Topic: Mance Lipscomb Lyrics

[LusciousLucy]

Two questions for you native speakers that I've kept pondering on for months. There is this awesome (Lightnin Hopkins-style or perhaps actually Lighthin Hopkins-) tune on Lipscomb's "Live at the Cabale"-album called "I wonder Why" on which Mance sings something that is kind of hard to understand for me as a foreigner:

1. [*two kind of nations?] or maybe ["one combination"?] I can't stand .. a two faced woman and some monkeyman" - ? It sounds more like the former to me but then I'm a little confused about the meaning of the word "nation" in this context. Merely a colloquial synonym for "folks" or "people"?


2. And what exactly does he mean by "monkeyman"? Is it just a derogatory term (for the man that his woman betrays him with, as I understand it) or does it carry a more specific meaning? I was just stumbling on that word when listening to a Travellin' Wilburys-LP recently where there is talk of Tweeter and the monkeyman.

Thank for all help in advance!

[banjochris]

I hear "two kind of nations" as well -- I've never heard "nation" used in this context, by Mance or anyone else, but I would assume he does mean "people." It is just possible he's saying "two combinations" but pronouncing the word pretty oddly.

And monkey man usually does mean the man who's being cuckolded -- the man some other man is making a monkey out of. I think sometimes there may be an intra-black racist component to it as well.
Chris

[LusciousLucy]

Thank you very kindly, Chris. I think you are right: In referring to a monkey man he is referring to himself, meaning: a two-faced woman and an idiot or fool as I am.

And a two-faced woman and a monkey man would only be "one" combination but I listened again and mean to hear him say "two" very clearly now. Although the use of a plural might be explainable as some slang variant, my best guess remains "two kind of nations" as well.

Anyhow, a great tune. Mance renders another wonderful live interpretation of this song on the radioshow that can be listened to archives.org.

[cc132]

I'm trying to work out the lyrics for "Evil Blues" right now. 

This is what I've got so far (lyrics I'm unsure of are in italics).



Mance Lipscomb - Evil Blues

My man stood in evil, you'd be evil too.
Yes, my baby, you'd be evil too
My man stood in evil, you'd be evil too
Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do

Now you brought me to this daddy, then you done left town
Yeah, you brought me to this, then you done left town
Yeah you brought me to this daddy, now you done left town
Stayed with me till you drug me down

That's why I'm evil, you'd be evil too
Yes I'm evil, you'd be evil too
Yes I'm evil, you'd be evil too
My gal done quit me, don't know what to do

Standin' here looking one thousand miles away
Standing here looking one thousand miles away
Standing here looking one thousand miles away
My daddy left me, and I'm got to stay

I'm evil, you'd be evil too
Yes I'm evil, you'd be evil too
Yes I'm evil, you'd be evil too
Sometimes I wonder what in the world I'm gonna do

(Guitar Break)

Standin' here looking one thousand miles away
I'm standing here looking one thousand miles away
Standing here looking one thousand miles away
My daddy left me, and I'm got to stay

My man stood in evil, you'd be evil too
My man stood in evil, you'd be evil too
My man stood in evil, you'd be evil too
Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do

[uncle bud]

That would be "studyin' evil". Brooks Berry (backed by Scrapper Blackwell) sings a tune called My Man Is Studyin' Evil, that uses the same first verse, at least. Quite a tune too, clocking in at 6:15 with lots of soloing from Scrapper. I have always thought Mance was covering a female classic blues singer on this one, like he did with Bessie Smith for Haunted House Blues, but I can't put my finger on a tune.

[cc132]

That would be "studyin' evil". Brooks Berry (backed by Scrapper Blackwell) sings a tune called My Man Is Studyin' Evil, that uses the same first verse, at least. Quite a tune too, clocking in at 6:15 with lots of soloing from Scrapper. I have always thought Mance was covering a female classic blues singer on this one, like he did with Bessie Smith for Haunted House Blues, but I can't put my finger on a tune.

Thanks a bunch.  Any idea what is meant by studying evil?  If a woman said that her man was studyin' evil, what exactly would that mean?

[banjochris]

Thanks a bunch.  Any idea what is meant by studying evil?  If a woman said that her man was studyin' evil, what exactly would that mean?

Contemplating doing something evil -- evil is on his mind. Some variation of that.

Also worth pointing out that musically, if not lyrically, this tune is remarkably similar to Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Wartime Blues."

[lefab taverne]

just to say thank you guys ! your forum helps me a lot when i doubt on some lyrics...

[uncle bud]

Glad the forum is a help and welcome to WC.

[gullyjim]

Hello everybody, great forum! I'm French and I have work the guitar parts on Blues In The Bottle by Mance Lipscomb, But I have problems with the lyrics,  Does anybody have the lyrics to this song (Mance Lipscomb version)

[banjochris]

Hope this helps:

Blues in the Bottle:

Blues in the bottle, blues in the bottle, stopper in my hand, doggone you,
Blues in the bottle, stopper in my hand,
Now if you want to be my woman, you got to come under my command.

You couldn't stand it, you couldn't stand it, oughta stayed at home doggone you,
You couldn't stand it, you oughta stayed at home
Pick up chips for your grandma, work on your grandpa's farm.

Ah, baby, oh baby, where did you stay last night, doggone you,
Tell me baby, where did you stay last night
You never come home this morning till the sun was shinin' bright.

She say daddy, looka here daddy, don't you raise no sand, doggone you,
Looka here daddy, don't you raise no sand,
I don't ask you 'bout no woman, don't you ask me 'bout my man.

(If) I had my pistol, I had my pistol, you down in the woods, pretty mama,
If I had my pistol, mama in the woods,
I'd shoot you up so bad, you couldn't do your man no good.

Jog on the rabbit, jog up the rabbit, run him one solid mile, oh lord,
Jog up the rabbit, run him a solid mile,
Know that rabbit got down, cried like a child.

Don't come tomorrow, don't come tomorrow, next day'll be my goal, doggone gal,
Don't come tomorrow, next day'll be my goal,
I'm goin' up the road, say 'bout a mile or so.

Blues in the bottle, blues in the bottle, stopper in my hand, doggone you,
Blues in the bottle, stopper in my hand,
Now if you want to be my woman, you got to come under my command.

[gullyjim]

Thanks Banjochris, It's very kind of you! Sure this will help me a lot.

[Rivers]

Stumbled into this one messing around with blues in A this morning, grabbed the lyrics so here they are. Mance is tuned up half a step, sounding just shy of B flat.

Probably deserves a mention in the 'Great covers' thread, but I don't have the Shirley Griffiths, Buddy Moss or any other acoustic version with which to compare.

I really like the way the guitar melody line follows the vocal on this tune. Mance has such a great touch on his Harmony Sovereign, particularly the monotonic thumb bass, treble lines. I believe he 'implies' the change to the V by staying on the A chord and fretting the E at the 5th fret, second string. Nice.

[edit: I just noticed the "don't you raise no sand" verse also appears in Chris's transcription of Blues In The Bottle, above]



Meet Me In The Bottom, from Arhoolie 'Live At The Cabale'

[instrumental first verse]

Won't you meet me in the bottom, bring my boots and shoes, lawdy mama, great God almighty
Meet me in the bottom, with my boots and shoes
My baby done quit me, left me with the high water blues

The woman I love, she twenty-five 'round her waist, lawdy mama, great God almighty
Woman I love, twenty-five 'round her waist
I ain't found nobody, to take that woman's place

Tell me babe, how you want your rollin' done, lawdy mama, great God almighty
Tell me how you want your rollin' done?
"Want you to do it just like my old time rider done"

[Instrumental verse]

Tell me mama, where in the world did you stay last night, lawdy mama, great God almighty
Tell me where, late did you stay last night?
Well you know good and well, you ain't treatin' me right

You said "Look here daddy, daddy don't you raise no sand", lawdy mama, great God almighty
"Look-a here daddy, don't you raise no sand"
"I don't ask you about no woman, don't ask me about my man"

[Instrumental verse]

[Rivers]

Hey Chris, I was contemplating starting some Mance lyric pages on weeniepedia and while scoping out what we had already (no lyrics yet) I noticed in your Mance tunings article you mentioned for Meet Me In The Bottom from Live At The Cabale he is tuned dropped-D, while presumably playing out A. Is this still your feeling on this tune? Do you mean he starts, either accidentally or intentionally, in drop D and tunes it up on the fly? I have been known to do that, completely by mistake in my case.

[banjochris]

Yeah, he starts in dropped D and tunes it up in one very decisive move when he gets to the E section of the opening solo. He does it with such aplomb that I'm sure it's a mistake he'd made before!