Topic: Tommy McClennan Lyrics

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan record "Classy Mae Blues", working with an unknown bassist, on September 15, 1941.  For the song, Tommy was working out of G position in standard tuning, and his accompaniment is particularly nuanced in his touch and execution.  On this song and many of his later recordings, he sort of spoke-sang the second half of the opening lines of many of his verses, and the effect adds to the confidential, "talking to you" feeling that his performance communicates.  This is a great set of lyrics, and I particularly like the way the first verse makes an impressive statement in its opening line, amends it in the second line, and pretty much backs down altogether in the tagline.  The fourth verse demonstrates Tommy's ability to brag with some style.  I don't know if "Classy" in this context is an adjective or a given name, but I prefer to think it was the latter.  Here is "Classy Mae Blues":



   SOLO

   Classy Mae, my sweet woman, she sure don't do nothin' wrong
   Classy Mae is my sweet woman, I don't allow to do nothin' wrong
   And when she happen to do somethin' wrong, oh Lord, she makes it right home

   Now Classy Mae, you know you misused me, you misused me without a call
   Classy Mae, you know you misused me, oh Lord, you misused me without a call
   But some of these old days, I'm gon' get 'round the corner and get your ashes hauled

   Now you know you didn't want me, now-now, why didn't you tell me so?
   Classy Mae, you know you didn't want me, why in the world don't you tell me so?
   'Cause you know I can get me a pretty woman, 'most anywhere poor Tommy go

   Now if that's your man, (spoken) buy you a good lock and key (Spoken: Yes, Good God almighty, now!)
   If that's your man, Classy Mae, buy you a good lock and key
   'Cause that's the onliest way you can stay away from me

   Now all night last night, (spoken) I couldn't sleep for cryin'
   I say, all night last night, Classy Mae, you know I couldn't sleep for cryin'
   I was thinkin' about somebody, had to learn this line

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "She's Just Good Huggin' Size" in Chicago on May 10, 1940, accompanying himself out of G position in standard tuning and playing with an unknown bassist.  There can be very few Country Blues players who routinely played with as deep a backbeat as Tommy McClennan did--his second and fourth beats are so strong it's like being smacked upside the head.  He had a huge variety of things he was able to do in his favored keys, and his concluding solo here is especially strong, with no talking, just playing.  This is another stellar lyric number.  Here is "She's Just Good Huggin' Size":



   SOLO

   Oh, my baby, just about good huggin' size
   Oh, my babe, just about good huggin' size
   Lord, if anybody was to take her, I b'lieve to my soul I'd die

   Lord, I try to give that little woman everything she tell me she need
   Try to give that little woman ev'ything that she tell me she need
   But she will hold a conversation with every low-down dirty man she meet

   That little woman, she won't wash, now-now, and she won't even (Spoken)iron my clothes (Spoken: Lord have mercy, now!)
   That little woman, she won't even wash now, she won't even iron me no clothes
   She won't do nothin' I tell her but keep them big feets in the road

   Now I ain't gonna tell you, babe, about the way you do (Spoken: Take your time.  Play it there right!)
   I ain't gonna tell you, mama, about the way you do
   But I swear the way you do it, it keeps on worryin' me

   Now I used to have a woman, now-now, used to go down in this (Spoken) white man's town
   I used to have a woman, just as go down in this town
   But I caught her two-timin' me, and I swear I turned her damper down (Spoken: Play it man, play it!)

   SOLO

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "New Sugar Mama" at his third session, on December 12, 1940, working solo, and accompanying himself out of C position in standard tuning.  His playing here abounds with nifty touches and ideas.  I don't know if this song was a cover or an original composition, but in either case, it's a great set of lyrics.  Tommy seems like he may have been in a comical mood--he chuckles after delivering many of the lines.  He also shows a propensity for enunciating a lot of syllables in a rapid-fire fashion, especially in the tagline to the third verse.  I've never heard this song covered, and it would be a great one to explore; indeed, performances of Tommy McClennan's material are virtually absent from the present-day blues scene.  Here is "New Sugar Mama":



   SOLO

   Sugar mama, sugar mam', won't you please come back to me?
   Sugar mama, sugar mam', won't you please come back to me?
   Bring me that gran'lated sugar, sugar mam', it'll ease my misery

   Like my coffee sweet in the mornin' and you know I'm crazy about that tea at night (Spoken: Yes, yes)
   Like my coffee sweet in the mornin' and I'm crazy about my tea at night
   Don't get my sugar three time a day, Great Lord, I don't feel right (Spoken: Ha)

   Now you been braggin' 'bout your whiskey, now-now, you been braggin' all over town (Spoken: Huh, huh)
   You been braggin' 'bout your whiskey, you been braggin', sweet mama, all over town
   The bootlegger won't sell enough sugar to make whiskey, don't even save but about four or five pounds

   Now sugar mama, sugar mama, won't you please come back to me?
   Sugar mama, sugar mama, please come on back to me
   Bring me that gran'lated sugar, that all it take to ease my misery

   Now sugar mama, sugar mama, you know you been gone all day
   Sugar mama, sugar mam', you know you been gone all day
   You been doin' somethin' with my sugar, ooo Lord, and I know it's was wrong

   Now sugar mama, sugar mama, now won't you please come on back to me
   Mmmmmmmmmm, please come on back to me
   You know I don't like nothin' but my sugar and that all it takes to ease my misery

All best,
Johnm

[blueshome]

John,
Sonny Boy Williamson recorded Sugar Mama in May 1937 and it spawned quite a few covers over the years. I assume it is the source of the Tommy McClennan song.

[Johnm]

Thanks for that information, Phil.  I'm not nearly as well up on '30s blues recordings as I should be, and thought that might be the case.
All best,
Johnm

[Bunker Hill]

Tampa Red beat both of them to it, recording Sugar Mama Pts 1 & 2 in 1932.

[dj]

Peetie Wheatstraw also recorded a version for Decca on October 18, 1938, with Lonnie Johnson on a lightly amplified guitar.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "Blue As I Can Be" at his last session, on October 20, 1942, with Ransom Knowling providing backing on the bass.  Tommy accompanies himself out of C position in standard tuning here, and acquits himself admirably, as per usual.  I've come to feel that he and Sleepy John Estes were the two hardest groovers I've heard for C blues.  Tommy's voice was in scary condition for the session, and there's no way of knowing what to attribute the problem to--vocal nodes, hard living?  The song has none of the spoken asides that are hallmarks of his earlier recordings.  In the tagline of the first verse, Tommy pronounces "shore" to rhyme with go.  Here is "Blue As I Can Be":



   SOLO

   Book me out, baby, you know I'm bound to go
   Book me out, baby, you know I'm bound to go
   And I hope to meet you on that other lifetime sho'

   Mmmmmmmm, I'm blue as I can be
   Mmmmmmmmmm, blue as I can be
   And I hope someday, baby, you will come to have the blues 'bout me

   Every night I lay down, I can't sleep for cryin'
   Every night I lay down, I can't sleep for cryin'
   Thinkin' about my baby, she 'most gonna put me down

   Ooooo, what can I do to change your mind?
   Mmmmm, babe, what can I do to change your mind?
   She said, "I could learn to love you, Tommy, if you would treat me nice and kind."

   Bye-bye, babe, see you some old rainy day
   Bye-bye, babe, see you some old rainy day
   I'm gonna see you 'bout the time your best man has gone away

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "Brown Skin Girl" at his first session, and he was really in an ebullient mood when he did it.  He chuckles after the first three verses.  He accompanies himself out of D in standard tuning and exhorts himself to play it right.  At the end of the opening line of the last verse he pronounces "truth" "truth".  Here is "Brown Skin Girl":



   SOLO (Spoken while soloing:  Yes, yes, yeah, mmmmmmmmm)

   Now I got a brownskin girl with her front tooth crowned with gold (Spoken: Take your time, make this one right 'cause it's the best one you got.)
   Got a brownskin woman with her front tooth crowned with gold
   She got a lien on my body and a mortgage on my soul

   Now friend, don't never let your good girl fix you like this woman got me (Spoken: Yes, yes, yes, yes)
   Friend, don't never let your good girl fix you like this woman got me (Spoken: How's she got you then?)
   Got me stone crazy about her as a doggone fool can be

   Now I ain't gonna tell nobody, baby, 'bout the way you do (Spoken: Take your time now and play it right!)
   Ain't gonna tell nobody, baby, 'bout the way you do
   Say, you always tease some, some fatmouth followin' you (Spoken: Yeah, heh)

   Now I done told you once, now baby now, ain't gonna tell you no more mmmmm
   I done told you once, baby, ain't gonna tell you you no more (Spoken: Why?)
   Next time I have to tell you, I'm sure gonna let you go

   Now when you get one of them funny women (Spoken: take your time, now) she won't do the truth
   Get you a two-by-four and I swear you can strut your stuff, mmmm
   Babe, now that's all I want
   Just a little bit of lovin' and then you can be gone

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "My Little Girl" on May 10, 1940, working out of D position in standard tuning with an inaudible and unnamed bass player.  He accelerates markedly over the course of the rendition (more than normal) and concludes the performance with a doubled up solo, that finishes up after the eighth bar of the second pass through the form, during which he went up the neck in a way I don't recall having heard him do on any of his other D tunes.  As he goes up the neck he exhorts himself to "Play that racket!".  He sounds to have been in a more serious sort of "taking care of business" mood on this track than on some of his takes--there's no chuckling, though he really gets into the solo.  He was so consistently strong.  Here is "My Little Girl":



   SOLO

   I say, my little girl, just as sweet as she can be
   I say, my little girl, just as sweet as she can be
   And every time she kisses me, cold chill run all over me

   Now babe, don't you worry just because I'm out of the town, mmmmm
   Baby, don't you worry just because I'm out of town
   All my love I have for you, darlin', swear it can't be turned around (Spoken: Yeah)

   Now, you hurt my feelin', babe, but I wouldn't let on
   Now, you hurt my feelin', but I swear I wouldn't let on (Spoken: Why you wouldn't let on?)
   I b'lieve it's some day deacon is done been here and gone (Spoken: Yeah)

   Now I love you, baby, don't care what you do
   I say, I love, babe, don't care what you do
   But the way you're doin', I swear it's comin' back home to you (Spoken: Play it now, man!)

   SOLO X 2 (Spoken during solo: Yes-yes, yeah, yeah-yeah!  Play that racket! Let it racket!)

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "Down to Skin And Bones Blues" on December 12, 1940, backing himself out of D position in standard tuning.  The condition of his voice on the song sounds pretty dire, and brings to mind the expression, "His voice is writing checks his body can't cash.".  Expressively, all is well, but it hurts to hear some of the ways his voice breaks.  His opening solo is right rough, but the one that concludes the song shows a bit more finesse.  He barely remains in control of his lyrics in a couple of places.  Despite the rough patches, this feels so true, so engaged and un-Show Bizzy.  Here is "Down To Skin And Bones Blues":



   SOLO

   I say, my little woman got me down to skin and bone
   I say, my little woman got me down to skin and bone
   She done got me to the place, I hate to see my baby leave home

   Now, she leave me every mornin', she don't come home 'til night (Spoken: Yeah)
   She leave me every mornin', don't come home 'til night
   She know I know she doin' something, whoa, Lord, but she know it ain't right

   Mmmmm think because I love you, I'm gonna be your dog
   Don't think because I love you, I'm gon' be your dog
   I'll drink muddy water and I'll roost in a hollow log

   Mmmmm, ain't know what I should
   Mmmmm, don't know wheth' I should
   'Cause you go with every man, anywhere in the neighborhood (Spoken: Play it right, now!)

   SOLO: (Spoken during solo: Yeah)

All best,
Johnm

   

   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "Mozelle Blues", at his last session, on February 20, 1942, backed by bassist Ransom Knowling, a particularly simpatico playing partner who added a lot to the music.  Tommy gives Ransom the fill after the opening line of the third verse as a solo spot, and chuckles in response to what he plays.  Tommy backed himself out of G position in standard tuning, capoed up, for the song.  His playing is rough, but very strong.  Vocally, he is pushing himself to the limit.  There's certainly a danger in assuming that blues lyrics are autobiographical, for more often the singer is singing to the audience members' sense of their own lives, but in this song, what Tommy McClennan sings seems very close to the bone, venturing into the scary territory of self-knowledge.  Here is "Moselle Blues":



   SOLO

   Mozelle, why we can't get along?
   Mozelle, why we can't get along?
   'Cause you know you always doin' somethin', baby, when you know it's wrong

   Babe, Mozelle, you know you been ramblin', you been ramblin' all night long
   Mozelle, you know you been ramblin', you been ramblin' all night long
   Yeah, I know you been doin' somethin', yeah, Mozelle, when you know it's wrong

   Mozelle, you know you likes your whiskey, don't forget I likes mine, too (Spoken: Yeah, heh)
   Mozelle, you know you love your whiskey, but don't forget I love mine, too
   But I will get in my whiskey so strong, I forget about you

   Oh Lord, 'ey, I love you for myself
   Mozelle, I love you for myself
   Any time there's somebody thinkin' 'bout you, I'm gonna beat you and I'll beat anyone else (Spoken: Get out one time on it, Tommy!)

   SOLO (Spoken during solo: That's what I'm talkin'!  Long time in the heat, Bud.  Yeah, stop that!)

All best,
Johnm   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded the oddly titled "Des'e My Blues" on September 15, 1941, backing himself out of G position in standard tuning.  I'd love to see the original record label to see if the title was written out in the fashion indicated above.  It's a pretty good approximation of what Tommy sings in the first verse.  His vocal here is loose, and he sounds to have been in a comical mood.  His guitar-playing is as strong as ever, though perhaps without a lot of new twists.  Here is "De'se My Blues":



   SOLO

   I say, these is my blues, sing 'em ev'ywhere I go
   I say, these is my blue, babe, and I sing 'em ev'ywhere I go
   They'll be blue, they all right, when they in yon territor'

   Now the girl that I love got nice long black curly hair
   Now the girl that I love got nice black curly hair
   She got a nice disposition, carry that woman 'most any-old-where

   Now look here, mama, you know I ain't nobody's fool (Spoken: Play the band, man!)
   Oh, look-a here, ma-a-a-am, Lord, I ain't nobody's fool
   Now, that way you got doin' me, sure Lord, Lord, it's out of school (Spoken: Huh)

   Now my Mama told me when I wasn't but two days old
   I say, my baby told me, Lord, when I wasn't but two days old (Spoken: Baby sister!)
   Say, "That man, oh Lord, he's gonna be the death of your soul." (Spoken: Yeah!)

   Now I'm gwine out East, out 'mongst the whippoorwill
   Yes, I'm gwine out East, babe, I'm gon' get 'mongst the whippoorwill
   Yeah, now that fool is tryin' to quit me, Lord, but I love her still

   Now it ain't none of my business, but tell me where you stay last night (Spoken: Yes, yes)
   It ain't none of my business, baby, but tell me where you stay last night (Spoken: Yeah)
   Got your hair all rumpled up and your clothes ain't just fittin' you right

All best,
Johnm



   
 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Tommy McClennan recorded "Elsie Blues" on December 12, 1940, backing himself out of D position in standard tuning.  This is one of Tommy's most up-tempo takes, and he really sounds wound up, manic, in fact.  He takes the song at a terrific clip, and for several of his fills goes into tasty stop-time bends or chordal fills, cracking himself up as he does so.  His chuckle at the end of the first line of the next-to-last verse is positively evil.
Vocally and lyrically, the song has some interesting features:  Tommy pronounces "Elsie" as though the name were initials, L. C., with the emphasis on the second syllable, not a way I've ever heard "Elsie" pronounced before.  The song makes no narrative sense--the second verse in particular doesn't gibe with the rest of the song.  As has been noted elsewhere on this site, I think the need of the present-day listener for narrative sense in blues lyrics is unrealistic, on occasion; sometimes a song is just a damn song.  Here is "Elsie Blues':



   SOLO

   Elsie, the sweetest girl I know
   Elsie, sweetest girl I know
   If you didn't love me, Elsie, why didn't you tell me so?

   Now I followed Elsie right to the jumpin'-off ground
   I followed Elsie right to the jumpin'-off ground
   But I never felt sorry 'til they let my baby down

   Now I followed my baby long, long days then long nights
   I followed my baby long, long days then long nights
   I followed my baby 'til I see she wasn't gonna treat me right

   You can misuse me here, now-now, but you can't when I go home (Spoken: Yeah, heh)
   You can mistreat me here, but-but, you can't when I go home
   Elsie, I got somebody there who really make you leave me alone

   Now I give all my lovin', Elsie, what more can a poor man do? (Spoken: Yeah-heh, yeah-heh, yeah-heh)
   I give you all my lovin', Elsie, what more can a poor man do?
   You the sweet little girl, Elsie, but I swear you won't be true

   Now you can't have me, Elsie, now-now, and my partner, too (Spoken: Take your time!)
   You can't have me, Elsie, and my partner, too
   'Cause you know good and well, babe, oh baby, that won't do

   Now I followed you some days, now, and you juke-juke all the time (Spoken: Huh-heh-heh)
   I followed you two o' them days, today, to juke-juke all the time
   You juke-juke so that I wouldn't pay you no mind

   Now if you don't quit jukin', baby, that's gon' be all right (Spoken: Yeah, heh-heh)
   If you don't quit jukin' baby, that's gon' be all right
   If your good man don't see you, I'll try to see you tomorrow night

Edited 11/11, to pick up corrections from banjochris

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

John -- just listened to "Elsie" (I need to go back and listen to some more Tommy!) and I would suggest a couple of changes:

1.3 why DIDN'T you tell me so?

2.1 & 2.2 the JUMPIN' OFF ground

Chris