Topic: George Carter Lyrics

[waxwing]

I gave this a few more listens and came up with a theory about the v. 1 line 3. It might be 3 separate thoughts:

"A ghost jumped up."

He sees the ghost and is frightened

"Made my light."

I think this phrase could mean the "ghost" came more clearly into his vision. The 2nd verse line, that the ghost asks for a ride, makes me want to assume he is driving, so could mean came into his headlights, but even if walking he might be carrying a lamp, or it could just mean there was enough moonlight to see more clearly as she came close. I feel like I have seen this phrase "made the light" used in this way recently, perhaps in some Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler that I recently reread.

"Say, it was young."

He is remarking that the ghost does not look old and disheviled but is actually attractive, leading naturally to the first line of the second verse.

Pure conjecture, but I think it makes sense of the sounds as Johnm and I both seem to hear them.

Wax

[Johnm]

Hi all,
George Carter's recording of "Hot Jelly Roll Blues" dates from 1929, and he accompanied himself out of Spanish tuning with a slide for the song, very much working the same instrumental territory in that tuning as did Barbecue Bob and Charley Lincoln on many of their songs.  I can't really hear what he's singing at the end of each refrain and there are a couple of other places, too, in bent brackets, where I'd very much appreciate help  Here is George Carter's performance of "Hot Jelly Roll Blues":



INTRO

Jelly roll, jelly roll, you can see it on the fence, if you don't go and get it, you ain't got no sense
REFRAIN: I'm wild about my jelly, 'bout my sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

Can make a blind man see, a lame man walk, can make a deef [sic]woman hear, and a little baby talk
REFRAIN: I'm just wild about my jelly, 'bout my sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

INTERLUDE

Gonna tell all you people what jelly roll's done done, made Grandmama marry her youngest grandson
REFRAIN: She's wild about her jelly, 'bout her sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

Jelly roll is a thing, a man won't do without, [he will miss things and drift if the people put him out]
REFRAIN: I'm wild about my jelly, 'bout my sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

I went up on the mountain, looked down at the sea, a good-lookin' woman winked her eye at me
REFRAIN: I'm just wild about jelly, 'bout my sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

If you don't believe my jelly roll'll do, you can ask anybody on old Armond Avenue
REFRAIN: I'm just wild about my jelly, 'bout my sweet jelly roll
When you taste my jelly, mama, can't [feel at home?]

Edited 7/5 to pick up corrections from Waxwing and Johnm

All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

Sounds like "feel at home" to me, Johnm. You can defiinetly hear him eliding the "L" of "feel" into "at" and I can't come up with anything else that would even make half sense.

He changes up the first line of the refrain quite a bit, for instance in the third verse the refrain starts:

"Just wild about HER jelly, 'bout HER sweet jelly roll"

Sounds to me like the 5th verse is:

"I went up on the mountain, looked down IN the sea, a GOOD-looking' woman winked her eye at me"

It sounds like "Almond Avenue" to me but could be something like Armand or Ormand, being family names. But none of those came up in a search of Atlanta or Georgia. There is an Almond Street in Atlanta, parallel and a block from Atlanta Avenue, so possibly running behind the shops. Might have been Avenue before the streets were raised up above the railroad lines. I visited Atlanta in the 1970s when they were first opening up "Underground Atlanta" for tourism. I guess it's a massive shopping mall now but then it was more like a museum. I also searched for an Almond/Ormand/Armand Avenue in South Carolina as there is some speculation that Carter is from there but nothing came up. Someone who knows the history of the black neighborhoods of Atlanta and or Charleston may know more.

Wax

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for the help, Wax.  The variations in the chorus were a good thing to look out for, as was a GOOD-lookin' woman.  I"m satisfied that it is Armond Avenue, too.  Thanks!  I'd still like to see if anybody hears anything different for the ending of the refrain and the end of the first line in that one verse.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

[GhostRider]

John:

I here the ends of the verse and the first verse as you do,

Alex

[Johnm]

Thanks for giving it a lesson, Alex.
All best,
John

[tenderfoot84]

I've always heard it as: "Trim my wick 'fore it wilt to the floor" which I think I've heard elsewhere. I also heard the first verse as "a ghost jumped out said my life ain't worth yours". That said, my ears can't be relied upon as they didn't pick out the other stuff so huge thanks for this.

Such a beautiful song.

[banjochris]

I've always heard it as: "Trim my wick 'fore it wilt to the floor" which I think I've heard elsewhere.

That sounds reasonable to me, and I think 
4.3 is Take the money I get, from the L and N (as Stuart had a while ago)
Chris

[waxwing]

Ghost Woman Blues
George Carter  v., acc. own g. (12 string, key of E chord forms)
Chicago c. Feb. 1929

On my way home, by that lonesome graveyard
On my way home, by that lonesome graveyard
A ghost jumps up, made my light, say, it was young

Weren’t no ghost at all, some brown asked for a ride
Weren’t no ghost at all, some brown asked for a home
Says, “boy come here, take me to your room"

I ain't no lamp, but my wick is burning low
I ain't no lamp, but my wick is burning low
Trim my wick, ‘fore it will ‘fuse to glow

That ghost woman, sure do keep me thin
That there ghost woman, sure do keep me thin
Takin’ what I get, from the L & N

Mmmmm, mmmmm.
Mmmmm, mmmmm.
Let a joker steal this ghost woman ‘way from me

Wax

[Johnm]

The tagline of the next-to-last verse sounds like:

   Takes the money I get from the L & N

The second syllable in the line seems a pretty clear "the". "Money" is slightly elided in the second syllable.