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Author Topic: Furry Lewis Lyrics  (Read 33101 times)

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Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #135 on: October 31, 2022, 07:17:48 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions, Old Man Ned and Stuart. I'm going to stick with what I have.

Offline banjochris

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #136 on: October 31, 2022, 10:37:33 AM »
I always heard that line in "I Will Turn Your Money Green" as "tree-hearted" as a synonym for "hard-hearted" – I don't think it's "hundred" there.
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #137 on: October 31, 2022, 10:48:08 AM »
Hi Chris,
I agree that if he is singing "hundred" that the pronunciation is more like "hunderd", but I don't think he's singing "tree" on the front end--I hear "thr" at the beginning of both of those phrases, so "three" rather than "tree".

Offline banjochris

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #138 on: October 31, 2022, 11:02:08 AM »
It's a weird one – I hear a very crisp "t" on the first line and then more like "th" the second line, plus it really sounds like heart/hearted as opposed to hundred. Plus there's no obvious expression that it would be. I wonder if he sang that lane on any recordings from the '60s.
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #139 on: October 31, 2022, 11:07:32 AM »
Hi all,
Furry accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for his version of "Goin' To Kansas City" that he recorded for Prestige in 1961. Here it is:



INTRO

Let me tell all us mens, what we mus'n't do, don't love a woman 'less she says she loves you
She'll call you "honey", she will call you '"pie", she'll let things get away on the sly,
Then she move, Kansas City, she will move, Kansas City
She will move, honey, baby, where they don't 'low you

I was first on Main Street, start down Beale, looking for the girl they call Lucille
We gon' move, Kansas City, we gon' move, Kansas City
We gon' move, baby, honey, where they don't 'low you

I got one bulldog, two shepherds and a greyhound, three high yellas, two blacks and one brown
We gon' move, Kansas City, we gon' move to Kansas City
We gon' move, Kansas City, baby, where they don't 'low you

I'm gon' move, Kansas City, I'm gon' move to Kansas City
I'm gon' move, baby, honey, where they don't 'low you

My Mama told me, Papa told me too, "Everybody grin in your face, Furry, ain't no friend to you."
You better move, Kansas City, I'm gon' move, Kansas City
I'm gon' move to Kansas City, baby, where they don't 'low you

It take a rockin' chair to rock, a rubber ball to roll, a brownskin woman to satisfy Furry's soul
I'm gon' move to Kansas City, I'm gon' move, Kansas City
I'm gon' move, baby, honey, where they don't 'low you

I'm gon' move, Kansas City, I'm gon' move, Kansas City
I'm gon' move to Kansas City, baby, where they don't 'low you

All best,
Johnm


 
« Last Edit: October 31, 2022, 07:06:10 PM by Johnm »

Offline Stuart

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #140 on: October 31, 2022, 11:29:36 AM »
Hi Chris:

How you (or we, individually) perceive it is how you perceive it. Here's the other take (Take 2) for additional audio info and comparison purposes:



"Take 1" and "Take 2" are sometimes mislabeled on YT. I'm following WeeniePedia and what I have on CD.

It's a tough one. If it were clear, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #141 on: October 31, 2022, 11:40:27 AM »
That take sounds like "threeheart".

Offline banjochris

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #142 on: October 31, 2022, 08:58:26 PM »
The more I listen to it I think it might be "free-hearted" and maybe the mic just picked up a bit of a whistle on the "f" that makes it seem more like a "t" – certainly the repeat line on both takes sounds like it could be an "f".
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #143 on: October 31, 2022, 10:04:04 PM »
Hi Chris,
In terms of sense, I much prefer "free-hearted" in the one take and "free heart" in the other to anything I've heard or suggested. I think that is probably what Furry sang. The phonetics are slightly funky, especially on the first lines of each version, but in the second lines it sounds pretty darn good in both takes. I will go with that. Thanks, I was really stymied.

Offline banjochris

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #144 on: November 01, 2022, 08:56:37 AM »
A tough one for sure and I agree, it makes the most sense.
Chris

Offline Stuart

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #145 on: November 01, 2022, 10:08:21 AM »
I spent some more time on the verse in question last night and again this morning, slowing it down a few clicks at a time and then back up again using VLC Media Player. IMHO, I think you had it right the first time, John. "Talkin' 'bout sweethearted, I declare I'm an honest man," is what I hear with "sweethearted" pronounced as "swee," the initial consonant being less than clearly articulated and the final "t" dropped, if we take so-called standard English pronunciation as the criterion.

The meaning seems clear: He's sincere and honest (his emotions are truly heart felt--not phony and manipulative), and this is manifested in his generosity with his money which he gives to his woman.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Furry Lewis Lyrics
« Reply #146 on: November 04, 2022, 05:04:47 PM »
Hi all,
I re-listened to this in both takes after taking a few days off and I think my mistake in my initial transcription was sticking an extra syllable on "sweetheart", turning it into "sweethearted", which makes no sense. Re-listening I realized that what I had taken for the last syllable of "sweethearted" is the "I" in "I declare" with a little bit of the "d" at the front end of "declare". Removing that extra syllable, you end up with"

   Talk about sweetheart, I declare I'm an honest man

which  is a common usage, makes perfect sense and doesn't require a lot of interpretive contortions to make sense. Thanks to Stuart for pointing me back to "sweetheart".
All best,
Johnm

 


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