Interesting. The Fancourt/McGrath Post-War discography has the series of masters that include Well, You Know I Had To Do It with an unlisted date, signifying that they're from the same date as the September 27th masters listed immediately before them. Must be a typo on their part.
Hi all, Leadbelly is playing "Mother's Blues" here out of Spanish tuning, fretting it conventionally, with no slide. Here is his performance of the song:
INTRO (Spoken: These blues, the little chillun made about somebody that's goin' away. And that's sad. And that gives you the blues.)
I went down to the freight depot, When that train comes a-rollin' by I wave my hand, at my mama, and then I looked Goin' down that railroad track
She's gone, she's gone, she's gone, she's gone And no cryin', won't bring her back She's the onliest mother that I ever did love Goin' down the railroad track
It's, I went down to the freight depot And I looked up on the sign Thinkin' about the onliest mother that I had in this world And I couldn't help from, hangin' my head and cryin'
SOLO (Spoken: Uh-huh)
It was "Fare you well.", It was "Fare you well." And she's gone, she's gone, she's gone She's gone, went down that lonesome railroad track And she left me, here to sing this song
Hi all, This rendition of "Ain't Going Down to the Well No More" comes from Leadbelly's Last Sessions, the first volume of which (before the current CD reissue) was almost all unaccompanied vocals. This singing seems so deep to me, like music from a long-forgotten past. Trying to transcribe the lyrics and indicate where Leadbelly sang discrete pitches over a repeated vowel sound makes me respect all the more the work that John Work did in transcribing vocal renditions from his field recordings that appear in the book "Lost Delta Found"--and he was transcribing the pitches too, with rhythmic notation, as well; really a Herculean task. Here is Leadbelly's rendition:
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh I ain't going down, I ain't going down, oh-oh baby, to the well no more Oh-oh-oh-oh If I ever gets able, if I ever gets able, able, to pay the debt I owe-oh-oh-oh-oh I ain't going down, I ain't going down, uh-uh sweet mama, to the well no more-ore Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I'm's a true believer, I'm's a true believer Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I ain't going down, I ain't going down, oh-oh mama, to the well no more-ore Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh It was soon one mornin', when the sun did rise Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Ain't going down, I ain't going down, oh, to the well no more-ore Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I'm goin' away-ay-ay, And I'll be back some day-ay-ay Oh-oh-oh-oh And I ain't going down to the well no more-ore Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh And it's soon one mornin', soon one mornin', mornin' Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I ain't going down, I ain't going down, oh baby, to the well no more-ore Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Then the sun do rise, and the sun do ri-i-ise Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh And I ain't going dow-ow-own Oh-oh-oh-oh And I ain't going down to the well no more Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Hi all, Here is Leadbelly singing and playing "De Kalb Blues". He played it out of E position in standard tuning here, pitched at abut B, so tuned a fourth low. I think his blues playing and singing is terribly under-rated. He just sounds great to me.
INTRO
De Kalb Blues, Lord, make me feel so bad De Kalb Blues, Lord, make me feel so bad Just to think about the times, once have had
Wasn't for the powder, and the straightening comb Wasn't for the powder, and the straightening comb Lord, the De Kalb women, would not, have no home
Blues was whiskey I would, stay drunk all the time Blues was whiskey I would, stay drunk all the time Lord, I stay drunk, baby, to wear you, off my mind
De Kalb blues, Lord, make me feel so bad De Kalb blues, babe, make me feel so bad Just to think about the times I, once have had
SOLO
Feel like walkin', feel like stoppin' here Feel like walkin', feel like stoppin' here I gotta find some woman, babe, that'll feel my care
Look here, baby, see what you done done Look here, woman, see what you done done Lord, you made me love you, now your, man done come