Topic: Hambone Willie Newbern Lyrics

[Johnm]

Wow, Chris, that tagline on verse one is above and beyond the call of duty-- and it's spot on!  I would never have gotten that.  I'm going to stick with "turned and" in 5.1 and 5.2, mostly because the starting consonant sound seems pretty clearly "t" rather than "d", and there's a word break in his articulation there.  The corrections in verse 6 are all right on.  I found one also, I think in the tagline to verse four, he does sing "lawyers" rather than "laws", though he really swallows the second syllable and gets off of it very fast.  Thanks so much.  I wasn't even close on that tagline to verse one.  As it is, this one is ready to go into Weeniepedia.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

I'm sure about 4.2 the others are suggestions.

4.2 Police 'rest me, carried take me 'fore the judge

5.1 Well, the lawyer pleaded, and the judge he turned and wrote it down
5.2 Lawyer pleaded and the judge, he turned and wrote it down

6.2 And they stood me up, stared me right in the face

[Johnm]

Hi Harry,
It is "carried", not "take" in verse four.  The long "e" sound in carried is elided, but the front consonant is a hard "c" and the concluding consonant is a "d", not a "k" as in "take".  He does sing "turned and" in both lines of the next verse, though he chops off the front end both times, so that it sounds more like "'nd". He never says "right" in the next-to-last verse either--what you're hearing is the "r" he adds in between words that end with a vowel sound followed by words that begin with a vowel sound.
All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

I'm really hearing 4.2 as police 'rest me, take me 'fore the judge.

[Johnm]

Well, you're mistaken.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Another Hambone Willie Newborn song that seems like it might have come out of the vaudeville or minstrel show tradition is "Nobody Knows (What The Good Deacon Does)".  He accompanied himself out of C position in standard tuning, as he did for all of his recorded numbers except "Roll And Tumble Blues".  He must have been fun to see in person, because this is a really entertaining performance, with vocal asides commenting on the lyrics and scat singing.  Here is "Nobody Knows":



Say, you talk about your fly deacons, there was one from my home
Says, he done got busy 'bout all them good-lookin' womens, (What did he said?)
"I'm gon' leave all the mens alone."
They invited their great deacon down to our church last night
When the reverend who gives religion out, he said,
"I know you all won't act right." (Why?)
At night when the lights come on, you oughta heard them sisters moan (What did he said?)

There's nobody knows what the good deacon was doin', Lord, whilst the lights was out
Now I ain't no fortune-teller but I 'clare I know just what I'm talkin' about
There was one old brother by the name of Mo, got so happy, pulled off all of his clothes (Be quiet)
Nobody knows what the good deacon's doin', Lordy, whilst the lights was out

And I ain't no fortune-teller but I 'clare I know just what I'm talkin' about
There was one old sister by the name of Ewing, 'shamed to tell you, brother, what that sister was doin' (Shhh!)
Nobody knows what the good deacon was doin', Lord, whilst the lights was out

I ain't no fortune-teller, but I 'clare I know just what I'm talkin' about
There was one old sister, lived down on Vance, said, "I'd just be in that shimmy parlor if I had a chance."
Nobody knows what the good deacon's doin', Lord, whilst the lights was out

Says I ain't no fortune-teller but I 'clare I know just what I'm talkin' about
There was one old sister named Sister Green, jumped up and done the shimmy, Lord, you ain't never seen
Nobody knows what the good deacon was doin', Lord, once the lights was out

SOLO (During solo:  Mm, deacon, hi, deacon, dee, dee-dah, dee, dee-dah)
'Body knows what the good deacon was doin', Lordy, whilst the lights was out

I ain't no fortune-teller but I 'clare I know just what I'm talking' about
She pulled off one slipper and then one sock, got way back and doin' the double Eagle Rock
Nobody knows what the good deacon was doin', Lord, whilst the lights was out

SOLO (During solo:  good deacon, bad deacon, dah, dah-dahdle, dee, dee-dah
Dooo-doo, dee-dee, diddle-diddle, di-di-dah)

OUTRO

Edited 7/10 to pick up corrections from banjochris and Johnm

All best,
Johnm

   

[banjochris]

I'm really hearing 4.2 as police 'rest me, take me 'fore the judge.

John, going back I hear "take" in 4.2 also (but just 4.2, it's "carried" in 4.1).
Chris

[banjochris]

Couple suggestions for "Good Deacon," some are pretty minor

1.5 When the reverend who gives that RELIGION out, he said, – he pronounces it "reel-ish-ion"
1.6 "I know YOU ALL WON'T ACT RIGHT."

2.4 (the aside) I think is BE QUIET

3.2 I think it's shame to tell YOU, brother, ...
3.3 ...Lord, WHILST the lights was out

5.2 ...jumped up and DONE the shimmy...

6.2 ...pulled off ONE slipper...

Chris

[Johnm]

Well, If two close listeners heard "take" in 4.2 of "Shelby County Workhouse Blues", I needed to re-listen again.  I did and you were both right, and I was mistaken.  Thanks for the catch, Harry.  I've made the fix here and in Weeniepedia.  Thanks!  And I'm sorry for being crabby with you before, Harry.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Thanks for the catches on "Nobody Knows", Chris, and your catches helped me make some more catches, I think.  In the last line of each refrain, I think it is "whilst" every time through.  In 2.2, I think it is:
   'SHAMED to tell you, brother, what that sister was doin'
I think the tail end of 3.2 is:
   "I'd JUST be IN that shimmy parlor if I had a chance
I'll make the fixes.  Thanks for all the help.
All best,
Johnm

[islandgal]

Going back to a post from 2015, I was just listening to Hambone Willie Newbern's version of Roll and Tumble Blues again and I'd like to suggest a change. I think in the last line of the first verse he's singing, "And I rose this mornin', mama, and I didn't know right from wrong."

[Johnm]

Hi Jean,
I re-listened to "Roll And Tumble Blues" and I agree with you, so I made the change.  Thanks for the catch!
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

Occurred to me we had all of Hambone Willie Newbern's lyrics here except "She Could Toodle-oo," so here it is. Played out of C, very similar to "Nobody Knows What the Good Deacon Is Doin'."



There once was a girl, she bought a horn right precious,
Come blowin' it right down the street.
Every time she'd blow, she'd blow toodle-ee-do,
And she blowed for everybody she meet.
I walkin' down the street the other day,
I met the same old girl myself.
And I give that girl a buffalo nickel,
She almost toodle-ooed herself to death.

Oh she could toodle-oo, boys she toodle-oo,
That's all the poor girl do.
Oh she 'd toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
That's all she could do.

Her mama phoned the doctor, says, "Come here quick,
Says I believe I got to have my daughter's toodle-oo fixed."
She could toodle-oo, yes she'd toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

Oh she could toodle-oo, boys she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.
Oh she 'd toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

Well, the doctor came, said, "I never seen such,
Your daughter got the fever, she toodle-ooed too much."
She could toodle-oo, yes she'd toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

SOLO

Oh she could toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
That's all the poor girl do.
Oh she could toodle-oo, boys she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

Toodle-oo in the summer, in the fall,
Got so cold she couldn't toodle-oo at all.
She could toodle-oo, yes she'd toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

Oh she could toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
That's all the poor girl do.
Her mama's in the kitchen, cookin' and a-stewin',
Me around the house a-just a toodle-oo a-looin'.
Oh she could toodle-oo, she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

SOLO

Oh she could toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.
Oh she could toodle-oo, boys she toodle-oo,
That's all the poor girl do.

Well, she went to leave me, right stubbed her shoe,
Fell down and broke her little toodle-oo-de-loo
Oh she could toodle-oo, yes she toodle-oo,
Toodle-oo-doo loo loo loo.

SCAT ENDING



Chris

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for posting that transcription, Chris. It's great to have all of Hambone Willie Newbern's songs transcribed. Great hearing on this one--I had never been able to hear that "precious", right out of the gate, when I've attempted this song before. My one question is in the verse preceding the second solo. Wondering if Hambone Willie ended that one line:

    "cookin' AND A-STEWIN'

Thanks, and I'll get this up in Weeniepedia soon.

All best,
John

 

[Blues Vintage]

Never heard this song. One more small suggestion;

1.4 And But she blowed for everybody she meet.