Topic: Blind Blake Lyrics

[Blues Vintage]

4.3 When I one went to pay that man

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Blake recorded "New Style of Loving" at a session in Chicago in September of 1928, accompanying himself in C position, standard tuning. It seems possible that there is only one copy of this recording in the hands of collectors, for the versions available on youtube are all seriously whupped. Blake's solo is really frenetic, almost nutty. I'd appreciate correction/corroboration of the bent bracketed place in the lyrics or anything else I have wrong. Here is "New Style of Loving":



SPOKEN: Aw, this new style of lovin', everybody's crazy about

INTRO

My sweetie asked me t' other day, why all the damies croon my way
REFRAIN: Lord, the new style of lovin', they all crazy about
If you be my sweet mama, I'll show you what it's all about

I had a gal I used to love for myself, I tried to quit her and she killed herself
REFRAIN: Lord, this new style of lovin', they all crazy 'bout
And if you be my sweet mama, I'll show you what it's all about

SOLO

I saw a crowd on the corner, I wonder what could it be? Nothin' but these womens tryin' to get to me
REFRAIN: Lord, this new style of lovin', they all crazy 'bout
And if you'd be my sweet mama, I show you what it's all about

Walkin' to the depot, suitcase in my hand, women runnin' in, cryin', hollerin', "Papa, be my man!"
REFRAIN: Hey, this new style of lovin', they all crazy about
If you be my sweet mama, I'll show you what it's all about

This new style of lovin', Lord, must be best. These women in this town just won't let me rest
REFRAIN: Hey, the new style of lovin', they all crazy about
And if you be my sweet mama, I'll show you what it's all about

CODA

All best,
Johnm

 

[Blues Vintage]

SOLO (Spoken: Boy, this rag of mine is too tight! Extraordinary tight)

D

I have to use a lot of imagination to hear "extra".

[Blues Vintage]

New Style of Loving

This would be a obvious guess (but maybe too easy);

why all the ladies come my way

[Stuart]

Re: New Style of Loving

At full speed I hear, "damies (sp?) croon my way"

Slowed down I hear "gamies" (sp?)

I didn't find any "standard" definitions or usages for either word that fit the context. I'm assuming "croon my way" means to sing in my style, so "damie" would be slang for a person, probably an adult male. The Urban Dictionary has a definition for "dami" that fits, but it doesn't say whether it existed ~100 years ago. If so, I would expect to see it cited elsewhere.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Dami

It might have been local slang that remained local and fell out of usage--Just a guess and hard to say for sure.

[Johnm]

Hi Stuart,
Thanks for running down that etymology. It seems to be related to "dame" and/or "dames", and thus female. "Croon my way" could also mean "croon in my direction" as opposed to "croon as I do". That's good enough for me. I'm going to go with it.
All best,
John

[Stuart]

Hi John: It sounds good to me. Even though I think it's less than clear cut, going with the mainstream interpretation makes good sense.

You are correct about the record being whupped. I'd have better luck transcribing the surface noise than the lyrics.

As Always,

Stuart

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Blake recorded "Skeedle Loo Doo Blues" at a session in Chicago in November of 1926, accompanying himself out of C position in standard tuning. It's amazing the way he kept up his tempo and energy in such an extemporaneous performance. It's kind of crazy to transcribe lyrics for such a song, but what the heck. Here is "Skeedle Loo Doo Blues":



INTRO

I was walking down the street, my gal I chanced to meet
"Daddy, where you stay last night? You know you hadn't treat me right."

Said, "All night long, skeedle loo doin' that's all
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do
Skeedle loo doo always on my my-my-mind
Skeedle loo doo makes me feel so fi-fi-fi-fine, uh,
Skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo now
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do."

INTERLUDE (Spoken: Everybody skee. Skeed, I know you would, too.)

Skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo
Skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo now,
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeedle loo, skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo
Skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo
Skeedle loo doo makes me feel so blue, blue-blue-blue
Skeedle loo doo always on my, ma-ma-ma- mind
Skeedle loo doo makes me feel so, blue, blue-blue-blue
Skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo dooskeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo now
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeedle loo doo (Spoken: Oh makes me feel so, fi-fine
Skeedle loo doo always on my, ma-ma-ma-ma mind
Ha-ha-ha, ha), skeedle loo doo, skeedle lee doo, oh it's
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeedle loo (Spoken: all night long, skeedle loo, gonna stay long
Skeedle loo doo, that's all we gon' do, skeedle loo doo, now that's all we gon' do)
Skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo, now it's
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeedle loo doo (Spoken: all night long)
Skeedle loo doo (Spoken: all day, too)
Skeedle loo doo (Spoken: If you can't see it, I know who can!)
You skeedle loo doo, I know you would
Skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo, now
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo doo
Skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo doo, skee
Skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo, now it's
Skeedle loo doo, that's all I do

Skeelde loo, skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo (Spoken: Let us keep for your last time skeedle loo)
Skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo doo, skeedle loo, skeedle loo doo doo

CODA

Edited 7/10 to pick up correction from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm
   

[banjochris]

I don't know the meaning of the "set 'em" stanzas.

I think it's just a dance call – from Wikipedia's "Glossary of country dance terms":
Set – a dancer steps right, closes with left foot and shifts weight to it, then steps back to the right foot (right-together-step); then repeats the process mirror-image (left-together-step).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_country_dance_terms

Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks for the clarification, Chris.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Blind Blake recorded "What A Low Down Place The Jailhouse Is" at a session in Grafton, Wisconsin on May 29, 1930, accompanying himself in C position, standard tuning. The song has a unique, as far as I know, eight-bar structure with a refrain. Banjochris did most of the heavy lifting in transcribing these lyrics earlier in this thread, in a version that was never exactly completed. I'm hearing a couple of places slightly differently and would appreciate help with anything I've gotten wrong. Ari Eisinger does a really nice version of this song. Here is "What a Low Down Place The Jail House Is":



INTRO SOLO

I'm here in jail, feeling mighty bad, jailhouse blues the worst I've ever had
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

Lord, it's hell to sit there like a rat in his hole, eating cornbread from the floors and beans out of a bowl
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

Iron bars all around me, iron chains on my feet, I'll give half my life, be out on the street
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

I sure was a fool to go and break the law, sure was a fool to sock that woman in her jaw
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

I asked for mercy, the judge give me a year, I'll never speak to that woman when I get out of here
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

There's a man in my cell who stabbed his wife, only got thirty days to enjoy his life
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

He's always holl'in', moanin' on the floor, just the same, to the electric chair he will go
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

That poor man yells, he chokes and coughs, sure, God, glad I ain't that bad off
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

You can cry if you want to and you can weep and wail, the guard don't care if you die in this jail
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

If I ever get out, I'll swear on my soul, "I never lose my head over no more jellyroll!", but I say
REFRAIN: Why didn't somebody tell me what a low-down place the jailhouse is?

CODA

Edited 7/10 to pick up corrections from banjochris and Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm 

[banjochris]

Only thing I see is
4.1 ...IN HER JAW

there's a much cleaner copy of this on one of the Blues Images calendar CDs, I forget which volume, but it's not on YouTube.

Chris

[Blues Vintage]

Skeedle Loo Doo Blues

I'm not gonna check the entire song

verse 1

I think the gal says the second line

I was walking down the street, my gal I chanced to meet
"Baby, Daddy where you stay last night? You know you hadn't treat me right."

Said, Been "All night long, skeedle loo doin' that's all

[Johnm]

Thanks, Chris for the correction in "What A . . . .". I've made that change. And thanks, Blues Vintage, for the catch on "Daddy" at the beginning of "Skeedle Loo Doo Blues"--I've made that change, as well. "Said" in the next line is correct, so I won't change that. Congratulations on not proofing the whole song--I'd say that shows good sense.

[Stuart]

...there's a much cleaner copy of this on one of the Blues Images calendar CDs, I forget which volume, but it's not on YouTube.

Chris

Thanks for the reminder, Chris. It's on Volume 5 (Track 10)

The composer is given as Lamoore (aka Alex Robinson) on the label.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3434403-ALamoore