Topic: Buddy Boy Hawkins lyrics

[Blind Arthur]

Trying my best here on Yellow Woman Blues...recorded right after Working On The Railroad. Several parts I cannot make out though....help much appreciated!

Yellow Woman Blues

Ah, yellow woman, you have poison like a rattlesnake,   [they?]
I?m  talkin? ?bout a yellow woman, boy, they?ve poison like a rattlesnake,   [goin?? you?]
And when they get started, boys, there?s no quizzlin? and no playin?.  [? on the plate?]

Spoken: Ah, listen here, boys!   [I wanna see you, boys!  ?]
Some people crave for trouble, ain?t now satisfied with these,   [and now?]
Some people crave this trouble, ain?t now satisfied with these,   [and now?]
Spoken: I know that?s right!
Just listen to a high yellow and trouble won?t never cease.   (kick in...trouble [y?]won?t never see)

Spoken: Listen here, boys!
Trouble and worries have killed more people than an?thin? else,
Spoken: I know that?s right!
I?m talking ?bout trouble and worries, partner, will kill more people than anything else, [?]
Spoken: How come I know? ?Cause they killed my mom.
And if they kill all to you, don?t blame nobody else but yourself. [kill the whole? keyhole to you?]

Now listen here!

Boys,
If you hear the song again and don?t take my advice,
Spoken: How come my Anne don?t take my advice! You better take my advice, too!
If you hear this song, boys, and don?t take my advice,
Spoken: What I want to do? How come?
?Cause it might cause you, partner, to lose your life.

[cru423]

I think it's probably "High yellow evil, brown evil too"

Probably so, Chris. It would be unusual for the n-word to be in this song, though not so rare. And thanks, John. Hobble skirt! who would've guessed? There's another riddle to "Snatch it and Grab it". I was hearing a word that sounded like "dude" in the line,

"Cause now you know gal that I'm your pal,
A hands-off kind of a "      "

Well, I was listening to Walter Vinson today, and I heard the same distinct word in, "Every Dog Must Have His Day",

"It used to give me misery,
boy, that was a "dolt/dolch"?

This must be one of those words that phased out of usage quite some time ago. Any ideas on what it is would be appreciated.

My best guess meanwhile is that it seems to be some kind of slang word from "dolch", german for "dagger". Some of the words we cuss with today like, "dolt/dork/dick" all come from the same family. 

[Johnm]

Hi cru423,
I'm hearing a number of things pretty differently in "Snatch It and Grab It".  I'll quote what you posted, and put what I'm hearing in bent brackets:
I bought my gal a hobble skirt
Boy she dressed up like a blitheful bud
Now everytime me and her starts out
Boy she would slide down in the mud
I said look here black gal now don't go too far  [I said, "Look-a here, black gal, now don't you get smart"]
She better start walking around and drift away
Cause there ain't but the one thing I'm gonna do:
I'm gonna keep my hobble skirt!

I'm gonna snatch it, grab it, anyway I can get it
I'm gonna carry it back unto it's home   [I'm gonna carry it back, uh, to that store] 
Cause now you know, gal, that I'm your pal
A hands-off kind of a "dolt"  [I ain't some kind of a joke]

Now all you women dressing up and looking neat
Now you ain't got a pair of shoes on your feet   [Now, you ain't got a pair of shoes at your feet]
I'm gonna snatch it, grab it, anyway I can get it
I'm gonna carry it back to it's home  [I'm gonna carry it back-a to the store, I mean]
I'm gonna take it back to it's home  [I'm gonna take it back to the store]

I think in the later refrains of the song, he enunciates "back to that store" more cleanly than he does in the first refrain.

All best,
Johnm

 

[cru423]

That's interesting, John, I'll have to listen again, to those lyrics. Thanks. 

[banjochris]

I agree with what John has mostly -- a couple suggestions, this is a toughie:

Boy she dressed up like a black [??] bird (can't make out the middle part)

I said, "Look-a here, black gal, now don't you get smart,"
"She better stop to walkin' 'round me dressed so high."

Agree with "back to the store"

And I think the last line of the first part of the chorus is "I has all kind of-a dough"

Agree with "at your/her feet"

[banjochris]

Trying my best here on Yellow Woman Blues...recorded right after Working On The Railroad. Several parts I cannot make out though....help much appreciated!

Yellow Woman Blues

Ah, yellow woman, you have poison like a rattlesnake,   [they?]
I?m  talkin? ?bout a yellow woman, boy, they?ve poison like a rattlesnake,   [goin?? you?]
And when they get started, boys, there?s no quizzlin? and no playin?.  [? on the plate?]

Spoken: Ah, listen here, boys!   [I wanna see you, boys!  ?]
Some people crave for trouble, ain?t now satisfied with these,   [and now?]
Some people crave this trouble, ain?t now satisfied with these,   [and now?]
Spoken: I know that?s right!
Just listen to a high yellow and trouble won?t never cease.   (kick in...trouble [y?]won?t never see)

Spoken: Listen here, boys!
Trouble and worries have killed more people than an?thin? else,
Spoken: I know that?s right!
I?m talking ?bout trouble and worries, partner, will kill more people than anything else, [?]
Spoken: How come I know? ?Cause they killed my mom.
And if they kill all to you, don?t blame nobody else but yourself. [kill the whole? keyhole to you?]

Now listen here!

Boys,
If you hear the song again and don?t take my advice,
Spoken: How come my Anne don?t take my advice! You better take my advice, too!
If you hear this song, boys, and don?t take my advice,
Spoken: What I want to do? How come?
?Cause it might cause you, partner, to lose your life.

See what you think of these:

1.1 THEY ALL poison
1.2 THEY ARE poison
1.3 there's no PUTTIN' ON NO BRAKE.

can't make out that next spoken aside
2.1 and 2.2 crave FOR trouble AND NOT satisifed with EASE (I think, hard to hear that last word)
2.3 Just GET YOU a high yellow

3.2 will kill YOU QUICKER than anything else
3.3 And if they GET OVER TO YOU,

4 (first aside) I'M TALKIN' ABOUT AND don't take my advice

[Alexei McDonald]

I agree with what John has mostly -- a couple suggestions, this is a toughie:

Boy she dressed up like a black [??] bird (can't make out the middle part)

I think she's "dressed up like a black *crow* bird"

[banjochris]

That sounds right, Alexei, thanks!

[Johnm]

That is great hearing, Chris and Alexei.  Well done!
All best,
Johnm

[Norfolk Slim]

I've been listening to Jail House Fire Blues.  I think I have most of it pretty solidly, but theres a bit in the last verse which seems to me to be just a noise rather than real words.  Any educated guesses?


(spoken) Hey Mr Jailer, Jailhouse burned down.

Mr Jailer don't sleep so sound
Mr Jailer I said don't sleep so sound
Jailhouse on fire
and its all burning down

You got that woman I love in that jailhouse now
I said the woman I love, in the jailhouse now
please mr jailer got get her outta there somehow

Ooo my woman's in trouble now
I said ooo mama my broads in trouble now
I said well one of these cold mornings,
Gonna get her out of jail

When I get my little {        }
Up country bound
I said when I get my {        }
I'm going up the country bound
Mr Jailer I hope the jailhouse burns down

[dj]

When I get my little FAIR BROWNIE NOW, up the country bound
I said when I get my FAIR BROWN, BUDDY BOY, I'm going up the country bound
AND THEN Mr Jailer {AH/I} I hope the jailhouse burns down

[Norfolk Slim]

Thanks DJ.  I can just about hear those words now you set them out- though the delivery is crazy

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Buddy Boy Hawkins' "Shaggy Dog Blues" was the first transcription in this thread, but there were a number of unincorporated suggestions and so much water has been passed since then (in the words of Sam Goldwyn) that I thought I'd just start over on it.  I'd very much appreciate help with the last word of the first line of the third verse, which I believe Buddy Boy Hawkins may have mis-spoke, saying "stall" when he meant to say "dog", as he does in the second line.  Here is the song, and did Buddy Boy Hawkins ever have a beautiful sound on the guitar in Spanish tuning!  He and Peg Leg Howell always sounded so great.



INTRO

Going up on the mountain, I'm gonna root just like a hog
I say, I'm going up on the mountain, trying' to root like a hog
Because the women around here, they treat a good man like a dog

Hey, dicky-dicky-dee, dee-dee-dee-dah-dah-dah-dah-dee-dee-dah-dee-dah
I say, hey, dee-dee-dee, dee-dee-dee, dee-dee-dee, dah-dee-dah
I say, hey, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee

I say, I'd rather be shaggy, mama, like a dog
I say, I'd rather be shaggy, mama, just like a dog
Then to hear my little jet black woman say, Buddy Boy, she don't need me no more

When you see two old jet black women, standin' off, talkin' so long
When you see two old women, standin' off, talkin' so long (Spoken: How come I say that?)
Bet your life there's something goin' on wrong

My Mama told me, my Papa told me, too
I say, my Mama told me, my Daddy told me, too (Spoken:  What she told me?)
"Son, these women 'round here, just simply won't do."

Edited 4/30 to pick up correction from Prof Scratchy

All best,
Johnm



 

[Prof Scratchy]

What a great performance! ?Dog? certainly makes most sense for the first line of verse three.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Prof!  "Dog" it is--I don't know what my problem was yesterday.  I will make the change.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm