Topic: Muddy Waters Lyrics

[lindy]

For the past year or so, one CD I keep going back to over and over is ?Mississippi: The Blues Lineage,? part of the ?Deep River of Song? series of Alan Lomax recordings. Every single cut is a pearl.

The song I?m working on is ?I Be Bound to Write to You,? the acoustic precursor to ?I Can?t Be Satisfied.? The lyrics on the Lineage CD are different from the ones on the two versions of the same tune found on ?The Complete Plantation Recordings? CD.

These may be the only Muddy Waters lyrics that haven't been written out and posted on a website somewhere. At least on a site that I can find. Here?s what I?ve got so far:



Lord I know my little baby,
She don?t know I?m here.
She don?t feel ??______________??
She don?t even feel my care.
I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
??_____________________??
And I don?t care what in the world you do.

Well I feel sometime,
Like the time ain?t long.
Feel like my baby,
She?s gonna try to leave my home.
I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
??_____________________??
And I don?t care what in the world you do.

Well I know my little baby,
She?s gonna jump and shout.
That ol? train be late, boys,
And I come walking out.
I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
??_____________________??
And I don?t care what in the world you do.

Well I?m leaving this morning,
Don?t you wanna go?
[ ?? Take off the tail gal ?? ]
When I come back here no more.
I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
??_____________________??
And I don?t care what in the world you do.

Well if anybody ask you,
[ ?? Who can pull the sun? ?? ]
Tell them Mr. Heartbreaker, boys,
That old man been here and gone.
Lord I?m bound, I?m bound to write to you.
??_____________________??
And I don?t care what in the world you do.


The only guess I have for the refrain line that I?m completely blank on is ?I can reach for you right now, And I don?t care what in the world you do.?

All suggestions appreciated, as are any interpretations of the lyrics.

Lindy

[Slack]

Hi Lindy,

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
??_____________________??

I hear: Babe, I'll read yo' lil' ol' writin' hea

Babe, I'll read your little old writing here
(but does't care what she writes)
And I don't care what in the world you do

Kinda makes sense... 

 

[banjochris]

I hear the missing line of the refrain the same as Slack, except the last word is "gal", not "here"

Other missing lines:
Lord I know my little baby,
She don?t know I?m here.
She don?t feel ??______________??
She don?t even feel my care.
This is the hardest line to hear -- I think he's saying "she don't feel love, gal" and not enunciating.


Well I?m leaving this morning,
Don?t you wanna go?
[ ?? Take off the tail gal ?? ]
When I come back here no more.
"Take God to tell, gal" -- you can hear this line also in the other version where it's easier to understand -- it also pops up in Patton's "Screamin' and Hollerin'"

Well if anybody ask you,
[ ?? Who can pull the sun? ?? ]
Tell them Mr. Heartbreaker, boys,
That old man been here and gone.
"Who composed this song"

Chris

[lindy]

Here's the latest with your suggestions included:

For the refrain:

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
[ Babe, I'll read yo' lil' ol' write here ]
[ Babe, I'll read your little old writing [ "here" or "gal" ]
[ I can read your little write gal, ]
And I don?t care what in the world you do.

(I hear snippets of all three lines, depending on the verse and what I can hear from the two takes on the Plantation CD.)

Verses:

Lord I know my little baby,
She don?t know I?m here.
[ She don't feel love, gal, ]
She don?t even feel my care.
I be bound . . .

Well I feel sometime,
Like the time ain?t long.
Feel like my baby,
She?s gonna try to leave my home.
I be bound . . .

Well I know my little baby,
She?s gonna jump and shout.
That ol? train be late, boys,
And I come walking out.
I be bound . . .

Well I?m leaving this morning,
Don?t you wanna go?
Take God to tell, gal
When I come back here no more.
I be bound . . .

Well if anybody ask you,
Who composed this song?
Tell them Mr. Heartbreaker, boys,
That old man been here and gone.
I be bound . . .


I appreciate anyone re-listening to confirm these good suggestions. I could only hear the "s" in the word "composed" in one verse on one of the Plantation takes, which is too bad because I really liked the line "Who can pull the sun?" Maybe I'll keep it.

Lindy

[bird to whistle]

I mistakenly did the first version from the The Complete Plantation Recordings. I'll leave them up in case someone wants these.


Lord I be bound I be bound,
bound to write to you.
I can read your writing gal
and I don't care what you do.

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Babe I read you letter right here
and I don't care what in the world you do.

Well I feel sometimes
like the time ain't long.
Feel just like my baby
now she trying to do me wrong.

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Yeah honey I can read your letter right here and
I don't care what in the world you do.

Well I'm leaving this morning
don't you want to go?
Take God to tell gal
now I come back here no more.

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Now honey I can read your right here and
I don't care what in the world you do.

Well now ain't it lonesome ain't it lonesome
sleeping by yourself.
Woman that you've been lovin boy
now she be lovin someone else.

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Yeah honey I can read you right here
and I don't care what in the world you do.

yeah man

Well now if anybody asks you
who composed this song.
Tell em Mr. Heartbreakerboy
That ol man been here and gone.

I see trouble,
he gonna be bound to write to you.

Now honey you know I can read your letter right here
and don't care what in the world you do.

[bird to whistle]

This is what I got from the "Mississippi: The Blues Lineage" recording.

I think he says "letter" throughout, but it sometimes sounds like "lil old".  He also says "now" before "babe". Also, if you compare the last word in the third line to the line "Take God to tell gal". The word God sound very similar. That's why I think it's what he is saying in the third line.

Lord I know my little old baby
she don't know I'm here.
She don't feel a God
She don't even feel no care

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Now babe, I can read your letter right here,
and I don't care what in the world you do.

Well I feel sometimes,
like the time ain't long.
Feel like my baby,
she gonna try to leave my home.

I be bound I be bound to write to you.
Now babe, I can read your letter right here,
And I don't care what in the world you do.

Well I know my little old baby,
She gonna jump and shout.
That old train be late boy now
and I come walking out.

I be bound, I be bound to write to you.
Now babe I can read your letter right here
and I don't care what in the world you do.

Well I'm leaving this morning,
don't you wanna go?
Take God to tell gal
when I come back here no more.

I be bound, I be bound to write you.
Now babe, I read your letter right here
I don't care what in the world you do.

Well if anybody asks you
who composed the song.
tell em Mr. Heartbreakerboy
that old man been here and gone

Woman I'm bound, I'm bound to write to you.
Now babe I read your letter right here,
and I don't care what on the world you do.

[jake_fantom]

OK, lyric hounds -- this one has eluded me for years so let me ask the experts. The song is Streamline Woman, Muddy Water's version. The line that escapes me is: "Pull down your windows, baby, pull down your window blinds, so your next door neighbor won't hear your (WHAT?) whine." It is usually listed in transcriptions as "that old troubador" which is patently incorrect. On some other versions, I have seen the word listed as Frigidaire (as in the old refrigerators). This is a possibility, although Muddy seems to pronounce a word that is closer to "thrilldare," whatever that may be. This particular song is loaded with electrical metaphors, and I am wondering if the reference isn't to those bowl-shaped insulators on the old high lines, which do whine. Anyway, enough idle amateur speculation. Let's hear from the authorities.

[One-Eyed Ross]

I hear "Frigidaire whine".....

[jake_fantom]

Maybe so, still not sure. Thanks for weighing in!

[Prof Scratchy]

Agree with one eyed Ross. That said, I used to play in a band in which the singer, unable to decipher the lyric as Muddy sings it, inserted his own 'bump and grind' to produce a single entendre version of the song!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I merged the recent thread on Muddy Waters' "Streamline Woman" with the pre-existing Muddy Waters Lyrics thread.
All best,
Johnm

[Chezztone]

What is the "meerest feeling" Muddy Waters sings about in "Country Blues" (from Plantation Recordings)? I've thought of it as a strange pronunciation of "meanest," but unsure how that would happen. A British writer transcribed it as "miserablest," but it would have to be quite a contraction for that to come out "meerest." Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! Cheers, Chezz

[Rivers]

meanest, IMO

[lindy]

Years ago, just before I gave up trying to understand this lyric, I copped it as "miseryest," with the first "s" completely missing.

Part of the reason why is at the end of the same verse, where it sounds like he's singing "misery old feeling" (or "mizry-ol' feeling").

I probably have as much chance of being right on this as the Brit writer you cited, but I'll put it out there and let the hogs have at it.

L

[banjochris]

Lindy, I think you're right on with "miseryest."
Chris