Topic: Tommy Johnson Lyrics

[ToneWood]

Any help is appreciated.

[ToneWood]

found the MJH version. Guessing they're the same, lyrically

 The Sliding Delta run right by my door,
I'm leaving here baby, honey don't you wanna go?

Leaving here sweet baby, honey don't you wanna go?
I'm goin' up the country, and I ain't comin' back no more.

My suitcase is packed, my trunk's already gone
Oh, I'm leaving here baby, what the world you waitin' on?

Leaving here sweet baby, honey what you waiting on?

I say the Sliding Delta run right by my door,
I'm leaving here baby, honey don't you wanna go?

The big Kate Allen got ways just like a man,
Lord it steal your baby everytime she land.

Will steal your baby every time she land.

I'm going, I'm going
Up the country baby, honey don't you wanna go?

To the river this morning, I sat down on the ground,
Lord I had a good notion, hmm, jumpin' in and drown.

The Sliding Delta run right by my door,
I'm leaving here baby, honey don't you wanna go?

[Pan]

I've found the 1st and 2nd chorus from another forum. The rest (very little) is what I hear. Let's hope someone who is a native english speaker will finish the job . The Sliding Delta (or Delta Slide) apparently was a ( very slow) train, by the way.


Delta Slide done been here and gone
Well, the Delta Slide, babe, done been here and gone

Take me out o' the Delta, baby, 'fore the water rise.
Take me out o' the Delta, 'fore the water rise.
If I don't get drowned, baby, gonna sure, Lord, lose my mind.

Crying Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord,
Lord I wonder, 
But I can?t do nothing but hang my head and cry.

  I ain?t coming here no more,
  coming here no more,
Lord I?m going away to worry(?) you off my mind.

Crying Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord,
Lord I wonder,
 

Cheers

Pan

Edit: I'm afraid the MJH version is quite different

[banjochris]

Somewhere on Weenie I put all the lyrics up for this -- if you do a search I'm sure you'll find it. (And in the MJH version it should be Big Kate Adam).
Chris

[ToneWood]

double d'oh's!
I did a search for Slidin' Delta here and it yielded nothing. I'll try it again. I'm sorry to hear the MJH version is different. I had yet to compare the song with the lyric I'd posted.

My back itches.

cheers,

tw

[banjochris]

Apparently the d'oh is mine; I can't find it on here either. I know I posted the words to it, but I don't see them anywhere. Someone requested them. I'll be glad to listen to it again when I get home and post again.
Chris

[uncle bud]

You're not imagining things, Chris. You did post them. Unfortunately, when a member deleted all of his posts a little while ago, any thread that he started got deleted in totality. It's still a mess we need to clean up (there were some very informative posts that got thrown out with the bathwater). We've since changed deletion permissions for members so that others' work doesn't disappear when someone decides they want to remove themselves from our company. We can restore deleted threads/posts, and will restore a number of those that were deleted. For now, here's the lyrics you posted for Slidin' Delta.

Original post from banjochris:

Here's what I hear:

Delta slide done been here and gone
Say the Delta slide, baby, done been here and gone

Take me out the delta baby fore the water rise
Take me outta the delta, fore the water rise
And if I don't get drownded baby gonna sure Lord lose my mind

Cryin lord, lord, lord, lord lord
Lord I wonder what is I'm goin' do
Well I can't do nothin but hang my head and cry

Baby when I leave I ain't comin' here no more
When I leave here, comin' here no more
Lord I'm goin' away baby, worry you off my mind

Cryin' lord, lord, lord, lord, lord,
Lord I wonder, wonder to myself
Cryin' good Lord I wonder, and I wonder to myself

[Bunker Hill]

For those who might be interested in a transcription of J.D. Short's version it can be found at Stefan's JD discography. Scroll down to the bottom where the pages images of Bob Groom's Talking Blues feature are located. Directly below the cover image of B.B. King at piano, that page and the one to the left of it, has the transcription. Click on images to enlarge. Hope that makes sense

http://www.wirz.de/music/shortfrm.htm

[banjochris]

You're not imagining things, Chris. You did post them.

Thank goodness. And I was having one of those days where it was definitely possible I was hallucinating 
Thanks Uncle Bud
Chris

[waxwing]

John M taught TJ's Lonesome Home Blues (the second one, not the unissued earlier recording, two takes, that bears no resemblence) tuesday morning at PT this year. I really am attracted to the haunting vocal and guitar parts and have been working this up to performance lately. The lyrics are pretty tough, tho', particularly the first and last verses.

First I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a better copy. I have both the Document DOCD 5001, reissued in 2000 with some remastering, perhaps, and the JSP version, JSP7715D, from the Legends of Country Blues box, which seems to be a direct transfer from the Document, as they both have the glitch where the next groove of the 78 seems to bleed through for a few revolutions.

Here's what I have so far, mostly what we were able to come up with in John's class with some additions: [edited to reflect discussion below]



Lonesome Home Blues

Lonesome place don't seem like 's home to me
Now this old lonesome place, now Mama, (don't) seem like home to me

Now, Lord, I rose this morning, blues all round my bed
Mmmmm, rose this morning, the blues all round my bed
Had them blues so bad, Mama, 'til I couldn' raise up my head

If you wanna live easy, pack your clothes with mine
Mmmmm, wanna live easy, pack your clothes with mine
If you wanna live easy, Baby, pack your clothes with mine

Mmmmm, soon one mornin', blues come fallin' down
Mmmmm, soon one mornin', the blues come fallin' down
Well they fell so heavy that they caused my heart to moan

Well I'm goin' back home gon' fall down on my knees
Mmmmm, goin' back home gonna fall down on my knees
Says, I'm gon' acknowledge pretty baby, that I treat you mean

Have checked Bob McLeod's transcription in Yazoo 1-20 and that suggested the "lonesome place" as opposed to "goin' someplace" that we came up with in class for the first verse. Bob also hears a whole phrase in the last line that I just can't hear at all, which makes me think there is either a better copy available (well, available to Bob) or he has a good sense of humor.-G-

Any help appreciated.

All for now.
John C.

[CF]

Waxwing . . . this is a great tune, one of Tommy's most haunting ones that i've never heard anyone play before. I've taken several stabs at it over the last few years (this is in 'E' standard tuning & position right?) & seems to be a very creative & personal member of the 'Pony' family of songs. That first verse is virtually undecipherable altho' I'm hearing something like 'No it don't, whole god place now mama, seem like home to me' for the second line . . . everything else you have seems pretty close to me. Great great tune. 

[uncle bud]

In Big Road Blues, David Evans has the 1st verse as:

Lonesome place don't seem like it's home to me
Lord, this old lonesome place don't, mama, seem like it's home to me

2nd verse he has:

"I rose this morning..."

Hard to tell, really, IMO.

4th verse he has:

"...caused my heart to mourn"

5th verse he has:

"Says, I'll 'knowledge [as in "acknowledge"] now, pretty baby, that I treat you mean"

[banjochris]

That last line starts "Says I'm gonna acknowledge" to my ears as well. (I can even hear the "ac".)
Chris

[waxwing]

Hmm, I like "rose" for the 2nd verse, but it really sounds like "moan" in the 4th.

Yeah, after considerable listening, I think v.1 starts with "Lonesone place" as suggested by Bob McL., too.

And I also hear v.5 pretty much as David has it, except it sounds more like "Baby, Baby" than "pretty Baby" and, yeah, BC, I even hear the "ack". Man that was tough to hear, but I can make most of the sounds out. [Edit after further listening due to Chris' post -G-] Actually now I do hear the "pretty baby", but no "now". So I hear, "Say's I'm gon' acknowledge, pretty baby, that I treat you mean."

I think v.2 starts, "Now, Lord, I..." and I think in v.5 it's "fell so heavy", not "felt".

I'll make the changes as I now hear them, but welcome more suggestions. Also would still like to hear of a better copy. Anyone know how many copies of the 78 exist? Just wondering. I assume, since Bob transcribed it from Yazoo L-1007 (an LP), that there might be a Yazoo CD version around.

Yeah, CF, it is a killer tune, in E, as you say. Not a tremendously difficult song to suss out, as John M. said in class, but getting all those bends to sound good is really tough. I have to grip downward with middle, ring and sometimes index fingers to get all those bends and releases on the 4th fret, 4th string, smooth and clear.

Thanks for your help folks.

All for now.
John C.

[uncle bud]

I assume, since Bob transcribed it from Yazoo L-1007 (an LP), that there might be a Yazoo CD version around.

Is there a name for the LP? I haven't memorized catalog numbers. 

Edited to add: OK, did some Googling (but still don't memorize catalog numbers), and it is on the out of print Jackson Blues CD (and presumably LP) which I have. I'll take and listen and get back to you.