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A great piece. Guitar all but inaudible. Raw Sludge. Literally fantastic. They were probably street singers who sang lots of songs about happenings in the news. Wish we could hear news like this now - John Fahey, on William and Versey Smith, When That Great Ship Went Down

Author Topic: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics  (Read 2041 times)

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Offline Johnm

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Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« on: August 09, 2016, 06:50:28 AM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight (Louis Washington) recorded several titles in the mid-'30s.  I discovered his music in the course of looking for music to post in the "What is This Musician Doing?" thread.  He was a pretty rough player, with some interesting and original ideas, and he had a warm singing voice.  For his recording of "Tallahassee Women", he accompanied himself out of G position in standard tuning.  Lyrically, the song is related to such songs as "Deep Elum Blues" or "Down in Black Bottom", focusing on the dangers/allure of rough neighborhoods.  Here is his performance:



When you get in Tallahassee, put your money down in your shoes
Tallahassee women, they sure put a messin' on you, now,
Lord, I'm goin' to Tallahassee, I got these Tallahassee blues
Yes, these Tallahassee women sure put a messin' on you

Yes, I was walkin' down the street the other day, my Hattie on my mind
A woman walks up to me, baby, wants me to buy one drink of 'shine
I told her, "I'm goin' back, I ain't got no money to spend.
But I'll buy you one drink, baby, when I see you again."

Tell me, ain't no need in worry, ain't no need to feel bad
The folks down in Tallahassee made me spend all the money you ever had
Lord, these Tallahassee women, they put a messin' on you
But I can tell you one thing, I got these Tallahassee blues

Mama, I don't feel good, I don't feel bad
I never had a gal like the one I have had, now,
That was down in Tallahassee, where I had these Tallahassee blues
I got these blues so bad, don't know what in the world to do

When you go down in Smokey Hollow, put your money down in your shoes
Them Smokey Hollow women sure will put a messin' on you, now,
You go down in Smokey Hollow, put your money in your shoes
Yes, them Smokey Hollow women, they sure will put a messin' on you

SOLO

Now, I'm feelin' so bad, I'm feelin' so sad
I ain't had a drink so long, 'til I feelin' so bad, now,
I swear, and I'm goin' to Tallahassee, got these Tallahassee blues
When you get in Tallahassee, the woman put a messin' on you

All best,
Johnm


 

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2016, 01:34:05 PM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight accompanied himself out of G position in standard tuning for his recording of "Run Sinner Run", a song recorded by Blind Joe Taggart as "I Ain't No Sinner Now" and by the Carter Family as "Crying Holy Unto the Lord".  Tallahassee Tight has a lot of nice touches in his accompaniment and really gives the song his all, vocally.  Here is his rendition:



INTRO

Lord, I ain't no stranger now
Lord, I ain't no stranger now
Lord, if I could, I surely would
Stand on the rock where Moses stood

Sinner, run and hide your face
Sinners, run and hide your face
A-won't you run to the rock and hide your face
For I ain't no stranger now

Lord, I ain't no stranger now
Lord, I ain't no stranger now
I been introdu-ced to the Father and the Son
Cried, I ain't no stranger now

If I could, mmm-mmm, surely would, mm-mm-mmm
If I could, mmm-mmm, I surely would, mmm-mmm
Ah, if I could, I surely would, stand on the rock, mmm-mmm
Where Moses stood

Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm
Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm
Mm-mmm-mmm-mmm, mmm-hmm-mmm
Mm-mm-mmm, mm-mm-mmm-mmm

Sinner, run and hide your face
Sinner, run and hide your face
Want you run to the rock and hide your face
Lord, I ain't no stranger now

Lord, I ain't no stranger now, mmm-mmm
Lord, I ain't no stranger now
Yes, I been introdu-ced to the Father and the Son
Cried, I ain't, mmmmmm

All best,
Johnm


« Last Edit: August 24, 2016, 01:39:25 PM by Johnm »

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2016, 09:45:24 AM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight played "Coast Line Blues" out of G position in standard tuning.  The song is in the "Sitting On Top of the World" family, a 9-bar blues with a refrain at the end of each verse.  I'm having a tough time hearing the end of the first line of the second verse and would sure appreciate some help with it.  Here is the song:



INTRO

I went down the Coast Line depot, get me a Coast Line train, saw my baby standin', here we goin' again
REFRAIN: I told her, "Bye-bye, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

"I"m goin' away to leave you, I won't be back no more, maybe I'll see you, baby, some lousy door."
REFRAIN: I said, "Bye-bye, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

I got me a train for Memphis, goin' to Memphis, Tennessee, just to find my regular, or my used- to-be
REFRAIN: I told her, "Bye-bye, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

I didn't, me no chest, I didn't even have me no pack, it may be a thousand years, before I'll be back
REFRAIN: I said, "Bye-bye, I mean, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

SOLO ON VERSE
REFRAIN: "Bye-bye, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

Now that train got water, and coal on down the road, it was a long time, baby, 'fore I'd find this home
REFRAIN: I said, "Bye-bye, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

I didn't even hear no whistle, I didn't hear no train blow, wonder, when I went away, baby, to leave you just dry long so
REFRAIN: I said, "Bye-bye, woman, bye-bye, you got this whole round world in your hands."

Edited 9/4 to pick up line from waxwing

All best,
Johnm
 

 
« Last Edit: September 05, 2016, 06:41:06 AM by Johnm »

Offline waxwing

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2016, 11:06:03 AM »
I think that is "some lousy door", Johnm. And an interesting addition to the SoTotW family it is.

Wax
« Last Edit: September 04, 2016, 11:07:04 AM by waxwing »
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
George Bernard Shaw

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22

http://www.youtube.com/user/WaxwingJohn
CD on YT

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2016, 11:25:27 AM »
Thanks very much for the help, Wax.  The sound is sure right, and I've made the change.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2018, 09:41:58 AM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight (Louis Washington) accompanied himself out of G position in standard tuning for his "Homesick Blues".  He had his own sound in G position, and it was a pretty exciting one.  Here it is:



I got this homesickness blues, baby, I want to leave this town
I got this homesickness blues, baby, Lord, I want to leave this town
All my suitcases packed, baby, I'm on the road, I'm bound

I'm so doggone worried, don't know what in the world I oughta do
I'm so doggone worried, baby, don't know what in the world to do
I got this homesickness blues, I gotta leave from here

Know if I feel tomorrow, just like I feel today
If I feel tomorrow, baby, baby, like I feel today
I'm gonna pack up my suitcase, make a long get-away

Tell me, and I'm goin' back down South, where the sun shines all the time
And I'm goin' back down South, woman, where the sun shine all the time
Than I have all my pretty gals, I know it all can be mine

Now when you see me comin', baby, want you to put your lovin' man out of doors
Now when you see me comin', baby, want you to put your lovin' man outdoors
Yes, you know I ain't no stranger, baby, knocked on your door before

All best,
Johnm

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2018, 11:13:09 AM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight accompanied himself out of D position in dropped-D tuning for "Jealous Man".  It's interesting how much more commonplace the use of dropped-D tuning has become since 1960--prior to that, it was pretty rarely encountered, though there were certainly some players who utilized it a lot.  I'm not at all sure I have the next-to-last verse correct, especially the first two  lines, and would sure appreciate some help with it.  Here is "Jealous Man":



Jealous man, jealous man, tell me what in the world you wanna do
Jealous man, jealous man, tell me what in the world you do
Tell me, you go out one door, next thing, the back door you're coming in

My mama built me a big bungalow, on Jackson Avenue
My mama built me a bungalow, on Jackson Avenue
So I can see everything, that my baby do

Woman, I'm gon' buy me a little bulldog, to watch me while I'm asleep
I'm a-buy me a bulldog, to watch me while I'm asleep
I want to keep my baby, from makin' her 'fore-day creep

Tell me the grief start in the mornin', some time before then
Tell me the grief start in the mornin', woman, some time before day
There's a fly-away when your woman, want to leave you and go away

Tell me, you can always tell when your woman got a man on you
Now, you can always tell, when your woman got a man on you
She have your meals unregular, and your house ain't never clean

All best,
Johnm   

« Last Edit: December 15, 2019, 10:30:56 AM by Johnm »

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2019, 10:52:56 AM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight (Louis Washington) accompanied himself out of G position in standard position for his recording of "Had A Dream That Troubled Me".  The song has similarities to "Take Your Burden To The Lord And Leave It There", especially in the third line, "If you trust God and don't doubt, he will surely pull a-you out".  Here is Tallahassee Tight's performance:



INTRO

Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me
Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me
If you trust God and don't doubt, he will surely pull a-you out
Lord, I had a dream last night, it worried me

Yes, the hell-bound train is a-coming, yes, and listen how she's painted in black
The children, all of them, start to runnin', and the devil, he called 'em back
Lord, listen how he rung the bell, a-he can drive right down to hell
Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me

Yes, the heaven-bound train now is coming, yes, King Jesus is the engineer
Yes, and all the sinners gettin' ready to move there, gettin' ready to meet the air
And if you trust God, and a-don't doubt, a-He will surely pull a-you out
Oh Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me

(Hummed verse)
Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me

Don't you look up on the top of the mountain, a-it's the Savior standing there, to behold
A-yes, I hear the voice crying from Jesus, a-yes it's tight, has me hold
It's the last time I'll be blue, goodbye, children, I'm gon' be with you
Lord, I had a dream last night, worried me

All best,
Johnm 

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2022, 04:53:15 PM »
Hi all,
Tallahassee Tight (Louis Washington) recorded "Screaming Woman", accompanying himself in D position in dropped-D tuning at a session in New York City on January 24, 1934. It turns out that for his religious titles he was listed as Louis Washington, and for his blues he was billed as Tallahassee Tight. He doesn't really sound like anyone else who played in dropped-D, and he had a vocal mannerism of beginning lines with "Tell me", as in "They tell me". Here is "Screaming Woman" and I'd very much appreciate help with any parts I can't get or correction of parts I have wrong.



INTRO

I got me a screaming woman, Lordy, she screams all the time
I got me a screaming woman, Lord, she screams all the time
And if she keep on screaming, you gon' run my feeling down

Tell me she scream every morning, just about 'fore day
Tell me she scream every morning, just about 'fore day
Tell me done screamed so mournful, about to drive me away

Woman, did you ever see peaches, grows on a sweet potato vine?
Woman, did you ever see peaches, grows on a sweet potato vine?
You oughta step in my back yard, baby, and look at this good gal of mine

Tell me she ain't so good-lookin', Lord, she don't dress too fine
Tell me she ain't good-lookin', Lord, she don't dress never so fine
But she's a easy-goin' gal, Good Lord, she likes to take her time

Mmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmmm
Mmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmmm
Mmmmmmmmmm, Mmmm-hmmm-mmm

Edited 3/3 to pick up correction from banjochris

All best,
Johnm
 
« Last Edit: March 03, 2022, 08:38:14 PM by Johnm »

Offline banjochris

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2022, 05:27:58 PM »
Best I can come up with for that bracketed bit, John, is that he meant to sing "easy" and tripped up a bit.
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2022, 06:15:34 PM »
I think you're right, Chris. It's like "easy" with a hard "g" in front of it. And "easy-goin'" certainly makes sense in the line. Thanks, I'll make the change.

Offline Blues Vintage

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2022, 03:55:32 AM »
One minor suggestion;

I hear seen instead of see

3rd verse; Woman, did you ever see peaches

Offline Johnm

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Re: Tallahassee Tight Lyrics
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2022, 06:36:37 AM »
I originally had "seen" in there, Blues Vintage, but upon re-listening, I think he closed his mouth on a vowel sound, getting an inadvertent "n" at the end of "see". Booker White did that a lot, too, as Chris pointed out in the Booker White lyrics thread.

 


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