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Author Topic: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics  (Read 11200 times)

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Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2006, 12:56:20 AM »
Hi all,
There can be no doubt about Herman Johnson's "Piano Blues" being truncated, for it ends in a fade. 
How bizarre, that's all that Oster quotes in his transcription of the song in his book Living Country Blues (1969). However what he does is preface it with the following quote from Willie B. Thomas:

"What a piano blues come from, long time ago befo' the piano blues came out, we used to play these jazz bands, we had 'em on the plantation, mos' every plantation had its ban', but after the whiskey went out, then you couldn't drink this liquor free like you could befo', an' then we had the liquor, we had the bootlegger slippin' in the alley, so we had a piano joint; we played the piano, an' that's where these blues come from, in the same time. The blues come from when the liquor went out; we so sorry it went, we sung:

So long, highball, so long, gin, Tell me when yo' comin' back agin, I got the blues, I got the alcoholin' blues.

The "Piano Blues" come along just behind that, what the piano man played."

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #16 on: June 17, 2006, 10:19:14 AM »
Your point regarding Dr. Oster's transcription of "Piano Blues" is interesting, Bunker Hill.  Maybe the rendition was truncated when released commercially, but the lyrics were not?  Perhaps the song only had two verses after all, and the portion of the performance that was was cut was all instrumental.  Dr. Oster's transcription of the lyrics would seem to indicate that this was the case.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #17 on: June 21, 2006, 10:20:41 PM »
Hi all,
Herman Johnson weighed in with another excellent number in "I Just Keeps On Wanting You", played in Spanish tuning with a slide.  Like many of Johnson's songs, it features a chorus and his favored technique of using his guitar to finish a vocal line.  I admire Johnson's craft in the way he employs this technique.  It took me a while to notice that he was consistently using the slide to play the last word of the second repetition of his opening line in each stanza.  Where that occurs in the transcription, the instrumental take-over is indicated with a dash.  Johnson's playing on this song is really expert; he does some tricky tremolo effects by bouncing the slide.  That's not easy to do!  What makes it noteworthy, of course, is that it sounds great.  Here is "I Just Keeps On Wanting You":



   I just keeps on wanting you, I just keeps on a-wanting you
   I just keeps on a-wanting ---, and tell your mama that just -- no way to do

   You don't cook, you don't wash my clothes (2)
   You don't cook, you don't wash my  -------, but everytime I look, you is in the road

   But I just keeps on wanting you, I just --------------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ----, tell your mama that ---------------------

   Can you remember last Friday night? (2)
   Can you remember last Friday -----, I put my arm around your sister and she wanted to fight

   But I just keeps on a-wanting you, I just a ---------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ---, mama that just ---no way to do

   Seem like you just got to have your way (2)
   Seem like you just got to have your ---, oh, but you keep me broken-hearted both night and day

   But I just, ------------------------------------------------
   ------------------------------------------------------------

   I just keeps on wanting you, I just ---------------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ----, and tell your mama that just ------------------

All best,
Johnm
« Last Edit: June 19, 2020, 01:56:56 PM by Johnm »

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #18 on: June 21, 2006, 11:43:44 PM »
From memory of this number the structure and melody is that of pianist James Wiggins's 1928 "Keep A Knockin" An' You Can't Get In", which in itself was from an earlier generation.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2006, 08:37:40 AM »
Hi Bunker Hill,
The phrasing is similar to "Keep On Knockin'", but melody and chord structure are different on "I Just Keeps On Wanting You"--certainly not a blatant or actionable cop on Johnson's part if a cop at all.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #20 on: June 22, 2006, 09:46:25 AM »
I did say it was from memory having divested myself of the LP some decades ago! I can hear and see myself leaping about telling the ozone "that's  Keep A Knockin' with a new lyric". Mind you I was young and foolish back then and prone to such extreme behaviour. :o

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #21 on: August 21, 2006, 02:19:26 PM »
Hi all,
Herman E. Johnson did an outstanding version of "You Don't Know My Mind", which blueshome pointed out earlier in this thread was originally recorded by Virginia Liston in a comic mode in the mid-1920s.  Johnson's version is anything but comic; like most of his songs, it is emotionally wrenching.  This performance was brought to my attention by Weenie Ryan Leaf, and is the first I had heard of Herman Johnson.  He plays it in Spanish, and the solo has an odd digression that is reminiscent of "I Will Turn Your Money Green".  Lyrically, "You Don't Know My Mind" is a chorus blues, and Johnson varies the first line of the chorus that arrives over the IV chord, in a very effective way.   Here is "You Don't Know My Mind":



   You don't know, you don't know, you don't know my mind, doggone, you
   You don't know, you don't know my mind
   REFRAIN:  But when you sees me laughin', that's just to keep from cryin'

   I served my little woman, sweet jelly roll, took the shoes off my feet and put me out in the cold
   Man, you don't know, you don't know my mind
   REFRAIN:

   I asked my little woman, could she stand to see me cry, told me, "Why the heck, man, I can stand to see you die!"
   You don't know, how can you know my mind?
   REFRAIN: 

   SOLO:

   Got a handful of nickels, pocket full of dimes, house full of children, neither one of them is mine
   How can you know?  Man, you don't know my mind
   REFRAIN:

   You don't know, you don't know, you don't know my mind, doggone
   SPOKEN:  Woman, you don't know I said
   You don't know my mind
   REFRAIN:

Edited 8/22 to pick up missing word from Bunker Hill

All best,
Johnm
   
   
« Last Edit: June 19, 2020, 01:58:46 PM by Johnm »

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #22 on: August 22, 2006, 12:02:25 AM »
I think the unintelligible word might be "served", but...

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #23 on: August 22, 2006, 10:06:58 AM »
Hi Bunker Hill,
Thanks for the help.  I agree that "served" sounds right.  I couldn't wrap my head around the missing pronoun reference change in the second half of the line.  It all makes sense now.  I will make the change.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #24 on: August 22, 2006, 12:01:27 PM »
Hi all,
Unlike most of the songs that Herman E. Johnson recorded, "Po' Boy" was what might be called a Blues Standard rather than an original number, though Johnson gave it plenty of individual touches.  He played it in Spanish with a slide, with the slide closely tracking the sung melody.  As he gets near the end of the song, from verse three on, he reiterates the last line of the form, messing with it and sometimes concluding phrases with the slide (indicated by a dash).  This vocal device of repeating the last line of a verse was often employed by Texas Alexander, whose voice bore some similarity to Herman Johnson's, though Johnson's voice is deeper than Alexander's.  Here is "Po' Boy":



   I'm the poor boy and a long ways from home
   I'm a poor boy and a long ways from home
   I'm a poor boy here and I ain't got nowhere to go

   I ain't got nowhere to lay my weary head (2)
   Rather than fer (sic) you to leave I would rather see you dead

   When I left her house, she followed me to her door (2)
   "You ain't got no money, man, I'd rather see you go,
   Man, I'd rather see you -----, and I'd rather see you go

   SOLO

   I am talking on that long distance phone (2)
   Tryin' to call my little gal but I think she been gone too long,
   I think she have been gone too -------

   Now, tell me, gal, what you want me to do (2)
   I tried so hard and I can't get along with you
   I just can't get along with ----, get along with ----, I can't get along with ---

All best,
Johnm

« Last Edit: June 19, 2020, 01:59:46 PM by Johnm »

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #25 on: August 22, 2006, 12:12:25 PM »
Hi all,
The last song Herman Johnson plays on the "Louisiana Blues" CD he shares on Arhoolie with Smoky Babe (Arhoolie CD 440) is a hymn, "Where The Mansion's Prepared For Me".  Johnson plays the song with a slide, in Spanish tuning, and the integration of the vocal with the guitar part is excellent.  Johnson uses the verb "presting" throughout the song, which from the context seems like it might be a combination of "pressing" and "questing".  The meaning of the song is clear, in any event.  I wonder if Dr. Oster had more recordings of Herman Johnson that were never issued.  Here is "Where The Mansion's Prepared For Me":



   I'm presting (sic) on, more and more and more
   Presting on, everywhere I go
   Presting on, to that city
   That's where the mansion prepared for me

   If you don't go, don't hang to me (2)
   If you don't go to that city
   That's where the mansion prepared for me

   My sister gone, she left me presting on
   My sister gone, and she left me presting ----
   My sister gone to that city
   That's where the mansion prepared for me

   I'm presting on, more and more and more
   I'm presting on, everywhere I go
   I'm presting on to that city
   That's where the mansion prepared for me

All best,
Johnm
« Last Edit: June 19, 2020, 02:00:52 PM by Johnm »

Offline Mr.OMuck

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #26 on: August 30, 2008, 04:20:13 PM »
Hi all,
Herman Johnson weighed in with another excellent number in "I Just Keeps On Wanting You", played in Spanish tuning with a slide.  Like many of Johnson's songs, it features a chorus and his favored technique of using his guitar to finish a vocal line.  I admire Johnson's craft in the way he employs this technique.  It took me a while to notice that he was consistently using the slide to play the last word of the second repetition of his opening line in each stanza.  Where that occurs in the transcription, the instrumental take-over is indicated with a dash.  Johnson's playing on this song is really expert; he does some tricky tremolo effects by bouncing the slide.  That's not easy to do!  What makes it noteworthy, of course, is that it sounds great.

   I just keeps on wanting you, I just keeps on a-wanting you
   I just keeps on a-wanting ---, and tell your mama that just -- no way to do

   You don't cook, you don't wash my clothes (2)
   You don't cook, you don't wash my  -------, but everytime I look, you is in the road

   But I just keeps on wanting you, I just --------------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ----, tell your mama that ---------------------

   Can you remember last Friday night? (2)
   Can you remember last Friday -----, I put my arm around your sister and she wanted to fight

   But I just keeps on a-wanting you, I just a ---------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ---, mama that just ---no way to do

   Seem like you just got to have your way (2)
   Seem like you just got to have your ---, oh, but you keep me broken-hearted both night and day

   But I just, ------------------------------------------------
   ------------------------------------------------------------

   I just keeps on wanting you, I just ---------------------
   I just keeps on a-wanting ----, and tell your mama that just ------------------

All best,
Johnm

I know this is an old thread but having recently discovered Herman E. Johnson I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of praise for this deep, under known musician. I was particularly  moved by "I just keep on wanting you".
There is really no one like him in my experience. He has an insightful , subtle  poetic and intelligent lyric
content which i think equals the best Blues writers. His sound is cool, somewhat distant, but somehow profound. More like what I think an ancient bard sounded like than a bar room shouter. I rank him right up there and am dumbfounded that there are discoveries like this to make this late in the game..thank the diety or cosmic, spiritual, or natural force of your choice  for that!


My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music.
Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977)

http://www.youtube.com/user/MuckOVision

Offline Mr.OMuck

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #27 on: August 30, 2008, 05:29:54 PM »
Another thought: Does it sound to anyone else like Herman's got one or two gut strings on his guitar?
My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music.
Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977)

http://www.youtube.com/user/MuckOVision

Offline Johnm

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #28 on: August 30, 2008, 11:11:03 PM »
Hi O'Muck,
I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying Herman E. Johnson's music, for I think it was perfectly wonderful.  Have you had a chance to listen to "She Had Been Drinking" yet?  If not, you should seek it out, it's really sensational.
all best,
Johnm

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Herman E. Johnson Lyrics
« Reply #29 on: August 31, 2008, 12:12:46 AM »

I know this is an old thread but having recently discovered Herman E. Johnson I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of praise for this deep, under known musician. I was particularly  moved by "I just keep on wanting you".
When Harry Oster asked him about the song Johnson replied:

"Had a little female difficulty, cause me to compose this little thing, but after all, we won't discuss that, that's the cause o' me composin' it, a little female difficulty. Another guy gettin' between me an' my little female, cause me to want a little bit; I'm gonna pull the trigger if you won't do better."

Am I correct in thinking that the tune is very similar to the age old "Keep A Knockin' And You Can't Get In" and lyrical variants thereof?



 


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