Topic: Blind Boy Fuller Lyrics

[waxwing]

Possibly a more familiar (for fans of Ari) version of this guitar arrangement is Untrue Blues. (Transcribed in this topic HERE by Pan in 20090 Recorded the same year backed by Red on wb, Fuller is nowhere near the blistering speed of Woman No2, but has two very fun solos which are not played here, possibly because he was allowing Terry to take the fore in the solos. Either way, it's great.

Wax

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "Get Your Yas Yas Out", recorded in Columbia, South Carolina on October 29, 1938, Blind Boy Fuller was joined by Bull City Red on washboard as he accompanied himself out of C position in standard tuning, playing his favorite 18-bar raggy progression. Fuller came up with such a gabby opening line for this song that he chose to shorten it as he went along, particularly getting caught in the middle of the last line of the first verse. The duo takes this piece at such a tremendous clip it's no wonder he had a tough time fitting in all the lyrics. Here is "Get Your Yas Yas Out":



INTRO SOLO

Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of doors
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of doors
Here you come, raisin' hell, know what you been doin' by the way you smell
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, your ass out of doors, I mean, your yas yas out of doors (Spoken: Yeah!)

Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of doors
You got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of doors
Here you come, raisin' sand, know what you been doin' by the way you stand
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of, I mean, your yas yas out of doors (Spoken: Play it now for me!)

SOLO

Now you got to leave my house this mornin', your yas yas out of doors
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', don't, I'll throw your yas yas out of doors
Liquor you're drinkin', went right to your head, had to take a bath 'fore you went to bed
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', throw your yas yas out of doors, I mean, yas yas out of doors (Spoken: Play, now!)

SCAT BRIDGE

Now you got to leave my house this mornin', throw your yas yas out of doors (Spoken: Yeah!)
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', throw your yas yas out of doors
Oh zee-zah, bee-dum bow, bahten-bahten-bahten da-doo zas
Now you got to leave my house this mornin', throw your yas yas out of doors, I mean, yas yas out of doors

CODA

Edited 1/15 to pick up corrections from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For his recording of "Rag, Mama, Rag Take 1" Blind Boy Fuller was joined by Gary Davis on seconding guitar and Bull City Red on washboard. The trio recorded two takes of the song at a session in New York City on July 25, 1935, with Fuller accompanying himself out of C position in standard tuning and Davis working out of F position in standard tuning. Both takes are excellent, and surprisingly close to each other, really, but for some reason I find the first take more exciting. Davis makes a late entry coming in on the thirteenth bar of the intro solo. The song has a simple VI-II-V-I progression, with two bars of each chord played and then the entire progression repeated twice, but it is no less exciting or entertaining for that. Here is "Rag, Mama, Rag Take 1":



INTRO SOLO

Says I'm goin' uptown, hat in my hand, lookin' for the woman ain't got no man
Just as well be lookin' for a needle in the sand, lookin' for a woman ain't got no man, ah
Rag, rag
Rag, said do that rag
Oh rag, oh rag
Rag, said do that rag

Said I wouldn't've thought my gal would treat me so, love another man stayed in my back door
Mind, mama, what you sow--you got to reap just what you sow, ah
Rag, (Spoken: Rag now), rag, baby
Rag, mama, said do that rag
Oh rag, (Spoken: Do it a long time)
Rag, said do that rag

Now if you get you one woman, better get you two, one for your buddy, other one for you
Got me a wife and a sweetheart too, wife don't love me, my sweetheart do, ah
Rag, (Spoken: Rag, baby), rag
Rag, mama, says do that rag
Oh rag, rag
Rag, baby, said do that rag

SOLO

Yeah, SCAT VERSE, ah
Rag, oh rag, baby
Rag, mama, said do that rag
Oh rag, oh rag, baby
Rag, mama, said do that rag (Spoken: Now rag, baby)

STOP-TIME SOLO

Oh rag, oh rag
Rag, mama, said do that rag

Said my gal hollered, "Murder!", I ain't raised my hand, pistol in my pocket, blackjack in my hand
Took my gal und' the willow tree, oughta hear her hollerin', "Don't murder me!", ah
Rag, ssh, oh rag (Spoken: Rag now, baby)
Rag, said do that rag, oh
Rag, oh rag, baby
Rag, then, said do that rag

CODA (Spoken: Rag now, gal)

All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

Slip it, you drink it, went right to your head, had to take a powder 'fore you went to bed

I hear something like this, not sure.

Liquor you're drinkin', went right to your head, had to take a bath 'fore you went to bed

[Johnm]

I agree with both of your suggestions, Blues Vintage, and will make those changes. Thanks!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Boy Fuller recorded "Woman You Better Wake Up", backed by Sonny Terry on harmonica, at a session Memphis on July 12, 1939. Fuller accompanied himself out for A position for the song. The guitar and harmonica are notably not in tune with each other on this track. Here is "Woman You Better Wake Up":



INTRO SOLO

I said sleepy-headed mama, don't you sleep so sound
I said sleepy-head mama, don't you sleep so sound
Says you know what you promised me, Great God, before you lied down

Says you go to sleep in the night, wake up, the dawn of day
Say, you go to sleep at night, wake up, the dawn of day
Says, you better wake up now, mama, just before you sleep your rights away

Yes, she's low and she's squatty, Great God, and she's so long
I say ay-ay, I said she's so long
Says, don't you blame your man, if things go wrong at home (Spoken: Play it for me now, boy)

SOLO

Boys, if you lose your money, please don't you lose your mind
Boys, if you lose your money, please don't you lose your mind
Said if you lose your woman, Great God, don't fool with mine

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was surprised to get this far into Blind Boy Fuller's repertoire and realize that we've never transcribed "Step It Up And Go", probably Fuller's most covered song, at the site. He recorded it on March 5, 1940 in New York City, accompanying himself out of G position in standard tuning and backed by Bull City Red on washboard. Credit where it's due--this is an incredibly catchy tune, and it's fun and relatively uncomplicated to play. I'd appreciate help with the first half of the tagline of the refrain. Here is "Step It Up And Go":



INTRO SOLO

Had a little girl, she was little and low, used to love me, but she don't no more, you got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, yeah and go
Well you can't stay and pat it, I declare you got to step it up and go

Got a little girl, she stays upstairs, tried to make a living by putting on airs, she's got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, yeah, yeah
Well, you can't stay and pat it, I swear you got to step it up and go (Spoken: Play it for me now!)

SOLO (Spoken: Yes, yes, yes! Aw, pshaw!)

Front door's shut, the back one too, blind pulled down, what you gwine-a do? You gwine to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, yeah and go
Well you can't stay and pat it, I declare you got to step it up and go

SOLO (Spoken: Yeah!)

Now I got a little gal, 'se name was Ball, give her little bit and she took it all, you got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, uhh yeah
Well you can't stay and pat it, I declare you got to step it up and go

Me and my baby walkin' down the streets, tellin' everybody but the Chief Police, you got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, mmm yeah
Well you can't stay and pat it, I swear you got to step it up and go (Spoken: Play it again now!)

SOLO (Spoken: Yeah!)

See my woman, tell her "Hurry home.", ain't had no lovin' since she been gone, got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, yeah-yeah
Well you can't stay and pat it, I swear you got to step it up and go

If I sing this verse ain't gwonna sing no more, heared my gal calling' me and I got to go, you got to
REFRAIN: Step it up and go, yeah-yeah
Well you can't stay and pat it, I swear you got to step it up and go

SOLO (Spoken: Yeah!)

Edited 1/16 to pick up corrections from MarkC, waxwing, Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm



 

[eric]

I'm going to have to try that one, John.  This is a lot more fun than You've Got Something There,  the similar tune he does in C.

[MarkC]

I’m hearing:
We’ll you can’t stay and Pat it out
Declare you gotta step it up and go

Sounds to me like he alternates between:

Declare you gotta step it up and go
 
With:
Swear you gotta step it up and go

Maybe “pout” instead of “pat”?

[Johnm]

Thanks for the suggestions, MarkC. I'm pretty sure he says "pat", but what is odd is that he has two syllables before "I declare", and what he enunciates sounds like"pattle", rhyming with "cattle". I don't believe he pronounces the "w" in "well", but I think his meaning is "Well I declare you got to step it up and go". A more accurate rendition of the sound of the whole line would be

 Well, you can't stand pat, 'll I declare you got to step it up and go

See if that sounds like what he's singing. And I'll check for verses where he says "swear" rather than "declare", because I sure missed that if he did that.
EDITED TO ADD: Good call on "swear", Mark. He sang that in the last three verses and I have made the changes, thanks!
All best,
Johnm

[MarkC]

I think you might have it John. I think the way he pronounces “stand” was throwing me off.

[waxwing]

A more accurate rendition of the sound of the whole line would be

 Well, you can't stand pat, 'll I declare you got to step it up and go

Looking at my notes, that's exactly how I transcribed it about 20 years ago, Johnm.

Typo: a dropped t from the "got to" in the next to last verse, first line.

Wax

[Blues Vintage]

I hear this throughout the song,

Well you can’t stay and pat it I declare/swear you got to step it up and go


2.3 I declare swear you got to step it up and go

[Johnm]

Re-listening, I think you got it, Blues Vintage, I'll make that change and the" swear" in the second verse. And thanks for the typo catch, waxwing. And that front end of the tagline is pretty much what MarkC had suggested, too. Good hearing, you guys.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Boy Fuller recorded "Jesus Is A Holy Man" accompanying himself out of C position in standard tuning in what seems to be a very Rev. Davis-influenced accompaniment, and with the vocal backing of both Bull City Red and Sonny Terry and Red playing washboard. The performance was recorded on June 19, 1940, not that long before Fuller was to pass away. Here is "Jesus Is A Holy Man", with Red and Sonny's vocal responses shown parenthetically:



INTRO SOLO

Ananias (Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
Ananias (Amen/Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), oh what kind of man this Jesus is

Oh Ananias (Ananias), oh Ananias (Ananias), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
Ananias (Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), oh, what kind of man Jesus is

He spoke to the wind (spoke to the wind), and the wind obeyed (and the wind obeyed), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
He spoke to the wind (spoke to the wind), wind obeyed (wind obeyed), oh, what kind of man Jesus is

He's a holy man (he's a holy man), a holy man (holy man), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
Holy man (holy man), holy man (He's a holy man), oh, what kind of man Jesus is

Oh Ananias (Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
Ananias (Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), hey, what kind of man Jesus is

He spoke to the sea (Hear me!), sea obeyed (sea obeyed), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
He spoke to the sea (spoke to the sea) the sea obeyed (and the sea obeyed), oh, what kind of man this Jesus is

Oh Ananias (Ananias), oh Ananias (Ananias), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
Ananias (Ananias), Ananias (Ananias), hey, what kind of man this Jesus is

He spoke to the fire (spoke to the fire), and the fire obeyed (oh, fire obeyed), tell me what kind of man Jesus is
He spoke to the fire (fire), and the fire obeyed (fire obeyed) oh what kind of man this Jesus is

Edited 1/17 to pick up corrections from waxwing

All best,
Johnm