Topic: Richard "Little Boy Fuller" Trice-Lazy Bug Blues

[coco]

Hi! I got some problems understanding a few words here... Callin for help!
Thanks in advance!

Link to the song:

Lazy Bug Blues

I'm a lazy cabbage bug mama the laziest bug you ever seen
I'm a lazy cabbage bug the laziest bug you ever seen
All the women crazy 'bout me cause I'm so doggone mean.

When you get low down and lazy and the women turn their back on you
When you get low down and lazy and the women turn their back on you
Well It make me so mad cause I can't roll jelly like I used to do.

I done got so old till' the strength goin' out of my bone
I done got so lazy till' the strength goin' out of my bone
I done got so lazy till I can't carry my homeworks home.

Spoken: Play it then...

(Guitar solo)

Said when you get old and feeble and you ain't got a dime
Said when you get old and feeble you sure ain't got a dime
Said your woman don't love you, You just had to go down and cry.

[David Kaatz]

I hear this:
I'm the laziest happy bug mama the laziest bug you ever seen
I'm the laziest happy bug mama the laziest bug you ever seen

2nd verse agree w/you

3rd verse
I agree with "till" and "strain" or possibly "strains"

4th verse
Now when you get old and feeble and you ain't got a dime
when you get old and feeble sure ain't got a dime
Said "" don't love you, You just had to go down and cry

I also cannot make out the word you are missing on the last line.

Dave

[Lignite]

1. I think he's saying Cabbage Bug which is also known as the  harlequin bug ;a pest which could ruin a crop of collard greens which was a staple crop in North Carolina.
3. Strength goin' out of my bone
4. When you get old and feeble - Said your woman don't love you

[David Kaatz]

Nice, Lignite,
I agree it sounds like "cabbage" bug, and "strength" too now that you point them out.

Dave

[Lignite]

Hey, I'm from North Carolina and actually got to meet and hang out with Mr. Trice a bit.

[coco]

Thank you all! It makes sense now... wow did you meet mr.Trice in person? I wonder why there's no more recordings of him, the lazy bug blues is the only I know. Thanks!

[Lignite]

There are more recordings that he made for Savoy in 1947 which were unreleased at the the time but came to be available in the 1980s. https://www.wirz.de/music/tricwfrm.htm

When I met him in the 1990s he was living in a nursing home in Durham, NC and was no longer interested in playing blues music as he had become religious. He would talk about the blues however and told me many stories about Blind Boy Fuller and recording as Little Boy Fuller in New Jersey. Some of us organized a tribute show for him at a nightclub in Raleigh which he was able to attend before he passed away in 2000.

[coco]

Wow, thank you very much for sharing your experience, I'm pretty sure this information is valuable to everyone here. I'll check the recordings.