maybe a hint of a "t", or a "d", or an "n", to my ears. I can't hear a "ch" sound ending the word, either time it's sung.
Disclaimer; if you listen for "it is get" and hear it, this may or may not be what Patton actually sings.
Warning; repeated listening may be harmful to your health.
Side effects include; dizziness, confusion, and mental fatigue.
Thanks to banjochris for offering "it is" in the first reply to my post.
Ironically, in my initial reply back to banjochris I suggested that it could be "it is get my pony". If only I had listened?
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I've always thought it was a contraction of the word 'saddle', like so:
Well it's sad' my pony, saddle up my black mare
AYH seems to sing that on his version; I've heard him play it up close as well as on the Big Mama's Door recording, but then uses 'hitch up' for the second verb. So who knows. I'll go with "sad' my pony" personally.
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https://www.equisearch.com/horse-health-care/shed-out-your-horses-winter-coat-tips-20150
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Mr O', thanks. I'm slowly starting to come over to the "shed" side after reading the hoss article & then listening to the version on Tefteller's 2004 calendar CD. Could well be, could well be...
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I think the word is "hitched"..."Hitch...ed up My pony..."