Topic: Mississippi Sheiks Lyrics

[gmeyer]

I've been playing this recently and have listened to this a bunch, here is what I hear (my words in caps):

He's a country man but he just done moved to town
He's a country man but he just done moved to town
He's a country man and he just done moved to town
Done sold his NUTS, now he is walking 'round
(other Sheiks tunes mention peanuts and I am assuming that is what he is referring to...)

And, LAY down your window and turn your lamp down low
LAY down your window and turn your lamp down low
LAy down your window and turn your lamp down low
Gonna make you love me, baby just before I go

Now, 'cause you're in town, you need not think you're wise
Just 'cause you're in town, you need not think you're wise
'cause YOU in town you needn't think you're wise
'cause I got something, job right between your eyes

Old Threads live on! Thanks for all the tunes...

[Johnm]

Hi gmeyer,
Please say what song you're talking about when you post. I assume it is "If You Don't Want Me Please Don't Dog Me 'Round". Is it? It's especially hard to tell what song it is if you post only the verses where you're proposing changes.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi gmeyer,
I went back and listened to "If You Don't Want Me Please Don't Dog Me 'Round", and I think your suggestions of "nuts" is correct, as is "Cause you in town". I think Sam was singing "let" rather than "lay" in the other verse. Thanks for the catches.
All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

Sam was born with an old voice. Was in his 30s when he recorded this?


3.1 Please, don't dog me 'round, I'd rather leave your town 

Doesn't sound like "please". Could be "if she"

2.4 Than to be 'round here, you treat me like a your dog

4.4 Gonna make you love me, baby just be 'fore I go


Closing line;  'cause I got something, job right between your eyes   

Thought I heard "jarred right 'tween your eyes"  listening again it really sounds like "job"

[Johnm]

Hi Harry,
I agree, 1.3 is:
   IF SHE don't dog me 'round, I'd rather leave your town
Also agree that the end of 2.4 is:
   treat me like YOUR dog
In 4.4, I think Sam does sing "before", but swallows the first syllable a bit.

I think in the tagline to the last verse, Sam may mean "jab" but pronounce it "job", just like John Hurt pronounced "stab" "stob".

all best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

I am currently unable to play guitar for about 6 months. I’ll discuss it in another topic as I think there are guitar related issues. Basically, I am having consecutive shoulder replacements, the first of which was a couple weeks ago.

So, to keep my hand in, so to speak, I have decided to start working on the Mississippi Sheiks lyrics, which were uploaded, mostly en mass, by frankie, quite some time ago when he was shutting down his Doggone site. I know this was a labor of love for frankie, but since most of the transcriptions have never had the “Weenie treatment” they haven’t been moved over to Weeniepedia. I’ll start working through, quoting frankie’s posts, supplying discographic info if any is missing, posting my own transcription based on frankie’s, with any corrections that seem appropriate, and open the floor for discussion. When discussion seems to wrap up I can post the “Weeniefied” transcriptions to Weeniepedia.

In order to stay organized I’ll work through fankie’s posts, starting with “Driving That Thing” and then, once we get through I’ll look back on some of the earlier postings in the topic as several of those seemed to need finalizing.

As always, we appreciate all the ears that want to tune in and help out.

Wax

[waxwing]

Driving That Thing - Mississippi Sheiks
Actual pitch: A-flat
Main guitar position: B-flat
Fiddle position: B-flat
Mandolin position: n/a
Second guitar position: n/a



Lyrics:
Old Uncle Bill, he was a working man
Laid down and died with his hammer in his hand
From driving that thing, whoa, driving that thing
All the lawyers in town talking about him driving that thing

Old Uncle Bill, he lived uptown
Driving that thing has done carried him down
Whoa, driving that thing, whoa, driving that thing
Even down to the judge is talking about him driving that thing

Uncle Bill called the doctor, "Come here quick!
I done got my hammer out of fix!
I can't drive that thing
spoken: Come on, doctor, come on!
I can't drive that thing
All the lawyers uptown talking about him driving that thing

spoken: Whoa, drive it!

Uncle Bill got the doctor, the doctor said
"Driving that thing is going to kill you dead."
Oh, driving that thing, whoa, driving that thing
Even down to the judge is talking about him driving that thing

Uncle Bill was [raggedy], clean out of sight
Every time you meet him he would want to fight
About driving that thing, about driving that thing
All the lawyers uptown is talking about him driving that thing

Stayed out last night, the night before
Come home this morning knocking on his door
He's just from driving that thing, he's just from driving that thing
Even down to the judge is talking about him driving that thing

"Driving That Thing" was recorded February 17, 1930 at Shreveport, LA, with Walter Vinson, g/v; and Lonnie Chatman, vn. The only real change I made was changing "judge is" to "judges". It sounds more like what he says, even though he uses "is" with "lawyers uptown". Jackson was the state capitol and became the most populous city in the state in the 1920s, So, with the state Supreme Court, various appellate courts and numerous municipal courts, I'm sure there were lots of judges talking about old Uncle Bill, too. Wouldn't mind feedback on this point.

Wax

Edited 4/23/22 to reflect suggestions from Vintage Blues and Johnm
Edited 4/25/22 to reflect suggestion from banjochris
Edited 4/29/22 to reflect pronunciation

"Driving That Thing"

INTRO

Old Uncle Bill, he was a whackin’ man, laid down and died with his hammer in his hand
From drivin' that thing, oh, drivin' that thing
All the laws uptown talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing

Old Uncle Bill, he lived uptown, drivin' that thing has done carried him down
Oh, drivin' that thing, oh, drivin' that thing
Even down to the judges talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing

Uncle Bill called the doctor, says "Come here quick. I done carried my hammer out of fix”
I can't drive that thing (spoken: Come on, doctor, come on) Can't drive that thing
All the laws uptown talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing
(spoken: Oh, drive it)

INSTRUMENTAL

Uncle Bill got the doctor, the doctor said "Drivin' that thing is going to kill you dead"
Oh, drivin' that thing, oh, drivin' that thing
Even down to the judges talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing

Uncle Bill was raggedy, he stayed out of sight, every time you meet him he would wanna fight
About drivin' that thing, about drivin' that thing
All the laws uptown is talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing

He stayed out last night, the night before, come home this mornin' knockin' on his door
He's just from drivin' that thing, he's just from drivin' that thing
Even down to the judges talkin' 'bout him drivin' that thing

CODA

[Blues Vintage]

I thought I heard "spikin' man" in the opening line.

1.4 All the lawyers in town uptown talking about him driving that thing

3.1 Uncle Bill called the doctor, says "Come here quick”
3.3 I can't drive that thing (spoken: Come on, doctor, come on) I can't drive that thing

5.1 Uncle Bill was raggedy, clean he stayed out of sight

[Johnm]

Hi wax,
I've got a few things I believe I'm hearing, mostly little differences that don't affect the meaning of what is being sung.

 In the tagline and throughout I hear "laws" rather than "lawyers", "laws" being synonymous with policemen.

3.1 Uncle Bill called the doctor, SAYS, "Come here quick.
After the spoken comment I don't hear any "I' in the next line before "can't drive that thing"


5.2 Every time you meet him he would want A fight

6.1 HE stayed out last night, the night before

I agree that it is "judges" as opposed to "judge is" throughout, which would make the plural parallel with the plural of "lawyers" or "laws", whichever you go for. It's just a little formatting thing, but since this is a 12-bar chorus blues, I would combine the first two lines of each verse as one long line. That way, each line is four bars long. Otherwise, the first two lines are each two bars long and the third and fourth bars are both four bars long, with the instrumental fills in there. That's the way I've been entering chorus blues lyrics in Weeniepedia. Thanks for taking these Sheiks lyric transcriptions on.

All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

Thanks Vintage Blues and Johnm for the suggestions. I think I took every one of them. In what is now 4.1, I changed “want to” to “wanna” as opposed to “want a”. That’s what I hear, no “t”, and it kinda leaves interpretation up to the listener. I also changed “done got my hammer” to “done CARRIED my hammer out of fix” which is a bit of an odd locution, in what is now 3.1.

It also brings up the question as to whether we want to reflect the pronunciation and, really, words that are essentially in the vernacular, like “gwine” or “gwonna”, or the standard American English. I lean more towards the pronunciation. However, sometimes it might confuse the listener, such as “working” in 1.1, which he pronounces “woikin’”, sounding like he is from Brooklyn, but it’s also common in parts of the south. But a reader might stumble over “woikin” so I’ll leave it as “workin’”. This makes me notice that frankie was pretty much going for American English, always including the unpronounced “g” on “ing” endings, etc.. Looks like a bit of extra work.

BV, I do think he says “woikin’” but there is a little bit of a plosive sound, which happens if you start a “w” sound with force and your lips happen to be together. You almost can’t avoid it.

Johnm, thanks for the clarity on the format. I was actually wondering about it and almost separated the two “driving that thing” lines to make 5 lines. I rejected that and left it as frankie had it as I wanted to get the ball rolling on this project.

So right away I appreciate the work you guys have been putting in as proprietors of so many lyrics. I hope I can get up to speed. Little tough working with one arm right now but after I start PT next week I should be able to engage my right arm more.

Wax

[banjochris]

I'm pretty sure in the first line that Old Uncle Bill is a "whackin'" man, which gives a slightly different (and even more amusing IMO) slant to the song. It's not quite the vowel sound of "work."
Chris

[waxwing]

I'm pretty sure you are right, Chris. Definitely more of an "a" sound than "oi" when I listen closer. Thanks, Ill make the change.

Wax

[Blues Vintage]

Chris wins the gold again.

[waxwing]

Alberta Blues - Mississippi Sheiks
Actual pitch: A-flat (s)
Main guitar position: B-flat
Fiddle position: B-flat
Mandolin position: n/a
Second guitar position: n/a



Lyrics:
Alberta, Alberta, where you been so long?
Tell me, Alberta, where you been so long?
Hasn't been no loving since you been gone

Alberta, Alberta, where'd you stay last night?
Tell me, Alberta, where'd you stay last night?
Come home this morning, sun was shining bright

If you see Alberta, tell her to hurry home
If you see Alberta, tell her to hurry home
Hasn't been no loving since you been gone

Alberta, Alberta, what you going to do?
Tell me, Alberta, what you going to do?
Just a little bit of loving, let your heart be true

spoken:  Whoa, step on it

I met Alberta, 'way 'cross the sea
I met Alberta, 'way 'cross the sea
Wouldn't write me no letter, she didn't care for me

Alberta, Alberta, be a pal of mine
Alberta, Alberta, be a pal of mine
And she left me walking, tears rolling and crying

I love Alberta, tell the world I do
I love Alberta, tell the world I do
Just a little bit of loving, let your heart be true

The second song the Sheiks recorded, at the same session in Shreveport, LA on February 17, 1930 was the standard "Alberta Blues". Again, Walter Vinson, g/v, and Lonnie Chatman, vn. If anyone is interested in sussing out Vinsons’s playing in B♭, this would be an excellent choice. The guitar is well recorded and the fiddle part is relatively sparse. The arrangement is one of WV’s more complex boom-changs, with walkdowns to both the IV and V chord with some nifty fills and slides, too. You can find frankie’s earlier discussion of WV’s playing positions in B♭ here:
https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=430.msg4041#msg4041

The lyrics are pretty straightforward and I only made minor changes to frankie’s original post.

Wax

Edited 04/30/22 to reflect suggestions from Blues Vintage and Johnm
Edited 5/6/22 to reflect correction from Blues Vintage

Alberta Blues

INTRO

Alberta, Alberta, where you been so long
Tell me, Alberta, where you been so long
Hasn't been no lovin’ since you been gone

Alberta, Alberta, where'd you stay last night
Tell me, Alberta, where'd you stay last night
Come home this mornin’, sun was shinin’ bright

'F you see Alberta, tell her to hurry home
If you see Alberta, tell her to hurry home
Hasn't been no lovin’ since you been gone

Alberta, Alberta, what you goinna do?
Tell me, Alberta, what you goinna do?
Just a little bit of lovin’, let your heart be true

(spoken:  Oh, step on it)
INSTRUMENTAL

I met Alberta, way across the sea
I met Alberta, way across the sea
She wouldn't write me no letter, she didn't care for me

Alberta, Alberta's a dear pal of mine
Alberta, Alberta's, dear pal of mine
And she left me walkin’, tears rollin’ and cryin’

I love Alberta, tell the world I do
I love Alberta, tell the world I do
Just a little bit of lovin’, let your heart be true
 
CODA

[Blues Vintage]

Hi Wax, I think it's great you're doing these Mississippi Sheiks lyrics and good luck with your shoulder.


Verse 6 - Alberta, Alberta, be a pal of mine

It could be    dear pal of mine

I find it hard to hear.