Topic: Blind Blake Lyrics

[Blind Arthur]

Married Man Blues (take 3, uniss.) (same as above, tho often BB and IS share vocals; sometimes vocals only)

When a man says he loves you better than he loves himself, (2x)
He don?t mean you no good, tol? that same lie to somebody else.

?Cause just plain old love don?t run this wicked ol? world today,
For just plain old love don?t run this wicked old world today,
If you got troubles and no money, nobody wants you when you?re old and grey.

Borrowed love ain?t nothin? but you single women love a married man, (2x)
It may do for a while but it?s bound to jam you at the end.

If I could only see my married man today, (2x)
I?d catch the first train goin? anywhere, even to Atlanta GA.   [get?]

You say it?s bad luck and trouble, times ain?t like they used to be,
You say that bad luck and trouble, times ain?t like they used to be,
Borrowed love has jammed ev?rybody, now it?s ?bout to jam poor me.

[Blind Arthur]

Now the two sides of his rediscovered 1931 record. Corrections/additions highly welcome

Night And Day Blues

I woke up this mornin? with the same thing on my mind,  (2x)
Thinkin? about my baby, I just couldn?t keep from cryin?.

Lord, I feel like layin? down in my bed and dyin?,  (2x)
Thinkin? about the baby that I left behind.

solo

Ain?t it hard to get a woman off your mind?  (2x)
And I hope to the Lord this is my last time.

solo

I worried in the mornin? and I worried night and day,
I worried in the mornin?, I worried night and day,
I wish some woman?d come and move this blues away.


---------


Sun To Sun

Ah, a man can worry from sun to sun, (2x)
When a woman?s worries have just begun.

I?m gonna stop worryin?, gotta do the best I can, (2x)
I ain?t goin? let no one woman make me no monkey man.

solo

I can?t keep from worryin? no matter how I try,  (2x)  
I b?lieve I?ll go some place where I never fell before.  

solo

I have lived on water and I have lived on land,  (2x)
I ain?t find no woman, better fight with one man.  


_{Correctified.}

[Gumbo]

the last verse of Night and Day sounds like "I worried in the morning" to me

and this is what i hear in Sun to Sun:

Ah, a man can worry from sun to sun, (2x)
What a woman?s worries have just begun.

I?m gonna stop worryin?, gotta do the best I can, (2x)
I ain?t goin? let no one woman make me no monkey man.

solo

I can?t keep from worryin? no matter how I try,  (2x)
I b?lieve I?ll go some place where I never been before. 

solo

I have lived on water and I have lived on land,  (2x)
I ain?t find no woman, better fight with one man.

[Blind Arthur]

Right about the final verse!
Need to relisten the 2nd last stanza?s final one...I could have sworn Blake sings "...never fell before".
"...stop worryin?" makes much more sense, right.

[Gumbo]

I have lived on water and I have lived on land,  (2x)
I ain?t find no woman, better fight with one man.

I should have said that this is a bit of an approximation in the hope that it sparks something for someone - i don't  feel sure on this one.

[Blind Arthur]

Hard Pushing Papa



I come to town, I come to stay,
Better watch out, women, when I come your way
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, I don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

Listen all you fellows, I beg to say,
Break up your lovin? and haul your prey,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

Three years, woman, ?fore I never lost a bet,
Three years in jail and I ain?t done yet,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

If you wanna fight you soon will see,
A cat and dog ain?t got the thing on me,
I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

I?m rough and tumble, I?ve never been to school,
Nobody can beat me ?cause I break all the rules,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

Take my liquors standin? up and my women sittin? down
Men cross my path, I?m goin? run them outta town,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

Never use a razor, pistol I do despise,
But take one look at a man he'll lay down and die,
Says I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

Don?t get scared, sweet mama, what I tell you is true,
You?ll like my size, sweet jelly rollin? you,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, don?t know when to stop,
?Cause I?m a hard pushin? papa, push you until you drop.

[Blind Arthur]

The Document reissue uses a copy with lots of surface noise but the JSP reissue sounds much cleaner, which is great since this is among my favourite records of his. Absolutely beautiful guitar playing! Let me have a try at the lyrics now, too.

Ice Man Blues

Hear that ice man holl?in?, he don?t mean us men no good,   (2x)
Every back door he goes to he wrecks the neighbourhood.

solo

You can?t trust your baby when the ice man starts hangin? around, (2x)
And if it ain?t the ice man, the coal man?s runnin? her down.

Spoken: Well, I?m ?on? take this lady some ice if her old man out. And if he in I don?t think I wanna go around there, me and the coal man both might leave. It?ll be too bad.

There was a time when my baby was sweet and nice,  (2x)
She?s thrown me down for the man who brings the ice.

solo

He may be the ice man but he ain?t so cold,
It may be the ice man but he ain?t so cold,
He can chill your ice box and heat your jelly roll.

Ain?t nothin? in my ice box that?s any good today,  
There?s nothin? in my ice box that?s any good today,  
Since that the ice man stole my baby he won?t come around to stay no more.

I?m gonna start walkin? and walk out all my shoes,  (2x)
I?m goin? get me an ice pick and break this ice man in two.

[Blind Arthur]

Bootleg Rum Dum Blues[/u]



I love my whisky, crazy ?bout it as I can be,  (2x)
But my new bootlegger crazy ?bout to poison me.

Took one drink last night and it made me go stone blind,  (2x)
Start to run away, leave my sweet mama behind.

Some time one drink makes me act like a doggone fool,  (2x)
But two or three drinks make me kick like a doggone mule.

Mama, mama, don?t treat your papa mean no more,  (2x)
Get full of my bootleg whisky, makes you fly through that door.

I?m a good man when I?m sober but Lord Lord when I?m drunk,  (2x)
If you see me reelin?, mama, go hide in your trunk.

[banjochris]

I think the last line of verse 1 of Bootleg Rum Dum should be "'fraid he 'bout to poison me"

[banjochris]

A few for Hard Pushin' Papa:

3.1 Three years PULLMAN PORTER never lost a bet

6.2 MAN cross my path I'm goin' run HIM OUTTA town

7.1 Never use a razor, PISTOL I DO DESPISE

Chris

[banjochris]

And for Ice Man:

1.1 I think it's holl'in' (as in hollerin') rather than howlin'
1.2 should start with EVERY instead of IF A

4.2 On repeat he starts line with THERE'S instead of AIN'T

5.1 needs a (2x)

5.3 I don't think he says PICK -- sounds more like WAGON to me.

Chris

[Blind Arthur]

7.1 Never use a razor, PISTOL I DO DESPISE

I discussed this with a native speaker a lot but I think you are correct, banjochris. It makes most sense of all alternatives we considered.

6.2 MAN cross my path I'm goin' run HIM OUTTA town

I agree, sounds better.

[Blind Arthur]

And for Ice Man:

5.3 I don't think he says PICK -- sounds more like WAGON to me.

I understood "ice pecker" but would that make any sense...?! That?s why I took "pick and".

[Gumbo]

Ice Man Blues
spoken: Well, I'm gonna take this lady some ice ...

[uncle bud]

A few for Hard Pushin' Papa:

3.1 Three years PULLMAN PORTER never lost a bet

6.2 MAN cross my path I'm goin' run HIM OUTTA town

7.1 Never use a razor, PISTOL I DO DESPISE

Chris

Agreed, these are all what I hear as well.