The recent post about Devil At The Confluence, a book concerning pre-war blues in St. Louis, got me to thinking about Jesse Johnson. Johnson only recorded one song, the two part "I Wish I Had Died In Egyptland", which was waxed on September 7, 1929 for Paramount.
It is Johnson's fate to have perhaps the most unkind review in The Penguin Guide To Blues Recordings: "The artists on St Louis (Document DOCD 5181) didn't record enough to get a CD to themselves; in the case of Jesse Johnson, one must be glad." I'm not sure if the reviewer was talking about Johnson's voice, or the song he recorded, or both, but I think that review is just flat-out wrong. The record is really a duet between Jesse Johnson and his wife, Edith North Johnson. Both the duo and the song they recorded seem to have come out of the tent show/circus/vaudeville tradition. It seems to have been a commonplace in that tradition for the female half of a duo to be the blues shouter and for the male half to play the comedian and to sing in a fairly flat, unaffected voice, presumably to better show off the female. Jesse Johnson does indeed sing in a flat style, but on the strength of one record, we cannot assume that that is all he is capable of. We know, for instance, that Joe McCoy used such a style in his early duets with Memphis Minnie, but displayed a much broader range when he sang on his own.
The song itself is wonderfully odd. I've listened to it a hundred times and still don't know what to make of it. Both part one and part two start with Jesse Johnson half singing, half talking to a very simple piano accompaniment by an unknown pianist, basically two chords in a "and ONE and and THREE and " rhythm, with the chord change on the one and three. When he gets to the chorus, he is joined by Edith along with Baby Jay on cornet and Ike Rodgers on trombone. The band jumps into a jazzy tempo, Edith belts the blues, and the song is transformed. When Edith sings her verses, the band keeps up its jazzy accompaniment.
Lyrically, Jesse's verses are slightly humorous, in a biblical vein on part one and in a thoroughly secular way on part two. Edith sounds like she's singing straight gospel, but on part one she's really again doing "bible-based humor", for want of a better term. But on part two, she really sings straight gospel, switching from "Egyptland" to "Jerusalem" in the last verse which seems very sincere, sort of in the tradition of a hymn to close the show. I really wish I knew more about this song - where and when it was written, where and when it was usually performed, and how it was received by its audience. I find it fascinating and endlessly thought-provoking.
Note that Jesse and Edith sing slightly different texts on the chorus. I have transcribed both verses the first time the chorus appears. Subsequent returns to the chorus exhibit only minor variations until the last chorus, when Edith sings "I wish I'd died in Jerusalem" to echo her last verse. Here is "I Wish I had Died In Egyptland":
I Wish I Had Died In Egyptland
Jesse Johnson with His Singers
Part 1:
Jesse:
The Lord got a great gob of what is this
The Lord got a great gob of what is that
God commanded plants to grow
God commanded sea to roll
God commanded the bird to fly
In his mouth he had a seed
From that seed it sprung a root
From that root it sprung a vine
From that vine it sprung a shade
And 'long came a cutworm and cut it down
Chorus:
Jesse:
Now amen and Halleluia
And amen and I wish I had died in Egyptland
Edith:
Now hey Lord and Halleluia
And hey Lord and way down in Egyptland
Jesse:
Your neighbor go 'bout and she talk about you
Your neighbor go 'bout and she talk about me
I had an old aunt and she do the same
She get to lyin' so fast she couldn't call no name
Chorus
Edith:
Now they told there's a tree in the paradise
Hey Lord done fell on me
And the persons called it the tree of life
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
It's a way over yonder in the harvest field
Hey Lord done fell on me
Where the angels are workin' with the carriage wheel
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
I wish I'd a died when I was young
Hey Lord done fell on me
I would not have this great long race to run
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
Part 2:
Jesse:
I went to the river, could not get across
I jumped on a bullfrog, thought it was a hoss
Hoss wouldn't pull, sold him for a bull
The bull wouldn't holler, sold him for a dollar
The dollar wouldn't pass, I throwed in the grass
The grass wouldn't grow, sold it for a hoe
Hoe wouldn't dig, sold it for a pig
Pig wouldn't squeal, sold it for a wheel
Wheel wouldn't run, sold it for a gun
Gun wouldn't shoot, sold it for a boot
Boot wouldn't fit, got rid of it
Chorus
Edith:
Now let me tell you what you can't do
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Can't serve the Lord and the Devil too
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Chorus
Well I ain't been to heaven but I've been told
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
The streets are pearl and the gates are gold
And I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Chorus
I never will forget that day
I wish I'd a died in Jerusalem
That my Lord washed my sins away
And I wish I'd died in Jerusalem
Chorus
It is Johnson's fate to have perhaps the most unkind review in The Penguin Guide To Blues Recordings: "The artists on St Louis (Document DOCD 5181) didn't record enough to get a CD to themselves; in the case of Jesse Johnson, one must be glad." I'm not sure if the reviewer was talking about Johnson's voice, or the song he recorded, or both, but I think that review is just flat-out wrong. The record is really a duet between Jesse Johnson and his wife, Edith North Johnson. Both the duo and the song they recorded seem to have come out of the tent show/circus/vaudeville tradition. It seems to have been a commonplace in that tradition for the female half of a duo to be the blues shouter and for the male half to play the comedian and to sing in a fairly flat, unaffected voice, presumably to better show off the female. Jesse Johnson does indeed sing in a flat style, but on the strength of one record, we cannot assume that that is all he is capable of. We know, for instance, that Joe McCoy used such a style in his early duets with Memphis Minnie, but displayed a much broader range when he sang on his own.
The song itself is wonderfully odd. I've listened to it a hundred times and still don't know what to make of it. Both part one and part two start with Jesse Johnson half singing, half talking to a very simple piano accompaniment by an unknown pianist, basically two chords in a "and ONE and and THREE and " rhythm, with the chord change on the one and three. When he gets to the chorus, he is joined by Edith along with Baby Jay on cornet and Ike Rodgers on trombone. The band jumps into a jazzy tempo, Edith belts the blues, and the song is transformed. When Edith sings her verses, the band keeps up its jazzy accompaniment.
Lyrically, Jesse's verses are slightly humorous, in a biblical vein on part one and in a thoroughly secular way on part two. Edith sounds like she's singing straight gospel, but on part one she's really again doing "bible-based humor", for want of a better term. But on part two, she really sings straight gospel, switching from "Egyptland" to "Jerusalem" in the last verse which seems very sincere, sort of in the tradition of a hymn to close the show. I really wish I knew more about this song - where and when it was written, where and when it was usually performed, and how it was received by its audience. I find it fascinating and endlessly thought-provoking.
Note that Jesse and Edith sing slightly different texts on the chorus. I have transcribed both verses the first time the chorus appears. Subsequent returns to the chorus exhibit only minor variations until the last chorus, when Edith sings "I wish I'd died in Jerusalem" to echo her last verse. Here is "I Wish I had Died In Egyptland":
I Wish I Had Died In Egyptland
Jesse Johnson with His Singers
Part 1:
Jesse:
The Lord got a great gob of what is this
The Lord got a great gob of what is that
God commanded plants to grow
God commanded sea to roll
God commanded the bird to fly
In his mouth he had a seed
From that seed it sprung a root
From that root it sprung a vine
From that vine it sprung a shade
And 'long came a cutworm and cut it down
Chorus:
Jesse:
Now amen and Halleluia
And amen and I wish I had died in Egyptland
Edith:
Now hey Lord and Halleluia
And hey Lord and way down in Egyptland
Jesse:
Your neighbor go 'bout and she talk about you
Your neighbor go 'bout and she talk about me
I had an old aunt and she do the same
She get to lyin' so fast she couldn't call no name
Chorus
Edith:
Now they told there's a tree in the paradise
Hey Lord done fell on me
And the persons called it the tree of life
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
It's a way over yonder in the harvest field
Hey Lord done fell on me
Where the angels are workin' with the carriage wheel
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
I wish I'd a died when I was young
Hey Lord done fell on me
I would not have this great long race to run
Hey Lord done fell on me
Chorus
Part 2:
Jesse:
I went to the river, could not get across
I jumped on a bullfrog, thought it was a hoss
Hoss wouldn't pull, sold him for a bull
The bull wouldn't holler, sold him for a dollar
The dollar wouldn't pass, I throwed in the grass
The grass wouldn't grow, sold it for a hoe
Hoe wouldn't dig, sold it for a pig
Pig wouldn't squeal, sold it for a wheel
Wheel wouldn't run, sold it for a gun
Gun wouldn't shoot, sold it for a boot
Boot wouldn't fit, got rid of it
Chorus
Edith:
Now let me tell you what you can't do
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Can't serve the Lord and the Devil too
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Chorus
Well I ain't been to heaven but I've been told
I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
The streets are pearl and the gates are gold
And I wish I'd a died in Egyptland
Chorus
I never will forget that day
I wish I'd a died in Jerusalem
That my Lord washed my sins away
And I wish I'd died in Jerusalem
Chorus