Topic: Pink Anderson Lyrics

[junko]

I've been working on Travelin' Man -- great tune.  Pink tunes down a whole step and uses the progression as written above.  Here is what I got for the lyrics:



Travelin’ Man

I just want to tell you bout a man name Coon
His home was in Tennessee
He made his living stealing chickens
And everything that he could see
That popeyed man he run so fast
His feet couldn’t stay in the road
When a freight train pass
No matter how fast he’d always get on board

He was a travelin’ man
Certain was a travelin’ man
He was the travelin’est man
Was ever in the land
He travel, and known for miles around
He didn’t get caught, didn’t give up
Til the police shot him down

Well the police hide in an automobile
On purpose to chase old coon
He running from 6 o’clock in the morning til 7 in the afternoon
That popeyed man he run so fast til fire came from his heel
He burn up the cotton and he scorched the corn
He cut a road through the farmer’s field

He said I’m a travelin’ man
Certain was a travelin’ man
travelin’est man
Was ever in the land
He travel, and known for miles around
But he didn’t get caught, didn’t give up
Til the police shot him down

Well the police shot him with a rifle
And the bullet went through his head
All the people they came from miles around
To see the man was dead
They telegrammed down south to his mother
She’s all carried away in tears
She walked up an opened up the coffin lid
And that fool had disappeared

He said I’m a travelin’ man
Certain was a travelin’ man
travelin’est man
Was ever in the land
He travel, and known for miles around
But he didn’t get caught, didn’t give up
Til the police shot him down

This man was on the Titanic ship
And it was sinking down
Sitting out on a towel
With his head hung down
When this boy jumped overboard
Everybody said he was a fool
And about three minutes after that
He was shooting dice over in Liverpool

He said I’m a travelin’ man
Certain was a travelin’ man
travelin’est man
What ever in the land
He travel, boys he was known for miles around
He didn’t get caught, didn’t give up
Til the police shot him down

This boy he went to the spring one day
To get a pail of water
The distance the rascal had to go
Was about 2 miles and a quarter
He got there got his water
And when he started back
He stumbled and fell down
But he went to the house and got him another bucket
Caught the water ‘fore it hit the ground

Now you know he was a travelin’ man
That certain was a travelin’ man, talk about it
travelin’est man
Was ever in the land
You know he travel, boys he was known for miles around
He didn’t get caught, didn’t give up
Til the police shot him down

[Marco]

Hello!

I'm looking for Pink Anderson lyrics; no one found on the net!
Every search brings to a short biography/discography or, more often, to about a thousand of Pink Floyd (the rock band) sites.
Please, could you help me?

Many thanks!

[uncle bud]

Hi Marco - There's not a lot out there. You might be better off searching on song titles or lyric fragments, since some of the material Pink did was common songster stock. You might also want to look at Paul Oliver's book Songsters and Saints, which covers a lot of the ground to be found in Pink's songster-style repertoire. Not much in the way of specific Pink transcriptions there, but many related songs that would give you an excellent head start. Plus it's an essential book IMO, one of Oliver's best. Or begin transcribing some of the lyrics you're interested in getting and post them here for people to help you out. 

[Bunker Hill]

This might not be what you are looking for but it's a nice pictorial diversion until you do.

http://www.wirz.de/music/andepfrm.htm

[Bunker Hill]

I'd go along with UB re. S&S plus, from memory, Bruce Bastin in his book Red River Blues devotes most of a chapter entitled "Up On The Road" to Pink Anderson. No time to check it out but maybe someone else has.

[Marco]

First one found! 

From "Sinner and Saints (1926-1931)" - Document CD 5106



Gonna Tip Out Tonight

I says go on girl
don't sing them blues to me
Because I'm sweet
as any man can be
She even told me
to my face
That any old rounder
sure can take my place
Said I'm getting tired
of your lowdown ways
I'm going back
to my babe today
So come on girl
honey you can't bluff
I'm going to tip out tonight
and I'm going to strut my stuff

[Johnm]

Hi Marco,
As I read your most recent post I realized I have transcribed all the lyrics to "Tip Out Tonight", including the verse and segue and also give the chord progression over on the Main Forum in a thread called "Rag Blues And Circle of Fifths".  The post can be found on page 2 of the thread, which is currently on the first page of the Forum at the bottom.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Pink Anderson recorded an epic version of "The Wreck Of The Old 97" for Samuel Charters in Spartanburg, South Carolina on August 14, 1961.  The version can be found on "The Blues of Pink Anderson--Ballad and Folksinger, Vol. 3" on Prestige Bluesville, OBCCD-577-2.  It is recently enough since Fantasy, who put out the CD version of this recording, went under, that there are probably still some copies of the CD in stores.  If you find it, nab it--it's a great CD. 

Pink played this out of D in standard tuning, and did it from beginning to end (four minutes and thirty-eight seconds!) without taking a single solo or interrupting the narrative flow in any way.  That's a lot of words to remember without coming up for air!  Most versions I have heard of this song have fewer than half as many verses as Pink sang.  I have been meaning to transcribe this one for a while.  I think my favorite aspect of it is the way Pink keeps singing about "Steve"; it's like he's talking about his next-door neighbor.  I hope you all get a chance to hear this one.



   On the 29th day of one November morning
   When the cloud was hangin' low
   97 pulled out from Washington city
   Like an arrow shot from the bow

   97 was the fastest mail train
   The South had ever seen
   And it run from New York by the way of Washington
   Through Atlanta down in New Orlean (sic)

   I was standing on the mount one cold and frosty morning
   Watching the smoke from below
   That were comin' from the funnel of that black and dusty engine
   Way down up on that Southern road

   It was 97, the fastest mail train
   That run the Southern line
   And when she pulled in, at Lynchburg, Virginia
   She was forty-seven minutes behind

   Steve Brady, he was an engineerah (sic)
   And a very brave man was he
   Well, there're many good men have lost their life
   For the railroad company

   When they give him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
   Said, "Steve, you's way behind.
   This is not 38, but it's old 97,
   You must put her in Spencer on time."

   Steve, he smiled when he said to his black and dusty fireman
   "Throw me in a little more coal
   And as soon as we cross this White Oak Mountain
   You can watch my driver roll."

   It was mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
   The line on a 3-mile grade
   It were on that hill where he lost his air brakes
   You can see what a jump he made

   Steve come down that hill makin' 90 miles an hour
   His whistle began to scream
   Steve was found in the wreck with his hand upon the throttle
   And scalded to death by the steam

   Steve, he had a little wife and also two children
   Who were lyin' at home in bed
   They received the sad message saying, "Husband and father
   Now'm is lyin' in North Danville, dead."

   Now, ladies, you ought to let this be a warning
   This, from now and on
   Never speak hard words to your true lovin' husband
   They may leave you and never return

Edited to pick up correction from ScottN, 3/28/14

All best,
Johnm
   
 

[littledog]

Roy Bookbinder was an aquaintance of Pink Anderson and I believe that he has over the years had a number of PA songs in his repertoire.
If you go to www.roybookbinder.comyou may be able to message Roy and get some lyrics out of him.
Good luck

[waxwing]

Or Roy may drop in here, as he often does.

Welcome to Weenie Campbell, littledog.

A lot of us spent a week with Book last summer at Port Townsend, including a few late evenings, and he stops by every so often.

All for now.
John C.

[littledog]

Thanks Waxwing. I can't recall the last time  Roy made it down here to Tasmania! I'll keep checking the gig guides......never know my luck!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here are the lyrics to Pink's version of "The Boll Weevil", called simply "Boweevil" on the CD on which it appears, "The Blues Of Pink Anderson--Ballad and Folksinger, vol. 3", Prestige/Bluesville OBCCD-577-2.  Pink pronounces the insect's name "boweevah" throughout the song.  He backs himself out of C in standard tuning.  Boy, his time had a great snap to it!



   Woke up this mornin, woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
   Woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
   It must've been the mama weevah, that they call the stingeree

   Boweevah here, boweevah there, boweevah everywhere
   Boweevah here, boweevah everywhere
   I looked in my meal barrel, I found boweevah there

   First time I seen boweevah, first time I seen him, he's on a cotton square
   First time I saw him, he's on a cotton square
   And next time I saw him, moved his whole family there

   So the farmer took boweevah, he took boweevah, put him in a fryin' pan
   He took boweevah, put him in a fryin' pan
   Boweevah, he told the farmer, "Treated me like a natch'l man."

   So, he took boweevah, he took boweevah, put him in a block of ice
   He took boweevah, put him in a block of ice
   So, boweevah, he told the farmer, "I think you treat me very nice."

   Repeat verse 2

   Farmer aksed the merchant, he aksed the merchant, "How 'bout some meat and meal?"
   He asked the merchant, "How 'bout some meat and meal?"
   He said, "Get away from here, farmer!  You got boweevahs in your field."

   Boweevah here, boweevah there, boweevah everywhere
   Boweevah here, boweevah everywhere
   I looked in my cotton patch, I found boweevah there

   Bo, yah, told the farmer, he told the farmer, "You can ride your Ford machine."
   He told the farmer, "You can ride your Ford machine.
   When I get through with your cotton patch, you can't even buy gasoline."

All best,
Johnm
   

[mianno]

Hi I was wondering if anyone had the chords to his version of this song.

Michael

[Johnm]

Hi mianno,
Welcome to Weenie Campbell!  If you tune your guitar one whole step low (DGCFAD) and play along with the recording, you will have the chord progression and the position that Pink played it out of before the song stops playing.  Have fun with it.
All best,
Johnm

[matt milton]

I'm trying to piece together a couple of lines from Pink's "The Kaiser".
I've got most of it. It's really only the repeat refrain line that I'm struggling with, after "I hear them boys [something] Uncle Sam". Anyway, here's what I got. I've placed everything I'm not sure about in square brackets. Help much appreciated!



The Kaiser

Oh Kaiser said to the soldiers
Come on boys and go
If we conquer Europe
This world is ours you know
[I hear them?] boys
[all beat?] Uncle Sam

we have conquered little Belgium
and France will soon be ours
and all the rest will surrender
with all other powers

I hear them boys
[all beat?] Uncle Sam

oh Kaiser said to the soldiers
lets go up to the front
but the soldiers said to Kaiser
you will have to bear the blunt
you done gone too far
[with the?] Uncle Sam

[Defy the combined allers (allies)??]
[he holds em all a-hand??]
[but the rucktion [eruption?] from uncle sammy?]
the soldiers could not stand
the Dixie boys
and the Yankees too

oh Kaiser he said to his soldiers
put a pad inbetween my knees
and call for my physician
I believe I got the heart disease
I hear them boys
[All fear?] uncle sam
I hear them boys
[All fear?] uncle sam