Topic: Sara Martin Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "Pleading Blues" at the same session at which she recorded "Everybody's Got The Blues", with Sylvester Weaver accompanying her out of E position in standard tuning. The song is quite a vocal showpiece for Sara Martin.  Sylvester Weaver is his normal musicianly self, varying his accompaniment quite a lot as he goes along, hitting some surprising grungy bends, and going to a bVI chord, C, in the sixth bar of one of the verses--it's a move he liked, and to his credit, he didn't wear it out, which is really easy to do when you like a particular sound. I was surprised to hear the opening phrase of the third verse--might this song have the earliest use of that line? I don't know. Here is "Pleading Blues":

 

Woke up this morning, looked around my room
Woke up this morning, looked around my room
I said, "Old blues, what you doing here so soon?"

I knew it was the blues, 'cause I've begun to feel awfully bad, Lord, Lord
I knew it was the blues 'cause, I've begun to feel awfully bad
Just like I'd lost all the friends I ever had

Now, blues, I've rolled and tumbled, stayed woke all night long, oh blue, blues
Blues, I've rolled and tumbled, stayed woke all night long
And here you are this morning, with your same old happy song

Now, blues, this ain't the first time, you know you've been here before, blues, blues, blues
Blues, this ain't the first time, you know you've been here before
And the last time you were here, blues, you made me walk the floor

Oh blues, blues, if you bring trouble along, oh blues, blues
Blues, blues, if you bring trouble along
You've haunted poor me, ever since the day I was born

Now blues, blues, why don't you let poor me be, oh blues, blues?
Blues why don't you let poor me be?
And let me have one, day out of this blue misery

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "Every Woman Needs A Man" at the same session as she recorded "Pleading Blues", accompanied by Sylvester Weaver, playing in C position in standard tuning this time. The lyrics here have a somewhat unwieldy A, first half of A, second half of A structure. They're at odds with the song's title, too, for they make it plain that Sara Martin has no intention of giving up control of her life. I can't think of another blues that speaks of attending lodge meetings--that was a bit of a shocker. The way I've placed commas in the lyrics is not intended to make the lines flow or makes sense when read, but rather to reflect the little pauses Sara Martin inserts in the course of singing the lines. Sylvester Weaver's accompaniment has a tricky chromatic ascending bass line, and he takes a very rare two-chorus solo. This song feels like one-of-a-kind in many ways. Here is "Every Woman Needs A Man":



INTRO

Now there's a many good fish in the sea that's never been caught, from now on I'm startin' to catchin' them that can't be bought
Now there's many a good fish in the sea that's never been caught
From now on I start to catchin' them, that a-can't be bought

Gonna join every organization that's in this land, so when he goes to the lodge meetin' I can go with my man
Gonna join every organization that's in this land
So when he goes to lodge meetings, I can go with my man

Be a bankin' old sister from my head to my toes, so if my man don't do, I can let him go
Be a bankin' old sister, from my head to my toes
So if my man don't do, I can let him go

SOLO X 2

Don't intend to let no one man, worry my mind, always gone have a half, dozen in line
Don't intend to let no, one man worry my mind
Always gonna have a, half a dozen waiting in line

Gonna keep them all looking spic and span, for nowadays, every woman, needs a man
Gonna keep them all looking, spic and span
For nowadays every, woman needs a man

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "Got To Leave My Home Blues" in Atlanta around March 21, 1924, backed once again by Sylvester Weaver, who for this song accompanied her in E position in standard tuning. I'd be interested to know whether Sara Martin was writing her songs from this period herself, or if not, who was writing them. It would be tough to remember all of these lyrics in a live performance. Here is "Got To Leave My Home Blues":



INTRO

You have heard people talk about troubles borne, you have heard them groanin' spirits from night 'til morn
Some talk about borned with a silver spoon in their mouth
Some have bad troubles, out-and-out

But my troubles never started until I, lost a man, then I started living, from hand to hand
Now I'm a lone girl, in a lone man's town
I've got them "I've Got To Leave My Home Blues", I'm bound

I've took morphine last night to ease my pain, if it hadn't been for the doctor, I'd bent in my brains
I lost my job and I, lost my home
'Cause I wouldn't let other, women's men alone

SOLO X 2

Trials and tribulations are like a million pounds, they ain't nothing to what it'll be when I run my good man down
I'm gonna shoot him and cut him, just as long as I choose
He's the cause of me having them "Got To Leave My Home Blues"

All best,
Johnm

 

[dj]

I'd be interested to know whether Sara Martin was writing her songs from this period herself, or if not, who was writing them.

A quick search didn't turn up a photo of Got To Leave My Home Blues, but the Label of Every Woman Needs A Man gives the composer credit to "Sara Martin-Sylvester Weaver". 

[Johnm]

Thanks for tracking that down, dj! I know that lots of Sylvester Weaver's songs had very involved lyrics, too.
All best,
Johnm

[dj]

For what it's worth, here's what Bob MacLeod had for Sara Martin's composer credits:

SARA MARTIN
  Black Hearse Blues [(Jackson - Ray)] 313 D3
  Forget Me Not Blues [(Worde – Martin)] 483 D7
  Give Me Just A Little Of Your Time 484 D7
  Gonna Ramble Blues 310 D3
  I Am Happy In Jesus [(---)] 310 D3
  Loving Is What I Crave [(Martin)] 312 D3
  Nobody Knows And Nobody Cares Blues 483 D7
  Orn'ry Blues [(Jones)] 313 D3
  Teasing Brown Blues 311 D3
  Useless Blues [(Weaver - Martin)] 312 D3
  Where Shall I Be? [(Jones)] 309 D3

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "Poor Me Blues" at the same session at which she recorded "Got To Leave My Home Blues", once again backed by Sylvester Weaver playing out of C position in standard tuning. Weaver really sounds unlike anybody else in the style in this accompaniment, and the way he goes about it was not picked up and utilized by any later players of which I'm aware. Here is "Poor Me Blues":



INTRO

I'm going away, yes going away
To wear you off my mind
I can't do it here, there's no need of cryin'

And when you see me going, hang crepe on your door
When you see me going hang crepe on your door
I ain't gonna die, but I ain't coming back no more

'Cause you treat me mean, dirty, too
You treat me mean, nice and dirty, too
But there ain't no telling what a daddy like you won't do

Now I can't help, from being so bold
I can't help from being so bold
But daddy's got a way that penetrates my soul

Looks like everybody, is down on poor me
Everybody is down on poor me
If you've ever been down, you know just how I feel

Now, daddy, daddy, won't you please be kind?
Oh daddy, daddy, won't you please be kind?
Just to ease this poor, aching troubled hear of mine

Edited 10/30 to pick up correction from dj

All best,
Johnm

[dj]

Just a nit:

  2.1 - And when you see me going, hang crepe on your door

[Johnm]

Thanks for the catch, dj. I think that error was a combination of a pause in typing and an over-active and inaccurate imagination in my spell-check program. Thanks.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "If I Don't Find My Brown  Won't Be Back At All" two times on May 24, 1924 in New York City, once backed by Clarence Williams on piano, and once backed by Sylvester Weaver, playing out of E position in standard tuning. Personally, I don't see why the version was Clarence Williams was needed, because Sylvester Weaver did a great job, with some wonderful bends, and Sara's vocal is spot on in this version, too. Here is the version on which Sylvester Weaver accompanied her, and it's pretty whupped--sorry about that:



INTRO

Where there ain't no loving, there ain't no getting along
Where there ain't no loving, there ain't no getting along
Always trouble, something going on wrong

My brown left me, news all over town
My brown left me, news all over town
I telephoned for my brown, my brown he can't be found

I asked the agent, "What train must I ride?"
I asked the agent, "What train must I ride?"
But it made no difference, so I was satisfied

Gonna find my brown, if I have to ride those rods
Gonna find my brown, if I have to ride those rods
If I fall through, gonna put my trust in the Lord

Leaving early in the Summer, won't be back 'til Fall
Leaving early in the Summer, won't be back until Fall
If I don't find my brown, I won't be back at all

All best,
John 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sara Martin recorded "I'm Sorry Blues" at a session in St. Louis in March or April of 1926. She was accompanied by Sylvester Weaver on guitar and Charles Washington on banjo (probably tenor or plectrum), with Sylvester Weaver accompanying her out of C position in standard tuning. Sylvester Weaver was certainly an interesting player and was ahead of the curve harmonically, compared to many of his guitar-playing contemporaries. This song has a complicated and unusual structure. I'd very much appreciate help with the first two lines of the second verse. Here is "I'm Sorry Blues":



INTRO

When you left you caused me lots of pain
Now you want me to take you back again
You found things different away from me, sometimes you were hungry, too, that you'll agree

Shoes wore out, clothes got thin
Shoes wore out, clothes got thin
Not a dime in your pocket, no one took you in

Now you say you're sorry and you want to come back home
If I take you back, never more will you go
Well, here's a little lesson I want you to learn: if you play with fire, you are sure to get burned

When you said you didn't want me no more
When you said you didn't want me no more
That's the hardest words I ever heard before

You've got it in your head, I was crazy 'bout you
You've got it in your head, I was crazy 'bout you
But I've got someone to do the things that you do

Now let Mr. Hard Luck keep on knocking on your door
Let Mr. Hard Luck keep on knocking on your door
For it's too late to be sorry, I can't use you no more

CODA

Edited 7/15 to pick up corrections from Stuart and Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm

 

[MarkC]

John -
I think “you wore out clothes” is right, not sure of the end of the line. It sounds to me like “agin”, as in “again”.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Mark. I think "clothes to skin" is right, like holes in the knees of his pants and elbows of his shirts, with his skin showing through.

[Stuart]

Hi John: Re: "I'm Sorry Blues"

I hear, "You wore out clothes got thin." It not the grammar we're used to, but that's nothing new.

Also, I believe there's a typo for "Mr." in the last verse.

[Blues Vintage]

Stuart pushed me in this direction;

Shoes wore out clothes got thin


4.1 When you left said, you didn't want me no more