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Well you is one black rat, someday I'll find your trail. Yes I'll hide my shoe somewhere near your shirt tail - Memphis Minnie Lawlers, & Ernest Lawlers, You Is One Black Rat

Author Topic: Lee Green Lyrics  (Read 2281 times)

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Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2021, 05:48:53 PM »
Thanks for the help, Chris. "Squirrel" it is! Do you have any idea of the sense of the verse that follows? The phonetics are right on, but I sure don't understand the idea of the coat weighing sixteen hundred pounds. I'll make the change you suggested.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Blues Vintage

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2021, 06:07:28 AM »
I just picked up his Document LP  (Blues And Barrelhouse Piano 1929-1937)

One minor suggestion,

5.2 Aw, old Napper, don't mean no one man no good


Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2021, 06:35:17 AM »
Thanks for the catch, Harry. I have made the change.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #18 on: July 28, 2021, 12:07:37 PM »
Hi all,
Lee Green and his anonymous accompanist recorded "Little Eddie Jones" at the same session as "Bad Man Napper", immediately prior to that tune, working in the same key and playing position, C. Interesting that the lyrics to "Bad Man Napper" make reference to Napper murdering Little Eddie Jones, and the last verse of "Little Eddie Jones" makes it appear that Eddie is no longer around, as the song ends. It seems likely that both individuals were real people of Lee Green's acquaintance. I'm missing the front end of the tagline to the fourth verse and would sure appreciate some help with it. Here is "Little Eddie Jones":



INTRO

I'm gonna do, babe, like Little Eddie Jones
Lord, I'm going to do, babe, like Little Eddie Jones
Everywhere that he goes, sweet mama, that's where he calls his home

He never lonesome, and he never blue
He never lonesome, and he never blue
He can get anything he want to, do anything he wants to do

The guns he carry, .38 and .45
Lord, the guns that he carry, .38 and .45
When he can't get what he want to, he takes from dead or 'live

When he goes a-courting, he goes through mud and rain
When he go a-courting, he goes through mud and rain
Ah, even if his horse snortin', goin' up some lonesome lane

He goes and knocks, on his sweet gal's door
He goes and knocks, knocks on his sweet gal's door
"Hey, I want to speak to you, sweet mama, you may never see me any more."

"Babe, it do me so much good, look in your smiling face.
Do me so much good, sweet mama, look in your smiling face.
I just stopped by here, sweet mama, see if anybody could take Mr. Eddie's place."

Edited 7/29 to pick up correction from waxwing

All best,
Johnm
« Last Edit: July 29, 2021, 09:45:12 AM by Johnm »

Offline banjochris

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2021, 02:08:21 PM »
Thanks for the help, Chris. "Squirrel" it is! Do you have any idea of the sense of the verse that follows? The phonetics are right on, but I sure don't understand the idea of the coat weighing sixteen hundred pounds. I'll make the change you suggested.

I didn't really get that either; usually it's the wearer who weighs a lot in those verses!

Offline waxwing

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #20 on: July 28, 2021, 06:24:56 PM »
Hi Johnm,

Sounds like:

Ah, even if his horse's snortin', goin' up some lonesome lane

Wax
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
George Bernard Shaw

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22

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Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #21 on: July 29, 2021, 09:27:49 AM »
Thanks for the help, Wax. "Horse snortin'" is terrific! It does sound like he's saying "all" at the beginning of the line, but I think think he may have combined "ah" with "well". I'll keep it as "ah". Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

Offline Blues Vintage

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #22 on: July 29, 2021, 11:03:59 AM »
I got a few more suggestions for "Bad Man Napper"

1st verse

The Bad Man Napper, was are the cause of Little Eddie's death today
Lord A lil' ol' Bad Man Napper, was are the cause of Little Eddie's death today
I think he slipped and he stole his life, out from behind a big stack of hay


2.3 He made his livin' in stealin', and hidin' it all day long along

Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #23 on: July 29, 2021, 11:42:32 AM »
Harry, I disagree with your changes in the first verse. Lee Green sings "was" in both of the first two lines. "Lord" was wrong, he just sings "the" again in the second line, but swallows it. I agree with your change to the tagline in verse two and will amke that change. Thanks.

Offline waxwing

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #24 on: July 29, 2021, 12:04:34 PM »
You're right, it does sorta sound like a stretched out ah--ll. It could be referring back to going through mud and rain? Your call.

Wax
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
George Bernard Shaw

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22

http://www.youtube.com/user/WaxwingJohn
CD on YT

Offline Blues Vintage

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #25 on: July 30, 2021, 05:54:49 AM »
Harry, I disagree with your changes in the first verse. Lee Green sings "was" in both of the first two lines. "Lord" was wrong, he just sings "the" again in the second line, but swallows it. I agree with your change to the tagline in verse two and will amke that change. Thanks.

Sorry start this again but I don't hear "was" at all. I hear "are" clearly. I don't hear "the" on 1.2 either.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #26 on: July 30, 2021, 06:02:00 AM »
I can't help what you hear, Harry. Give it a rest. I'm not making those changes. You can hear the "s" at the end of "was" as plain as day and there is no "r" sound at all.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2021, 06:08:03 AM by Johnm »

Offline dj

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #27 on: July 30, 2021, 12:58:27 PM »
In Bad Man Napper, could the line "Stole a coat from a tailor, weighed sixteen hundred pounds" actually be "Stole a colt from a tailor, weighed sixteen hundred pounds"?  A draft horse, like a Clydesdale, Belgian, or Percheron, would weigh about that much.  Maybe Mr. Napper stole the horse that was pulling the tailor's wagon?

Offline waxwing

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Re: Lee Green Lyrics
« Reply #28 on: July 30, 2021, 04:19:14 PM »
I think the humor is that, as banjochris suggested, Napper weighs 4/5 ton, is a very large man, and the amount of fabric for a coat made it so expensive that he just stole it. The laugh was on him because the coat still didn't reach around his girth. Probably the expectation is that everyone knows the joke so he just needs to hit the high points and everyone gets it.

Wax
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
George Bernard Shaw

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22

http://www.youtube.com/user/WaxwingJohn
CD on YT

 


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