Topic: Scrapper Blackwell Lyrics

[resoplayer]

Hello,
I am quiet a new (french) member ,playing mostly on vintage "nationals".
Actually I am working on the Blackwell's stuff "trouble blues" &" D blues lyrics" (which are quiet the same material), and I need the lyrics...
If someone can help me...
Thanks,

[Johnm]

Hi Pascal,
Welcome to Weenie Campbell!  Here are lyrics for "Trouble Blues, Part 1" and "Trouble Blues, Part 2".  Places in the lyrics that I am not sure of are enclosed in bent brackets

.

   "Trouble Blues, Part 1"
   When trouble started, it stopped at my front door
   I've had more troubles than ever in my life before
   CHORUS:  I wonder why trouble keeps on worryin' me
   I'd just soon have my body, baby, buried in the sea

   I had trouble this mornin', mailman didn't leave no mail
   I can't see my baby, she's all locked up in jail
   CHORUS

   SOLO  Play it Mr. Daddy.  Lord, I'm so blue!

   When trouble starts, it lasted so long
   Look like everything happen, and everything goes wrong
   CHORUS

   Tell me, baby, what trouble have done to me
   Come and got my regular, then took my used-to-be
   CHORUS

   SOLO

   "Trouble Blues, Part 2"



   I can get money, but trouble won't let it stay
   Trouble gets on me and my money gets away
   CHORUS

   Trouble in the morning, noon and night
   Seem like I'm treated every way but right
   CHORUS

   SOLO:  Play it Mr. Scrapper, that's too tight!  Why, you ought to quit it!

   When trouble gets on me it never ends
   I get out of one thing, and back into something else again
   CHORUS

   Nobody knows the trouble I do see
   Nobody knows but the good Lord and me
   CHORUS:

   SOLO

All best,
Johnm

[resoplayer]

Thanks a lot Johnm,
If I can do something for you next time...(Edith Piaf or  any Maurice Chevalier, tino Rossi lyrics???
XXXX
Pascal

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been thinking about how relatively under-represented the work of Scrapper Blackwell is on the site, and thought to transcribe the lyrics to some of his songs and talk a bit about his music.  "Penal Farm Blues" was chosen to open the program of the old Yazoo album, "The Virtuoso Guitar of Scrapper Blackwell".  Scrapper played it out of E position in standard tuning, a playing position that in his years of recording with Leroy Carr he rarely used.  Despite that, he shows a mastery of the position, as well as an approach that I can't recall hearing earlier players use and a corresponding different sound.  Scrapper plays so richly behind his singing and had enough verses to sing that he chose not to play a solo.  He pronounces "penal" with a short "e" sound, to rhyme with fennel.  It should be noted, too, what a great singer he was--I can appreciate how difficult it must have been to be noticed as a singer when you hung out with Leroy, but Scrapper had a great vocal instrument and was a soulful singer, too.



Early one morning, on my way to the penal farm
Early one morning, on my way to the pental (sic) farm
Baby, all locked up, and ain't done nothin' wrong

Loaded in the dog wagon, and down the road we go
Loaded in the dog wagon, and down the road we go
Ah, baby, oh, baby, you don't know

Into the office and then to the bathhouse we go
Into the office and then to the bathhouse we go
Then with a light shower, baby, we change our clothes

All last night, baby, it seemed so long
All last night, oh baby, it seemed so long
All locked up, I ain't done nothin' wrong

I'll tell you people, the penal farm is a lonesome place
I'll tell you people, penal farm's a lonesome place
And no one's there, to smile up in your face

Oh, baby, baby, it won't be so long now
Oh, baby, baby, it won't be so long now
Before your daddy, he'll be coming home

Oh, baby, baby, won't you come after me?
Oh, baby, baby, won't you come after me?
My time is up and penal farm has set me free

All best,
Johnm

[dj]

Wow, that's a nice set of lyrics, John.  Recorded at the same June 1928 Vocalion session in Indianapolis as Leroy Carr's first recordings, it suggests that both Leroy and Scrapper were accomplished songwriters at the time of their first session. 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell accompanied himself out of A position in standard tuning for his version of "Blue Day Blues".  A and D were his favored playing positions, and "Blue Day Blues" is real instrumental tour de force, in which Scrapper allots roughly equal space to solos and vocals.  Listening to this rendition, it's not hard to see how much Robert Johnson was influenced by Scrapper's playing in A, though not enough, perhaps; Scrapper's playing out of A had so many more "ingredients" than did Robert's, and was much more varied and dynamic.  Scrapper was perhaps unique among Country Blues players in how hard he played while still playing with a perfectly clean and focused tone.  He might snap strings intentionally, but he was never buzzy or sloppy sounding.  His technique of striking sharply articulated brush strokes in the bass with his thumb has never been equalled, either.  What a player!  The vocal on "Blue Day Blues" is terrific, too.



INTRO

One day I sit thinkin', when the rain poured down outside
One day I sit thinkin', when the rain poured down outside
And the more I thought, the more I begin to cry

SOLO

Today has been a long old lonesome day
Today has been a long old lonesome day
And it looks like tomorrow's gonna be the same old way

SOLO

My day seems lonesome, and my nights, they are so long
My days seem lonesome, and my nights, they are so long
I'll be mighty glad when them old blue days are gone

OUTRO

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell backed himself out of A position in standard tuning for his recording of "Hard Time Blues".  He concentrates more on his lyrics than his soloing here, but as always, performs his accompaniment role so richly that the song in no way feels under-characterized instrumentally.  Scrapper had a really nifty tag that he played in the eleventh bar of a number of his blues in A position.  In the next to last measure, he would rock between an A chord:  0-0-2-2-2-X and an F/A chord:  X-0-3-2-1-X, before rocking back to A in the twelfth bar of the form.  This movement, which takes only an instant to happen, has an aural impact completely out of proportion with the economy of means required to play it. That movement to the flat VI chord happens in the very same way, but in the key of D, in Papa Charlie Jackson's solo for "Shake That Thing", where he rocks between D and B flat.
I don't mean to give Scrapper's vocals short shrift, either.  Here he has both strong lyrics and a really fine vocal.  Seek this one out if you're looking for a serious sort of blues to add to your repertoire.



INTRO

I'm goin' down to the river, just to see the water run
I'm goin' down to the river, just to see the water run
And to think about my troubles, and where all my money has gone

Times has got so hard that I can not find no job
Times has got so hard that I can not find no job
And every mornin', the rent man grabbin's on my doorknob

I'm gettin' so raggedy, I ain't got no decent clothes
I'm gettin' so raggedy, I ain't got no decent clothes
And I ain't got nobody, ain't got nowhere to go

Now I'm worried, and no tellin' what I'm going to do
Now I'm worried, and no tellin' what I'm going to do
My friends don't know me and I, can't get a dime or two

Soon as hard times struck me, my baby puts me off
Soon as hard times struck me, my baby puts me off
Now I guess you know, what these hard times is all about

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell recorded "Kokomo Blues" accompanying himself out of D position in standard tuning.  This was a very influential recording.  Probably the most striking aspect of Scrapper's sound on this song is the chord voicing he came up with to accompany the first two bars of the form, under his singing.  It was a D minor 7, but voiced with a flat V note in the bass like so:  4-0-0-5-6-5.  If you work up in that voicing, string by string, from the low E up to the high E, the strings voice as following in the chord: b5-5-Root-b7-b3-5.  The particular genius to this voicing was Scrapper's choice to voice the b5 and the 5 on adjacent strings, despite the fact that they are only a half-step apart from each other.  As Scrapper raked with his thumb across that fourth fret of the low E string against the open A string, he achieved a palpable "buzz" with that chord position, all the while raking the top three strings in the opposite direction.  It's one of those sounds that seems inevitable after the fact, but coming up with it in the first place is an altogether different proposition.  The melodic fills Scrapper plays in his response licks to his vocal are spectacular, too, and his vocal is mighty fine.
It's hard to say why Kokomo, Indiana should loom so large in blues lyrics, showing up in songs by Freddie Spruell and Fred McDowell in addition to Scrapper's number.  I suspect it is just because of the sound of the city's name, and the rhythm in the saying of it, rather than any particular quality of the city itself.



INTRO

Mmmm, baby, don't you want to go?
Mmmm, baby, don't you want to go?
Pack your little suitcase, papa's going to Kokomo

Mmmm, baby, where you been so long?
Mmmm, baby, where you been so long?
I can tell, mama, there's somethin' going on wrong

Mmmm, baby, you don't know, you don't know
Mmmm, baby, you don't know, you don't know
Papa's all ready, going back to Kokomo

And me and my baby had a falling out last night
And me and my baby had a falling out last night
Somehow and other, my babe won't treat me right

Mmmm, baby, what's the matter now?
Mmmm, baby, what's the matter now?
Trying to quit your daddy, baby, but you don't know how

And I'll sing this verse, baby, I can't sing no more
I'll sing this verse, baby, I can't sing no more
My train is ready and I'm going to Kokomo

OUTRO

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell accompanied himself out of A position in standard tuning for "Down South Blues", and it is very close, musically, to his "Blue Day Blues".  Like Papa Charlie Jackson, Scrapper liked to go to a Idim7 chord in the sixth bar of his blues played out of the A position.  Scrapper, in his solo work, at least, is proving to be a member of the "swung eighth note" camp.  Every one of the songs that have been transcribed thus far has an under-lying triple feel; no straight eighth notes from Scrapper!  His vocal here is soulful, as always.



INTRO

I'm just sittin' here, thinkin' of dear old sunny Tennessee
I'm just sittin' here thinkin', of dear old sunny Tennessee
And wondering if my baby is waiting there for me

SOLO

I'm going where the Monon crosses the L & N
I'm going where the Monon crosses the L & N
And catch me a freight train, and go back home again

SOLO

I'm going back South, where it's warm the whole year 'round
I'm going back South, where it's warm the whole year 'round
I'll be so glad when my train pulls up in town

OUTRO

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell accompanied himself out of D position in standard tuning for "Back Door Blues".  The song is a particular beauty, for which Scrapper employed an extended circle-of-fifths progression, and was first discussed on this site by Waxwing in the "Rag Blues and Circle of Fifths" thread, at http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=712.0 .  The progression of the song works out like so:

   |    D    |    D    |    D   |    D    |

   |   G7    |   G7  | D  F#7  |    B7   |

   |    E7   |    A7  |    D       |   D     |

I am not at all sure of the bent bracketed phrase in the tagline to the final verse, and would appreciate corroboration/correction.



I left my baby, standin' in the back door, crying
I left my baby, standin' in the back door, crying
Begging and pleading, "Don't you leave this time."

Aw, the sun's gonna shine in my back door someday
Aw, the sun's gonna shine in my back door someday
I wish I had somebody to drive my blues away

Blues and trouble both running hand in hand
Blues and trouble both running hand in hand
And if you ain't never had the blues, you just can't understand

SOLO

You can always tell when your woman's got another man
You can always tell when your woman's got another man
She will take your bad treatment, and do the best she can

OUTRO

Edited to pick up correction from Front Page

All best,
Johnm

[Bill Roggensack]

John:
I believe the phrase is:
She will take your bad treatment and do the best she can..

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Bill.  I received the same fix off-line from another friend, and have made the fix.  Merry Christmas!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell accompanied himself out of D position in standard tuning for his recording of "Rambling Blues".  If you've never heard his rendition before, you may be in for a surprise when you see the opening line of the first verse.  I first heard this on Chris Strachwitz's late lamented Blues Classics label, on "Country Blues Classics, Volume 2".  Scrapper's playing on this one is spectacular, even by his very elevated standards.  His intro employs descending diminished seventh chords in a way that is reminiscent of the playing of Lonnie Johnson and Blind Blake.  Much time is accorded to soloing here, and Scrapper's playing justifies that choice.  His first solo is notable for playing a bunch of major seventh notes in runs in the bass and for going to the F#7-B7-E7-A7-D progression that he used for "Back Door Blues".  He plays a fill at the end of the first line of the last verse where he worries that half-step in the bass between the fourth fret of the sixth string and the open fifth string in a particularly exciting way.  I'm not sure I have the tagline to the first verse correct, though he enunciated it clearly enough.  I think his meaning is "just to pass away the time".

 

INTRO

I woke up this mornin', with rambling on my mind
I woke up this mornin', with rambling on my mind
And I lit out to walkin', just to pass the ways in time

SOLO

I rambles all night long, and I'm rambling again today
I rambled all night long, and I'm rambling again today
All I need is someone to drive my blues away

SOLO

Come here, baby, and let me be your man
Come here, baby, and let me be your man
I may not suit you, but I'll do the best I can

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Scrapper Blackwell recorded "Down And Out Blues" at a session in Chicago on August 15, 1928.  He backed himself out of D position in standard tuning for the song, utilizing an accompaniment he would end up playing for most of his songs in D over the years.  He doesn't accord much solo space to the guitar, concentrating instead on the lyrics.   



Nobody knows me when I'm down and out
Nobody knows me when I'm down and out
If I ask them for a favor, they don't know what it's all about

When I was down and in trouble, everybody forsakin' me
When I was down and in trouble, everybody forsakin' me
Nobody knows the troubles that I do see

When you down and out, you ain't got a friend in town
When you down and out, you ain't got a friend in town
And when I get money they begin to come around

Just as sure, baby, as one and one is two
Just as sure, baby, as one and one is two
Someday I'll have money and be up to date like you

The sun's gonna shine in my back door someday
The sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
I'm down and out now, but I won't be down always

OUTRO

Edited 3/29 to pick up correction from blueshome

All best,
Johnm

[blueshome]

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