Hi all,
Sometimes you find interesting things when you're looking for something else. I was listening yesterday to the JSP "Texas Blues" set, focusing on Little Hat Jones, and happened to listen to Coley Jones, whose four solo cuts are on the same disc as Little Hat's. Coley Jones' last cut, "Untitled", is a particular winner. Jones accompanies himself out of C position in standard tuning, using a flatpick by the sound of it. He uses the most common 16-bar raggy progression for the song, the title of which, I believe, is "The Elder, He's My Man".
Coley Jones sounds like an experienced stage performer, operating in a style somewhat akin to that of Sloppy Henry. He delivers the verses as recitations and saves his singing for the chorus. His delivery is droll, droll, droll, and this one is worth seeking out, for both the very funny lyrics and especially, Coley Jones' way of putting them across. Here is "The Elder, He's My Man":
Now my Pappy was a deacon, down in a little small church
'Way down South, where I was born
Sisters used to come for ten and twelve miles around, every night,
While that good meetin' was gwine on
One night Pa got in a big way of preachin'
And forgot and left the sermon out
There sit Sister Fullbosom over there in the amen corner, mad anyhow
She let all them secrets leak out
REFRAIN: She hollered, "Sisters and brothers, thoroughly understand,
The Elder, he's my man.
Now, I don't mind y'all gwine outside, talkin' to the Elder occasionally
But nix on standin' out there holdin' his hand.
I wash his heart, both day and night,
Catch you on with that Elder, you gon' have a mis'able fight, you hear me?
Sisters and brothers, won't you thoroughly understand
The Elder, he's my man."
Now, Pa had been preachin' down there in that hardshell church
Just about two years or more
Pa got up one night and told 'em to quit drinkin' gin
Sister Caroline got awfully sore
So the Parson said, "I don't mind y'all drinkin' a little gin every now and then
But somebody has been drinkin' too much, yes sir!"
Sister Caroline jumped up and said, "Look here, Parson, don't start arguin' 'bout that gin.
I'm gonna drink gin if it breaks up this whole damn church."
REFRAIN: She hollered, "Sisters and brothers, thoroughly understand,
The Elder, he's my man.
Now, I don't mind y'all gwine outside, talkin' to the Elder occasionally,
Goin' outside, talkin' to Elder, shake hands.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
The police don't get you, now the undertaker must, you hear me?
Sisters and brothers, won't you thoroughly understand,
That Elder, he's my man."
All best,
Johnm
Sometimes you find interesting things when you're looking for something else. I was listening yesterday to the JSP "Texas Blues" set, focusing on Little Hat Jones, and happened to listen to Coley Jones, whose four solo cuts are on the same disc as Little Hat's. Coley Jones' last cut, "Untitled", is a particular winner. Jones accompanies himself out of C position in standard tuning, using a flatpick by the sound of it. He uses the most common 16-bar raggy progression for the song, the title of which, I believe, is "The Elder, He's My Man".
Coley Jones sounds like an experienced stage performer, operating in a style somewhat akin to that of Sloppy Henry. He delivers the verses as recitations and saves his singing for the chorus. His delivery is droll, droll, droll, and this one is worth seeking out, for both the very funny lyrics and especially, Coley Jones' way of putting them across. Here is "The Elder, He's My Man":
Now my Pappy was a deacon, down in a little small church
'Way down South, where I was born
Sisters used to come for ten and twelve miles around, every night,
While that good meetin' was gwine on
One night Pa got in a big way of preachin'
And forgot and left the sermon out
There sit Sister Fullbosom over there in the amen corner, mad anyhow
She let all them secrets leak out
REFRAIN: She hollered, "Sisters and brothers, thoroughly understand,
The Elder, he's my man.
Now, I don't mind y'all gwine outside, talkin' to the Elder occasionally
But nix on standin' out there holdin' his hand.
I wash his heart, both day and night,
Catch you on with that Elder, you gon' have a mis'able fight, you hear me?
Sisters and brothers, won't you thoroughly understand
The Elder, he's my man."
Now, Pa had been preachin' down there in that hardshell church
Just about two years or more
Pa got up one night and told 'em to quit drinkin' gin
Sister Caroline got awfully sore
So the Parson said, "I don't mind y'all drinkin' a little gin every now and then
But somebody has been drinkin' too much, yes sir!"
Sister Caroline jumped up and said, "Look here, Parson, don't start arguin' 'bout that gin.
I'm gonna drink gin if it breaks up this whole damn church."
REFRAIN: She hollered, "Sisters and brothers, thoroughly understand,
The Elder, he's my man.
Now, I don't mind y'all gwine outside, talkin' to the Elder occasionally,
Goin' outside, talkin' to Elder, shake hands.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
The police don't get you, now the undertaker must, you hear me?
Sisters and brothers, won't you thoroughly understand,
That Elder, he's my man."
All best,
Johnm