Topic: Guitar Slim & Jelly Belly Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Alec "Guitar Slim" Seward and Louis "Jelly Belly" Hayes recorded and performed together in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s, working variously as Slim Seward and Fat Boy Hayes, Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly, the Backporch Boys, Blues King and the Bluesboys.  Their sound was an East Coast blues sound, for Louis Hayes came from Asheville, North Carolina and Alec Seward was from Newport News, Virginia.  In their duo, they both played guitar, most often working out of the same tuning and position, more or less right on top of each other.  Their vocals tended either to be solos or numbers in which they alternated verses, with lots of kibitzing and spoken asides from whichever one of them was not singing at any given point in the performance.  I've never heard them harmonize on a record.  I believe Hayes to have been the flashier player, judging by how Alec Seward played on his solo recordings for Prestige in the 1960s.  Their phrasing would be next to impossible to recreate without making it sound like some kind of weird museum piece, because they both tended to phrase long, both instrumentally and vocally, in a way that was evidently perfectly natural and comfortable for the two of them.  Hayes, in particular, had a mannerism of inserting a pause or dwell on the third syllable from the end of the tagline of his blues verses, so that he has the sound of always arriving a little bit late to his musical destination.  They were both strong singers; Seward, in fact, is one of my favorite singers in all of the Blues, and Sonny Terry said of him, "Alec could sing a bitch!".  Hayes, while not having the vocal instrument that Seward did, sang with tremendous attitude, and I believe he surpassed the number of syllables that Leroy Carr could fit into a blues line, really spitting them out with alacrity.
"South Carolina Blues" is taken from the Arhoolie CD, "Guitar Slim & Jelly Belly--"Carolina Blues" New York City 1944", Arhoolie CD 460.  One guitarist are played it out of E position in standard tuning, pitched at G# (capo fourth fret), and the other is playing out of G position in standard tuning at G#.  Hayes sings this number as a solo, and I believe the lyrics are his own.  I like the yearning it expresses for the country life, it reminds me of some of the songs of Hoagy Carmichael or Willard Robison.



   Says, I'm goin' back down in South Carolina, goin' down there to stay
   Yes, I'm goin' back down in South Carolina, goin' down there to stay
   Say, now, what's the use to buyin' a ticket, 'cause the freight train's goin' my way

   I'm 'mo' pack all my things, I'm gonna move back to the piney woods
   I'm go pack all my things, I'm gonna move back to the piney woods
   Say, because there ain't none of these women around New York City, that means me r'any good

   Well, I make big money up North, but the high cost of livin' keeps me broke
   Yes, I make big money up North, but the high cost of livin' keeps me broke
   Says, I'm goin' back in South Carolina, get me a little shack in the country, surrounded by pines and oaks

   Well, when I get home, I'm gonna plant a garden in my back yard, I know the vegetables will grow
   Yes, when I get home, I'm gonna plant a garden in my back yard, I know the vegetables will grow
   Say, now, when I get ready to eat, I won't have to go runnin' to the store

All best,
Johnm
   

[Rivers]

Cool Johnm, got it in one. I've added it to weeniepedia and will, for once, attempt to keep up. I also added 'Guitar Slim' and 'Jelly Belly' tags to the other posts tagged by their real names, since it's likely folks would look for their stage names.

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for setting up the Artists Page for Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly and lyrics for "South Carolina Blues" in Weeniepedia, Mark.  I believe that's a good call on the tags, too.  Don't feel you have to enter these all as the transcriptions come rolling in--I figure since I'm creating the work, I should follow through and enter the song lyrics in Weeniepedia, especially since you've created the template and it's easy from here on out.  I plan on transcribing as many of the duo's songs as I'm able.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Big Trouble Blues" appears on the same Arhoolie CD as did "South Carolina Blues".  Vocally, the song follows an arc common to many of their recorded performances.  Slim starts out with a spoken complaint and Jelly Belly definitely does not "feel his sympathy".  From there on out, it's a sort of oneupmanship fest, trying to determine who is having the tougher time.  If you've listened to a lot of blues lyrics, especially those that adopt a "poor me" stance, the lack of sympathy the singer is offered in these songs has an amazing tonic effect, and the duo's bickering is really funny.  Slim for the most part stays above the fray, with Jelly Belly usually operating as the instigator.
Both guitarists are playing out of C, with Jelly Belly working out of standard tuning, and Slim, I am almost certain, working out of a personalized modification of standard tuning that he used when playing in C, in which he tunes his B string up to C.  The advantage he derived from this tuning was that it enabled him to keep the I note ringing in the treble on the open second string through both the I and IV chords of the progression, while greatly freeing up his left hand for bass runs.  You can hear that open C note ringing throughout the course of the rendition like a bell tolling.  Jelly Belly's playing is exciting and loose, and he utilizes his own transposed version of Lonnie Johnson's signature lick.  Considering how idiosyncratic the duo's phrasing was, their performances were amazingly tight.



   Slim (spoken):  Boy, I don't know why that cop's been chasin' me.  I ain't did nothing!

   Jelly (spoken):  Don't make me laugh.  Play that guitar, and keep your hands in your own pocket.

   Slim:  Yeah, it's trouble here, buddy, and it's trouble everywhere I go
   Yes, it's trouble here, buddy, and it's trouble everywhere I go
   But I never had so much trouble, Lord, in my life before

   Jelly:  Boy, you talk about trouble, you don't know what trouble mean
   Boy, you talk about trouble, Lord, you don't know what trouble mean
   Because I been in more trouble, Lord, than you ever seen

   Slim:  Trouble is very easy to get into, and I swear that ain't no doubt
   Yes, sayin', trouble is very easy to get into, and I swear that ain't no doubt
   But when you get it in trouble, nobody want to get you out

   Jelly:  If I ever get out this trouble, it won't happen no more
   Aaaa, if I ever get out this trouble, it won't happen no more
   Now, open the door, mister jailer, and let me go

All best,
Johnm
   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly did "Mike and Jerry" (also found on their Arhoolie CD) out of A position in standard tuning, sounding about in B flat.  They allow a lot of extra time in the instrumental fill sections of the verses and make good use of it.  Both singers do nice personalized versions of Peetie Wheatstraw's "Hoo well, well" mannerism.  I like any song about mules.

 

   Jelly (spoken):  Boy, I got more sense than you got!
   Slim (spoken):  That what you think, so?
   Jelly (spoken):  See, I used to be on the farm.
   Slim (spoken):  What you think, I's born in the brier patch?

   Jelly:  I know my old Mike and Jerry by the way they shakes thei' head
   Slim (spoken):  Boy, you sure know a mule!
   Jelly:  I know my old Mike and Jerry by the way they shakes thei' head
   Now I'm through with plowin', hoo hoo hoo, well, my old mules is dead

   Slim:  Boy, you ain't ever did nothing, Lord, I ain't never done
   Jelly (spoken):  I don't know.
   Slim:  Boy, you ain't did nothing, Lord, I ain't never done
   'Cause I have plowed a mule, hoo hoo, Lord, Lord, from sun to sun

   Jelly:  I have plowed so long, until I holler, "Whoa! Haw! Gee!" in my sleep
   I have plowed so long, until I holler, "Whoa! Haw! Gee!" in my sleep
   Now, I'm gonna set my back bend back, hoo hoo, well, well, to keep my little plow from runnin' too deep

   Slim:  I have plowed in the summer, Lord, I have plowed all in the fall
   I have plowed in the summer, Lord, I have plowed in the fall
   Now, old Mike and Jerry is dead, hoo, Lord, I don't have to plow at all

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Humming Bird Blues" finds Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly both playing out of A position in standard tuning.  The song features Jelly Belly vocally, and I can think of no reason not to assume the song was his own composition.  It really is an odd set of lyrics, in a league with some of those of Willie "61" Blackwell, though if anything, Louis Hayes' scansion is more strained than is that of Willie Blackwell.  After the third verse, Jelly Belly goes into a lyric "break", and I'm very dubious as to whether anyone could have anticipated where this particular set of lyrics would come to rest.  This song doesn't feature the banter encountered on many of the duo's songs, and Slim confines himself to one bit of exhortation.



   Says, I'm the hummingbird that flies from town to town
   Says, I'm the hummingbird that flies from town to town
   Say, when you see me flyin' to town, I'm just lookin' to see if any flowers is anywhere around

   Say, my back is gray and my breast is yellow, and also my wings
   Say, my back is gray and my breast is yellow, and also my wings
   Say, when you see me 'round your flowers early in the mornin', I got somethin' to give you no other bird ever brings

   I belong to the fowl family, all the roosters and me is friends
   I belong to the fowl family, all the roosters and me is friends
   Says I can sample three or four flowers, while he's sampling just one hen

   I'm crazy about my honeysuckers (sic), my morning glories, too,
   Slim (spoken):  Preach it, boy!
   Jelly:  Yonds a bed of violens (sic) and they down low,
   Yonder stand a bunch of roses and they up much higher,
   But that sweet bunch of lilies, say, they give me a lot of power
   Now, say, I'm just gonna keep on hummin' and flyin', hee well, well, tryin' to find a sunflower

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Alec Seward and Louis Hayes recorded "Hard  Luck Blues", featuring a vocal by Alec Seward (Guitar Slim), with Slim playing out of C position in his customized C tuning, EADGCE, tuned a half-step low, and sounding in B, and Jelly Belly capoed or tuned high, playing out A position in standard tuning.  There is none of the badinage so often encountered on the duo's records here, just a beautiful soulful vocal by Slim.



   Well, hard luck has got me, and I sure can't smile no mo'
   Yeah, hard luck has got me, and I sure can't smile no mo'
   I ain't got no money, and I sure, Lord, ain't got no place to go

   I give you my money, darlin' to buy your shoes and clothes
   Yes, I give you my money, darlin', to buy your shoes and clothes
   But you take my money, take the Lord to tell me where you go

   Ummm, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord
   Ummm, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord
   For the one that I'm lovin', Lord, she treat me like a dog

   If I ever get well and get on my feet again
   Yes, if I ever get well and get on my feet again
   You gon' need my help, baby, and I won't be nobody's friend

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Slim and Jelly recorded "Sorry Woman Blues" as The Back Porch Boys, for Apollo Records in 1947.  It can be found on the Delmark CD, "Guitar Slim" Seward & "Jelly Belly" Hayes--The Back Porch Boys", Delmark DE-755.  The song features both guitarists working out of E position in standard tuning, pitched at G, and a very strong vocal by Louis Hayes.  This is a great set of lyrics, and original, too.  Jelly really gets his speed pronunciation working overtime in the third verse.



   I work hard all day, I give my woman all my pay
   I work hard all day, I give my woman all my pay
   She mess up all my money and get drunk ev'y day

   She don't cook me no supper, she don't even make up the bed
   She don't cook me no supper, don't even make up the bed
   She treat me just like I'm a man that's dead

   When she go to bed, she put a razor up under her head and a axe up under the bed
   Yeah, when she go to bed, she put a razor up under her head, axe up under the bed
   She said, "Look-a-here, daddy, if you try to quit me I'm gonna kill you dead."

   If your good girl mistreat you, what in the world will a bad one do?
   If your good girl mistreat you, what in the world will a bad one do?
   She will take all your money, put the police on you

   You can always tell when your good girl done you wrong
   You can always tell when your good girl done you wrong
   Ev'y time you come home, she's just out and gone

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly's "Railroad Blues" can be found on the Arhoolie CD devoted to their music.  For it, both guitarists are playing in C, with Jelly Belly working out of standard tuning, and Slim playing out of his customized tuning for playing in C, with the B string raised to C.  The vocal is done by Alec Seward (Slim), and it reminds the listener what a great singer he was.  The lyrics are simultaneously fairly original and not exactly special, but Seward's singing makes them seem like some of the best blues lyrics you've ever heard.  Jelly Belly's back-up runs show a lot of Bill Broonzy and Lonnie Johnson influence.



   Well, I'm standin' on a railroad, watching the stars above
   Yes, I'm standin' on the railroad, darlin', watching the stars above
   Yes, I'm standin' here wondering which train carryin' the one I love

   When that train passed me with my baby all inside
   Yeah, when that train passed me with my baby all inside
   You know, I didn't have no money and the man sure wouldn't let me ride

   And it's "So long, baby", with tears standin' in my eyes
   And it's "So long, baby", with tears standin' in my eyes
   Yeah, the love I had for you, darlin', I just realize

   So I'm standin' here listenin' to the birds singin' up in the tree
   Yes, I'm standin' here listenin' to the birds singin' up in the tree
   Well, I'm hopin' some day that my baby come back to me

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly's recording of "Isabel" is included on their Arhoolie CD.  Both guitarists accompany the song out of A position in standard tuning, and the vocal features Louis "Jelly Belly" Hayes, singing what I would assume to be his own lyrics, for the most part.  Guitar Slim offers no vocal asides on this number.
"Isabel" is unusual in that after the first verse, which follows a conventional 12-bar AAB phrasing model, Hayes begins each verse with an 8-bar lyric break.  Hayes' preference for lyric breaks is interesting, considering how loose-limbed his phrasing was.  Normally one would think of a lyric break having a crisply rhythmic accompaniment, often with stops, but with Alec Seward and Louis Hayes playing together, the effect is always going to tend toward looseness.  The looseness is re-emphasized by the concluding refrain of each of the last three verses, which has a quality of sounding simultaneously early and late.  I like Hayes' "threatened" lyrics in the final verse much better than his "threatening" ones in the third verse.



   Say, when I went to work this mornin', Isabel packed her suitcase and left
   Say, when I went to work this mornin', Isabel packed her suitcase and left
   Said, "Please come back to me, Isabel, 'cause I love you the best."

   Says, how she keep the house, boy, so nice and clean
   She's one of the sweetest little women that you most ever seen
   She works from mornin' until night
   She never stops workin' 'til the work's just right
   Yes, I'm worried about Isabel, now please come back to me Isabel,
   Hee well well, I'll be just as good as any man can be

   Says, I love you, Isabel, I can't help myself
   If you don't have me, honey, you won't have nobody else
   I'm gonna buy myself a razor and a shiny gun
   I'm gonna cut you if you stand and I'm gonna shoot you if you run
   Say, yes, I'm worried about Isabel, now, please come back to me, Isabel
   Hee well well, I'll be just as good as any man can be

   Say, sometime she gets just like a tiger in a cage
   When she start to walkin', says, she begins to rage
   If she get mad, I don't know where she belong to me
   You see, I got to be mighty careful, 'cause she'll sting me like a bee
   Yes, I'm worried about Isabel, now please come back to me, Isabel,
   Hee well well, I'll be just as good as any man can be

All best,
Johnm

   
 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "King Kong Blues", recorded in 1947 and available on the duo's Delmark CD, Louis Hayes plays out of C position in standard tuning and Alec Seward works out of C in his customized C tuning:  EADGCE.  Alec does a beautiful, world-weary job on the vocal.  His habit of starting the repetition of the opening line of a verse with "yes" gives his singing a relaxed conversational quality.  The King Kong of the song's title has nothing to do with the great ape of the RKO movie, as becomes apparent.



   Me and my baby, yes, we don't get along no more
   Yeah, me and my baby, we don't get along no more
   'Cause she keeps me worried and I'm wand'ing from door to door

   My baby treat me so ungrateful 'til my heart is 'bout to turn to stone
   Yes, my baby treat me so ungrateful 'til my heart is 'bout to turn to stone
   Well, I'm hopin' someday that my baby let poor me alone

   She leave me in the mornin' and she stays out all night long
   Yes, she leave me in the mornin' and she stays out all night long
   And when she come home in the mornin', she got a bottle full of that old King Kong

   If'n you can't do no better, please let me know today.
   Now, if you can't do no better, please let me know today
   For you done treat me so bad, 'til you done drove poor Alec away

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Why, Oh Why", which can be found on Slim and Jelly Belly's Arhoolie CD, is played out of C, with Jelly Belly (Louis Hayes) in standard tuning and Guitar Slim (Alec Seward) in his customized tuning that he used to play in C:  EADGCE.  It features Seward's spectacular singing.  One of the aspects of the duo's music that you begin to marvel at after listening to a lot of their material is how tight they were instrumentally given the phrasing preferences of the two singers.  Slim most often phrased short and Jelly Belly most often phrased long, but based on the aural evidence, it made not a whit of difference, for the accompaniment tracks the vocal closely no matter where whoever is singing at any point choses to end a phrase.  Jelly Belly, whom I believe to be carrying most of the treble fills, alternates between Lonnie Johnson's signature lick (transposed to C) and Broonzy-influenced C licks.  The song is a real vocal feature and does not allow for even one solo pass through the form.  Alec Seward's singing was always a treat.



   Why, oh why, why did I ever leave my home?
   Yes, why, oh why, why did I ever leave my home?
   Since my mother died and left me, Lord, in this world alone

   Lord, I have committed a crime and everybody know
   Lord, I have committed a crime and everybody know
   Y'know that bloodhound is chasin' me and I don't have no place to go

   They caught me under water, Lord, up around my waist
   They caught me under water, Lord, up around my waist
   I said, "C'mon and get me, 'cause I don't have no hiding place."

   Mother, I'm sittin' here in jail, I wish to the Lord that you could see
   Mother, I'm sittin' here in jail, I wish to the Lord that you could see
   You know, I'm all in trouble with no, no one to help poor me

All best,
Johnm

   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Water Trough Blues" can be found on the Back Porch Boys' CD on Delmark, noted earlier in this thread.  The number features Louis Hayes ("Jelly Belly") singing lead and playing lead guitar, I believe, out of G position in standard tuning, capoed to the second fret, while Alec Seward ("Guitar Slim") seconds him, playing out of A position in standard tuning.  Seward holds down the bass end of the arrangement while Hayes plays exciting fills.  In terms of phrasing, the song has the duo's characteristic loosey-goosey sound, and Louis Hayes' vocal is very strong.  Present-day Country Blues players who work in guitar duos would do well to check out this duo's repertoire; it's outstanding and has not been mined at all.



   Yeah, my water trough is empty, and my hogs is cryin' for corn
   Yes, my water trough is empty, and my hogs is cryin' for corn
   Say, my best gal done left me 'cause my last dollar is gone

   I been takin' other men's women a-l-l the time
   Says, I been takin' other men's women a-l-l the time
   Well, but when I woke up this mornin', some man had done took mine

   Say, if you got a good woman, you better get a lock and key
   Say, if you got a good woman, you better get a lock and key
   Say, because that's the way you can keep her away from me

   SOLO

   Well, I used to love Daisy, 'cause she sure could please
   Yes, I used to love Daisy, 'cause she sure could please
   Say, now, when I catch her in wrong, beg me down on her knees

All best,
Johnm

   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Jail And Buddy Blues" can be found on Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly's Arhoolie CD.  Both guitarists accompany the song out of the A position in standard tuning.  It shares the spoken and sung back-and-forth found on many tunes on that CD, a very entertaining feature that has all but disappeared in present-day performing of the blues.  Lyrically, the song has an odd quality found in many of the duo's songs, of not so much ending, as stopping, with no kind of wind-up or denouement, like an episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "Green Acres".



   SPOKEN:  Jelly:  Say, buddy, I want you to get me out of jail,
   Slim:  I wish I could.
   Jelly:  because I'm worried.
   Slim:  (chuckle) Too bad.  Well, I wish I could, buddy, but you see, I'm in a mess myself.

   SUNG:  Jelly: Well, I'm settin' here in jail, and I don't know what it's all about (Slim, spoken:  I know)
   Well, I'm settin' here in jail, I don't know what it's all about
   Says, I sent for you, buddy, hoo, Lord, see if you could get me out

   Slim:  I just got outa jail myself, and I been lookin' for my check in this mail
   I just got out jail myself, and I lookin' for my check in this mail
   Now, you see, I am out on bail

   Jelly:  Say, boy, ask the jailer what in the world was I doin' in here
   Say, boy, ask the jailer what in the world was I doin' in here
   He said, "Maybe you got stock [sic] in this jail, hoo well, well, you may be gettin' your shares

   Slim:  Yes, I am out now, but I soon may be back in
   Yes, I am out now, but I soon may be back in
   Now, soon Monday mornin', Lord, I got to meet court again

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
"Unhappy Home Blues" is from the 1944 sessions that ended up on the Arhoolie CD, "Guitar Slim & Jelly Belly", Arhoolie CD 460.  The song features Louis "Jelly Belly" Hayes handling the vocal, accompanying himself out of A position in standard tuning, capoed up, and Alec "Guitar Slim" Seward operating in an accompaniment capacity, working out of C in his customized tuning EADGCE.  This song doesn't feature any of the kibitzing from the non-singer or banter back and forth that some of their numbers had, and Louis Hayes sings the song pretty straight.  These guys really wear well--nothing exactly earth-shaking, but they sounded so good together and obviously knew each other very well musically.  Neither was notably regular in his phrasing instincts, but their renditions always seem to go off without a hitch.



   Said, when I home home she started fussin' 'n' arguin', never heard such carryin' on
   Said, when I come home she started fussin' 'n' arguin', never hears such carryin' on
   I said, "Now goodbye, baby, I swear I'm solid gone."

   Says, I know it's a lot of people that has had these blues like mine
   I say, I know it's a lot of people that has had these blues like mine
   Said, when I wake up every mornin', I just can't keep from cryin'

   Mmmm, Lord, Lord, Lordy Lord
   Mmmm, Ohh, Lord, Lordy Lord
   Says, I'm just gonna pray and ask the Good Lord just to ease my worried mind

   Say, you should realize, baby, one woman ain't got everything all by herself
   Say, you should realize, baby, one woman ain't got everything all by herself
   Say, because there's a plenty more women with plenty good things up on the shelf

All best,
Johnm