Dated 1920 and often cited as the first recorded blues I believe Crazy Blues deserves some serious listening time from guitar players with a jazz/ragtime bent. It's a song very rich in distinct 'parts', I identify three, arguably four, verse variations flowing one into another.
This creates a strong melodic backbone on which to hang the narrative and sustained interest throughout. Each verse type's musical structure counts as 'interesting' tending to fall slightly outside the well-worn ragtime/ jazz/ blues progressions; some are downright weird.
The lyrics are controversial and have spawned several dissertations available on the internet. Leon Redbone made a nice cover version and goes into creative mumbling mode where Mamie sang: "I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop / Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop".
I will post some chords in a guitar-friendly key when I've finished figuring it out. Which could be quite a long time so if anyone else has a take on it please post away and maybe we can get some collaboration going.
This transcription courtesy of http://www.tokyo-blues.com/Crazy_Blues-lyrics.html
I can't sleep at night
I can't eat a bite
'Cause the man I love
He don't treat me right.
He makes me feel so blue
I don't know what to do
Sometimes I'm sad inside
And then begin to cry
'Cause my best friend . . . said his last goodbye.
There's a change in the ocean
Change in the deep blue sea . . . but baby
I tell you folks there . . . ain't no change in me
My love for that man
Will always be.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't got no time to lose
I must find him today
Now the doctor's gonna do all . . . that he can
But what you gonna need is a undertaker man
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Now I can read his letter
I sure can't read his mind
I thought he's lovin'me . . .
He's leavint all the time
Now I see . . .
My poor love was Iyin'.
I went to the railroad
Hang my head on the track
Thought about my daddy
I gladly snatched it back
Now my babe's gone
And gave me the sack.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't had no time to lose
I must find him today
I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop
Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Those blues.
Composed by: Perry Bradford
Originally sung by: Mamie Smith
This creates a strong melodic backbone on which to hang the narrative and sustained interest throughout. Each verse type's musical structure counts as 'interesting' tending to fall slightly outside the well-worn ragtime/ jazz/ blues progressions; some are downright weird.
The lyrics are controversial and have spawned several dissertations available on the internet. Leon Redbone made a nice cover version and goes into creative mumbling mode where Mamie sang: "I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop / Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop".
I will post some chords in a guitar-friendly key when I've finished figuring it out. Which could be quite a long time so if anyone else has a take on it please post away and maybe we can get some collaboration going.
This transcription courtesy of http://www.tokyo-blues.com/Crazy_Blues-lyrics.html
I can't sleep at night
I can't eat a bite
'Cause the man I love
He don't treat me right.
He makes me feel so blue
I don't know what to do
Sometimes I'm sad inside
And then begin to cry
'Cause my best friend . . . said his last goodbye.
There's a change in the ocean
Change in the deep blue sea . . . but baby
I tell you folks there . . . ain't no change in me
My love for that man
Will always be.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't got no time to lose
I must find him today
Now the doctor's gonna do all . . . that he can
But what you gonna need is a undertaker man
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Now I can read his letter
I sure can't read his mind
I thought he's lovin'me . . .
He's leavint all the time
Now I see . . .
My poor love was Iyin'.
I went to the railroad
Hang my head on the track
Thought about my daddy
I gladly snatched it back
Now my babe's gone
And gave me the sack.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't had no time to lose
I must find him today
I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop
Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Those blues.
Composed by: Perry Bradford
Originally sung by: Mamie Smith