Topic: Blind Lemon Jefferson lyrics

[Marco]

Hello!

I found this version of B.L.J.



Jack of Diamond - Jack uh Diamond
Blind Lemon Jefferson - Jesse Thomas

Jack of diamond, Jack of diamond
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play
Gets your Jack, gets your dues
You gets your time when you loose
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play

Jack of diamond, Jack of diamond
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play
You gets your Jack, you gets your Queen
Lost my ...
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play

Jack of diamond, Jack of diamond
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play
You gets the Jack, the King hit high
Jack of diamond made me cry
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play

Jack of diamond, Jack of diamond
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play
You gets your Jack against the As
I was afraid to call my race
Oh, Jack uh diamond, hard card to play

I hope this the version you are looking for!!!

[skeptiktank]

Thanks, Marco

[Johnm]

Hi all,
After checking with Uncle Bud, I've merged the Blind Lemon Lyrics thread he started with the individual threads on various Lemon songs.  This one is a bit different than the Henry Thomas and Furry Lewis combined threads in that Uncle Bud had transferred some of the lyrics arrived at in the individual song threads to his Lemon Lyrics thread.  Having the original individual song threads with the original titles of the posts retained will give some insight into the process that yielded those final transcriptions. 
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Lemon recorded "Pneumonia Blues" pretty late in his career, on September 24, 1929 in Richmond, Indiana at a session that yielded 12(!) titles.  He plays it out of E position in standard tuning, and even at that point of his career, after having recorded over 80 titles previously, he retains the ability to surprise you with what he does on his instrument.  Of course his singing is superlative, too.



   Shakin' all over, b'lieve I've got the pneumonia this time
   I'm achin' all over, b'lieve I've got the pneumonia this time
   And it's all on account of that low-down gal of mine

   Sneakin' 'round the corners, runnin' up alleys, too
   I said, sneakin' 'round corners, runnin' up alleys, too
   Watchin' my woman, tryin' to see what she gon' do

   Set down in the street one cold, dark stormy night
   I set down in the street one dark and stormy night
   Tryin' to see if my good gal gon' make it home all right

   I b'lieve she's found something, good partner, it's made her fall
   She must've found something, and I b'lieve it's made her fall
   I stood out in the cold all night and she didn't come home at all

   I had BVDs in the winter, prowlin' 'round in the rain
   Wearin' BVDs in the winter and prowlin' 'round in the rain
   Last night my baby give me this pneumony pain

   Now, when I die, bury me in Stetson hat
   I say, when I die, bury me in a Stetson hat
   Tell my good gal I'm gone, but I'm still up, standing pat

All best,
Johnm

[Baird]

Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Lock Step Blues"
Recorded in Chicago, July of 1928



I used to shake my feet, in a midnight prance
I used used to shake my feet, in a midnight prance
now they got me doing a different kind of dance

I couldnt keep away from wild women, bad liquor, cards and dice
I couldn't keep away from bad women, bad whiskey, and cards and dice
now I'm doing the lock step baby, things ain't going so nice

don't matter to me whe're* it sunshine snow or rain
don't matter to me whe're*  it sunshine snow or rain
because I can't go gay cattin' and carrying a ball and chain

mean old jailer, taken** away my dancin' shoes
I said mean old jailer, taken** away my dancin' shoes
I can't strut my stuff when I got the lockstep blues

big rats in my cell keeps me woke all night
I said big rats rats in my cell keeped me woke all night
my women done turned** me down, and i don't think thats right

every morning i walks down that big long hall **
I said every morning i walks down that big long hall **
I'm craving for my mama, but i can't make no time at all

lock step blues

*(represents 'whether' )
** as per unclebud's suggestion 

[banjochris]

Baird -- missing words in "Lock Step" are "gay cattin'"

[Baird]

Nice, Banjochris! I'll edit my post.

[Baird]

Dry Southern Blues:

She had feet like a monkey, head like a teddy bear
Feet like a monkey, head like a teddy bear
And a mouth full of Levi Garrett [??ees] [is] everywhere.

It is a mouth full of Levi Garret PIECES everywhere


(I've been listening to this song a lot trying to figure out what is going on with the guitar and haveing eq'd out all of the high end scratches, the "pieces" suddenly sticks out!)

[uncle bud]

Thanks Baird! I don't exactly hear it myself yet (will play around with EQ) but it's certainly plausible and makes a helluva lot more sense than what was there. I've edited the lyrics text.

The other thing I've been wondering about for this is whether it's "geez, it's everywhere", as in she's spitting tobacco all over the place.

[uncle bud]

Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Lock Step Blues"

don't matter to me were it sunshine snow or rain*
don't matter to me were  it sunshine snow or rain
because I can't go gay cattin' and carrying a ball and chain

Hi Baird - I definitely hear a "we'er" as in "whether", as you noted, especially in the first line. Which makes more sense.

mean old jailer, taking away my dancin' shoes
I said mean old jailer, taking away my dancin' shoes
I can't strut my stuff when I got the lockstep blues

Minor point (aren't they all!) but that should be "taken away", I think, as in "mean old jailer has taken away my dancin' shoes.

big rats in my cell keeps me woke all night
I said big rats rats in my cell keeped me woke all night
my women done tearing me down, and i don't think thats right

Wondering if that last line should be "My woman done turned me down..." This is what I'm hearing.

every morning i'm up there in that big long hall
I said every morning i'm up there in that big long hall
I'm craving for my mama, but i can't make no time at all

"Every morning, I walks down that big long hall"

Thanks for doing this one. An excellent choice - what a vocal!

[Baird]

Thanks for the corrections Uncle Bud. I edited my original post.

[Baird]

Hey Y'all,
Here's Lemon's 'Bed Spring Blues'
I'm having trouble with the line in italics.




BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON

BED SPRING BLUES     (Richmond, September 1929)



I've got  something to tell you make the hair rise on your head
I've got something to tell you make the hair rise on your head
Got a new way of gettin' down make the springs tremble on your bed

My gal got a new way of tremblin' down make a crazy man leave his home
Got a new way of tremblin' down make a crazy man leave his home
When she grabs you and turns you loose, make the flesh tremble on your bones

(Spoken)
Tell me why do them springs tremble so on your bed baby

Well my gal got something at home that I sure do lack
Well my gal got something at home that I sure do lack
A soft folding bed and shove it on right back

Don't blame me mamma for talking out my head
I said don't blame me mamma for talking out my head
I'm worried about the movements you got and those springs tremblin' on your bed

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Lemon recorded "Big Night Blues" a couple of times.  This is the version recorded around March of 1929.  Lemon played the song out of A position in standard tuning, and begins it with a shockingly cool bass run.  He played such tremendous stuff in such an off-hand way--just tossed it off.  He emphasizes the bass throughout the course of the rendition.  I think in the tagline to the third verse, he means he isn't going to leave for home from the party until he gets the gin.



   My feets is so sore, I can't hardly wear my shoes
   My feets is so sore, can't hardly wear my shoes
   Out last night with wild women, left me with those big night blues

   I grabbed my sugar and I danced, mama, 'til the clock struck twelve
   I grabbed my sugar and I danced, sweet mama, 'til the clock struck twelve
   After rasslin' so hard with my good gal, I just ain't feelin' so well

   I'm goin' back to that wild party, get with the wild women again
   I'm goin' back to that wild party, get with the wild women again
   I ain't gonna leave, home, 'til I have me a quart of gin

   Wild women like thei' whiskey, and their gin and their rock-and-rye
   Wild women like their liquor and their gin and their rock-and-rye
   My gal wouldn't let me go home last night and wouldn't tell me the reason why

   I turned my face to the door and my gal made an awful moan
   Mmmmmmmmmm my gal made a awful moan
   "Lord, I need my lovin', daddy, because my clock is run down at home."

Edited 6/3 to pick up correction from Uncle Bud.

All best,
Johnm
 

[uncle bud]

Hi all,
Lemon recorded "Big Night Blues" a couple of times.  This is the version recorded around March of 1929.  Lemon played the song out of A position in standard tuning, and begins it with a shockingly cool bass run.  He played such tremendous stuff in such an off-hand way--just tossed it off.  He emphasizes the bass throughout the course of the rendition.  I think in the tagline to the third verse, he means he isn't going to leave for home from the party until he gets the gin.

   
   I say, my sugar and I danced, mama, 'til the clock struck twelve
   I say, and my sugar and I danced, sweet mama, 'til the clock struck twelve
   After rasslin' so hard with my good gal, I just ain't feelin' so well

I believe the first two lines begin "I grabbed my sugar and I danced..."

Great song! The bass riffs remind me somewhat of Willie Reed's Dreaming Blues (or vice versa actually)...

[LeftyStrat]

Just a small thought about Bad luck blues:

I've heard different variations on what the lyrcis in this verse could be :

"Mama, I can't gamble." "Son, why don't you quit tryin'?"
           Doggone my bad luck soul,
"Mmm, why don't you quit tryin'?
           Why don't you quit, I mean tryin'?"
That joker stole off with that long-haired brown of mine.

But I've always heard it as 'Mama I can't count my sum, why don't you quit crying'
and it seems to flow well and make sense.

I've always heard this as:

Mama, I can't come home tonight. Why don't you quit cryin'...

Never claimed to have the sharpest of ears, tho. Especially when it comes to Lemon.