Topic: Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics

[obrigadotony]

Hey guys,

Does anyone know what John hurt is saying in the Rainbow Quest video of Spike Driver after his first vocal line?  He is speaking - I can only make out a few few words,,"first thing" and something like "John Henry's hammer" at the end.

Very curious!

[frailer24]

Sounds like "First thing I spied on the railroad, was ol' John Henry's hammer" to me.

[obrigadotony]

Thanks Frailer - that's sounds right to me to.

[frailer24]

No problem. Glad to help.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
John Hurt recorded "Blind Man Sit In the Way and Cried" at his sessions for the Library of Congress in July of 1963, and I don't know if he ever recorded it again.  It is a lovely and mysterious song, and he plays it thumb lead out of G position in standard tuning (tuned quite low--he sounds around Eb).  Part of the mystery of the song has to do with its title, for John Hurt sings, "Blind man sat on the road and cried" from beginning to end in his rendition.  I don't know if the title the song is listed under was given by John Hurt to Joe Hickerson and Dick Spottswood, or if someone else just gave it that title.  John Hurt hums the tail end of his last verse.  There's something about the rendition that makes it seem possible that John Hurt barely remembered the song.



SOLO 

Blind man sat on the road and cried
Blind man sat on the road and cried
Cried, "Oh Lord, save my soul.
I wants to go to Heaven when I die."

SOLO

Oh, the blind man sat on the road and cried
Blind man sat on the road and cried
Cried, "Oh Lord, save my soul."
Blind man sat on the road ----

SOLO

Lord, Lord, save my soul
Lord, Lord, save my soul
(Guitar finishes verse)

Well, the blind man sat on the road and cried
Well, the blind mmmmmmmm
Mmmmmmmm

All best,
Johnm

     

[banjochris]

That low tuning and thumb-lead style sounds a lot like something Elizabeth Cotten would play! He's tuned low for a lot of the Library of Congress recordings, if I remember rightly.

[bnemerov]

Hi John,
I think you're right; Hurt barely remembered a well-known quartet number. Here's one version.
! No longer available

best,
bruce

[Johnm]

Thank you for posting that, Bruce.  It's a beautiful rendition, and I am woefully ignorant of the Gospel Quartet tradition, so it's good to hear some of it.
I agree with you, Chris, about John Hurt's playing on "Blind Man Sit In the Way and Cried" being very much akin to Libba Cotten's thumb lead playing.  It goes right along with "Ain't Got No Honey Baby Now" and "Mama, Nobody's Here But the Baby".
All best,
Johnm

[bnemerov]

You're welcome, John.
While we are on the subject, Hurt's favorite tune was reportedly this:

! No longer available

He was obviously a quartet lover, but never sang quartet as far as anyone knows. Interesting.

best,
bruce

[Johnm]

Thanks so much for that, Bruce.  I actually recorded "Milky White Way" on my "This Old Hammer" CD.  I learned it from Connie Williams, whom I suspect learned it from the Trumpeteers.  His version also had the "well, well, well, well" interjections, though he did a bit more with the harmony than the Trumpeteers did.  I know that the Soul Stirrers recorded it, too, when Sam Cooke was singing with them.  It's a small world sometimes.
All best,
Johnm

[Willie Poor Boy]

Waiting for You (Rediscovery recording):



Not sure how many time he recorded this but below is a set of lyrics from the duet recorded when he was finally located and then one verse that shows up in the LoC version. 

Will you be faithful to me?

Is your heart good and true?

Whilst in sorrow and in pain,

Darling, I'm waiting for you.



Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

My heart beat would quicken
My care would all fly away
If you would kindly let me know
That you would welcome me today 

Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

When at leisure my darling
Let your thoughts drift to me
whilst I am parted from you
happiness I never will see

Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

If we cannot meet again

Till our troubles all are through,

Beyond the river of Jordan,

I'll still be waiting for you.



Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

When you see my grassy mound,

Then our trouble's all through.

My days have been shortened

Whilst I've been waiting for you.

Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

 . . . unhappy and gloomy
downhearted lonesome and sad
and you will lie in wait for me
Your heart it will be glad



Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.

The days are dreary
the nights are so long
with the heartache for you
I'm singing this sad song

Because of your cruel young ways,

I may never live to know.

In justice to my true love,

I'll forgive you before I go.


This appears in the LoC recording but not the Discovery version:

If I had a path to glory
and it did not read for two
I would  trade it all dear darling
and stay on earth with you

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Apropos of Willie Poor Boy's "First Blues-notable examples" thread, here is John Hurt's first song, according to him:  "Joe Turner".  This version is from his Library of Congress recordings.  He played it out of G position in standard tuning and there are a surprising number of omitted downbeats in the bass in this version.  He uses his guitar here to finish lines or verses almost as much as Herman E. Johnson did.



SPOKEN:  First blues I ever heard was "Joe Turner".

SOLO

Oh, they tell me Joe Turner's in this town
Tell me (guitar finishes line)
Well, they tell me Joe Turner's in this town

SOLO

He's here to steal my high teasin' brown
He's here to steal my high teasin' brown
(Guitar finishes verse)

SOLO

He's a man I hate, I don't want him hangin' around
He's a man I hate, don't want him hangin' around
For he's here to steal my high teasin' brown

Well, they tell me Joe Turner's in this (guitar finishes verse)

SOLO

I drove Joe turner, I drove him from my door
I drove Joe Turner (guitar finishes line)
I drove Joe turner, drove him from my door

And I hope to God that he won't come back no more
And I hope to God that he won't come back no more
(Guitar finishes verse)

He's here to steal my high teasin' brown
Here to steal my high teasin' brown
(Guitar finishes verse)

All best,
Johnm

[Stuart]

Supposedly, the "Joe Turner" song family had its origins with one Joe Turney, brother of Tennessee Governor Peter Turney. There's a fair amount of info on the web, but here's a link or two:

http://tinyurl.com/q5pwnwf

http://tinyurl.com/q3dof49

[Willie Poor Boy]

Good Morning Carrie

On the LoC recording Hurt apologizes for not knowing all the lyrics but assuring the engineer he still had the melody right.

He worked it up again as a guitar duet on the Last Sessions and below are the lyrics.  It seems to contain a pretty fleshed out back story in these simple lines:



Good morning, Carrie x2

I heard you're going to marry x2

Oh, Carrie I love you x2

solo

Oh, Carrie was a minder (?)
Well, Carrie was a minder

But a mighty good grinder x2

Good morning, Carrie x2

Solo

Good morning, Carrie  x2

Yes, I heard you're going to marry
Heard you're going to marry

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here are the lyrics that John Hurt sang to "Louis Collins" on his first Piedmont album, immediately following his re-discovery.  He played the song out of C position in standard tuning.




INTRO SOLO

Collins weeped, Miz Collins moaned
To see her son, Louis, leave his home
The angels laid him away

REFRAIN: Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

SOLO

Bob shot once, and Louis shot two
Shot poor Collins, shot him through and through
The angels laid him away

REFRAIN: Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

SOLO

Kind friends, oh, ain't it hard
To see poor Louis in a new graveyard?
The angels laid him away

SOLO

All best,
Johnm