Topic: Guitar Shorty Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Guitar Shorty (John Henry Fortescue) recorded "Don't Cry, Baby" for his Trix album, "Guitar Shorty-Alone In His Field". He accompanied himself in EAEGBE tuning, as he did for all of his songs. Shorty could be really funny and entertaining on occasion, and like other musicians who could be funny (Furry Lewis comes to mind), I think there can be a tendency to underrate his musicianship and musical gifts. In fact, he was a very strong, accomplished and original guitarist and he utilized and discovered a lot of ideas and possibilities in EAEGBE tuning that had not been found by previous guitarists who had utilized that tuning. Moreover, he had the ability to improvise lyrics and expressed himself with great freedom in the blues. "Don't Cry, Baby" does sound like many of the lyrics Shorty sings are arriving in the moment. That last verse is amazing. Here is "Don't Cry, Baby":



INTRO

Baby, don't moan, don't cry, baby
Don't cry, baby, baby don't, please don't cry on my shoulder
Baby, you cry so much, darlin', honey, you know I don't know what to do

Said, I'm go home, and I ain't gon' stay here no more
No, I ain't gon' stay here, ain't gon' stay here no more
You know the ways I got, baby, gonna make me lose my mind

Tell me I'm gon' put on my highway shoes, I'm gon' get on down the road
Yeah, I'm gon' put on my highmay [sic] shoe, I'm gonna get on down the road
You know the womens up North, they don't care nothin' 'bout me

I say, hey, hey, ain't it a low-down dirty shame?
Ain't, and it's a low-down dirty shame, boy, there the way I gotta travel by myself?
You know, I'm gon' take my guitar, baby, I'm gonna take my bar, carry my business on

Yes, you ever darlin', try to ever treat me like a friend
Oh babe, (Spoken: Aw, I got the blues!) don't you ever treat me like a friend
You know the way that I got, baby, hooo-well, I'm tryin' to lose my own weary mind

CODA

Edited 11/4 to pick up corrections from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

Said, I'm go home, and I ain't gon' stay here no more
(Lord) -No-, I ain't gon' stay here, ain't gon' stay here no more
You know the ways I got, baby, gonna make me lose my mind

I hear "no stay" for verse 2. "Bad" english but it works with Shorty's weird/improvised lines.


4.2 Ain't, (ain't) -and it is- a low-down dirty shame

Clsoing line - I'm tryin' to lose my -own- weary mind

[Johnm]

Thanks for the catches, Blues Vintage, that's some good hearing!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Guitar Shorty's "Workin' Hard" comes from his Trix album, "Alone In His Field", and he accompanied it in EAEGBE tuning as he did all of his songs. The song is pretty clearly improvised both instrumentally and lyrically, and he changes the form as he goes to suit the arrival of his ideas. I'd appreciate help with the bent bracketed passages and anything else I have wrong. Shorty was clearly aggrieved here and was seeking justice, musically at least. I suspect the scenario he outlines in the song was not at all uncommon. Here is "Workin' Hard":



I been working hard, just working hard
Working hard, I been working hard, for that
Man, gonna let me down

I been working hard, gonna let me down, sure gonna let me
Down, when I work, I
Can't get my pay, 'til I want it

I done worked all night, for my pay
Ain't this a crime, she left enough
I worked, though, and I'll work 'til the day I die

I work, I'm a working, working man
I'm a wor-, I'm a working, working man
When I started to workin' for the man, he don't want to give my pay
I gotta run that man down for to get my money

I gotta run that man down for to get my money
I gotta run, run that man, get my money
When I find that man, he's somewhere that's hidin' inn the bushes to hide from me
You better stop it, better stop it, your hiding from me

Look: One man told me last night, "Shorty, don't you need to worry,
You gonna have some money." As
Long as you live, a-don't you never, a-run and hide a man as long you live, don't you
Run, don't you run, behind that man

INTERLUDE

Don't you never, run behind man, for your money
I'm a-say, "And there's that man, I done begged him every night."
I said, "Mister, have my money, a-ready for payday."

He's gonna have my money for payday, I'm gonna stop that man as soon as I change, I done
Told that man, "Have my money, when I get there."

INTERLUDE

"Please now, mister, have my money, when I get there."

Look: I'm gon' tell you, a-what that man say,
"Shorty, you stay drunk all the time.", I said,
"You lied to me, yes you lied to me,
Lied to me, 'cause I don't stay drunk every day."

He said, "Where you get your money?", I said, "Don't you worry 'bout that!
Man, Good Lord above give me my money so I can have my strength,
That's my money! I say, that's my money!
Don't you worry 'bout that, 'cause Good Lord fixin' to get my money."

"You don't have to pay me nohow. You're gonna pay me some day.
You better watch out. Good Lord gon' pay me my money."

HUMMING (Spoken: Play it, Shorty, go on now. Yeah!)

And the Good Lord gonna take my life from me
You don't give me, don't a-pay you my money
He'll pay you my money, gon' pay my money, here's somebody goin' in the ground

I take my arm, use my arm go to work
I lift a hundred fertilize' bag, I lift it up and put in the truck
I kill myself for y'all, and y'all don't want to even pay my money
Come on, give me my money, 'fore y'all die

INTERLUDE

Don't want you give me my money, give me my money, afore I die

You can't give it to me, a-give it to my wife I love
Yes, give me my money, a-give it to my wife, I love

Y'all don't want to pay me my money, don't want to pay me my money nowhere

I'll get in the field, working just as hard as I can be
I'll get in the field, I'll work my money on out
You gon' tell me some lie, and there sure, Guitar Shorty, Good God, some lyin'

You done lie to me! You just a-lyin' to me!
You're just a-lyin' to me. You're just a-lyin' to me (Spoken: Aww, ain't that somethin', go on, boy!)
You just a-lyin' to me, Guitar Shorty ain't lyin' to nobody else.

INTERLUDE (Spoken: Yeah! Go on, boy! All right)

CODA (Spoken: Guitar Shorty)

Edited 5/8 to pick up corrections from Blues Vintage, banjochris and Johnm

All best,
Johnm 

 



 


 

 
 

[Blues Vintage]

Lost track of the verses, if you can call it that


2.3 Can't get my pay(check) -child or chile-, I want it

Ain't this a prize, -she'll never knowed/loved-

When I started to work over [the land] -the man-

5.3 When I find that man, he's somewhere -layin', hiding in the bushes and hiding from me-

-Lord- gonna pay me some day.
Good Lord (gon') -don't- pay me my money."

Praise (y'all) -Shorty-

I kill myself and -y'all-

don't want to pay me my money -nowhere-

You -don't- tell me some lie

[banjochris]

I know I'm probably missing some of these, but:

2.3 sounds like Can't get my PAY TILL I want it – or maybe PAY, CHILD I want it

3.1 I think it's WORKED
3/2 Ain't this a CRYIN' SHAME, ??


4.3 When I started to WORKIN' FOR THE MAN...

5.3 When I find that man, he's somewhere that's HIDIN' IN THE BUSH to hide from me

6.1 ...LAST night

7.2 I'm a-say, "And there's that man, I BEEN BEGGIN' every night."

8.3 "You lied to me, YES YOU LIED to me,

9.1 He said, "Where you get your money?", I said, "Don't YOU worry 'bout that!

9.2 Man, Good Lord above give me my money SO I CAN have my STRENGTH,

9.4 Don't you worry 'bout that, 'cause Good Lord fixin' FOR ME [TO] GET my money."

10.1 "You DON'T HAVE TO pay me nohow. You're gonna pay me some day.

HUMMING (PLAY IT SHORTY...

11.2 You don't give me, DON'T-a pay you my money

11.3 YOU DON'T PAY ME my money, YOU GON' pay my money, here's somebody goin' in the ground

12.1 I take my ARM, USE MY ARM go to work

12.3 I kill myself FOR Y'ALL, and Y'ALL DON'T WANT to even pay my money

12.4 YOU GON' give me my money, 'fore y'all die

13.2 YES give me my money, a-give it to my wife, I love

14.1 Y'ALL DON'T pay me my money, don't want to pay me my money NOWHERE

16.1 You DONE lie to me! You just lyin' to me!

[banjochris]

PS that's almost as hard as transcribing "oh the joy" in "I Am in the Heavenly Way."

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for the help, Blues Vintage and banjochris. The line-by-line was super helpful, Chris. Musically, Guitar Shorty strikes me as a sort of East Coast version of Smoky Babe. Both players had tremendous rhythmic drive and an ability to come up with lyrics on the fly--I think Smoky Babe's  "Hottest Brand Goin'" has a very similar feel to "Workin' Hard" though in "Hottest Brand Goin'" Smoky Babe is bragging about his workplace rather than registering a complaint.