Topic: Josh White Lyrics

[ScottN]

Surprised there isn't a topic or any entries in Weeniepedia already but I'll start one.



Black And Evil Blues

Mmm these black and evil blues got me
Mmm black and evil blues got me
Somebody don't take em off of me gonna jump in the deep blue sea

Says I'm leavin you woman I swear I ain't comin back
Says I'm leavin you woman Whoo Whoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
Says I ain't married to you woman I swear it's a natural fact

Don't trust no black woman to be your friend
Don't never trust no black woman Whoo to be your friend
I swear she'll mistreat you and she will stand up in your face and grin

I'm leaving town woman find you another brown
I'm leaving you woman Whoo find another brown
Um bootn ba ba bum ba bum ba dum

I don't want no black woman to put no sugar in my tea
I don't want no black woman Whoo Whoo Whoo hoo hoo
Tell me black is evil and I'm scared she might poison me

Mmm black woman treats me so lowdown
That black woman Whoo treats me so lowdown
Says I'm goin to the station catch that train and I'm Florida bound

Gonna sing these blue ooo Whoo Whoo hoo hoo
Gonna sing these blue ooo ain't gon sing no more
'Cause that woman I love Lord she drove me from her door


Thanks,
           Scott

[ScottN]

Little Brother Blues



Intro

Says I've sharpened little brother Lord I got little brother by my side
Says I've sharpened little brother Whoo got him by my side
When I find that thieving rascal I swear I'm gonna cut his lowdown hide

That butcher thinks he can carve wait 'til he see my little brother strut his stuff
Butcher thinks he can carve Whoo Whoo Whoo hoo hoo
When I get through cuttin that man the good Lord will know he's had enough

You mess with my woman I'm going to tell you what I'll do
You mess with my woman Whoo tell you what I'll do
Says I'll shoot you with my pistol I swear I'll cut you with my little brother too

When you mess with my woman make peace with God or the Devil one
When you mess with my woman Whoo Whoo Whoo hoo hoo
Gonna shoot you if you stand still gonna cut your nappy head off if you run

Me and little brother stop our fighting we you know we're Chicago bound
Gonna stop our fighting Whoo ah Chicago bound
Says we massacreed this city and we are bound for another town

Mmm mmm hmm
Me and little brother bid you all fare you well to thee
Says we finished our job and we just as happy as we can be


Thanks,
            Scott

[Johnm]

Hi Scott,
Sorry it has been so long before anyone responded to your postings here.  I listened to the two songs you transcribed and your lyrics sounded spot on, so I posted the songs in Weeniepedia.
All best,
Johnm

[ScottN]

Thanks John :-)
                       Scott

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Josh White accompanied himself out of Vestapol tuning at Bb for his version of "There's a Man Goin' Around Taking Names", from 1934.  It would be interesting to find out if Josh arrived at his low-tuned Vestapol sound for Gospel numbers on his own, or if it came via some earlier influence on his music  who was never recorded.  He certainly didn't get the sound from Blind Joe Taggart.  Tuning as low as he did afforded Josh the possibility of extravagant bends, which he played with masterful control.  Here is his rendition of the song:



SOLO

There's a man goin' 'round, Lord, takin' names
There's a man goin' around, takin' names
Well, he took that rich man's name, and that rich man died in pain
There's a man goin' 'round, takin' names

Lord, Lord, Lord, man goin' 'round, Lord, takin' names
There's a man goin' around, takin' names
Well, he took my father's name, and he left my heart in pain
Lord, Lord, Lord, man goin' 'round, takin' names

Well, he went to that gamblin' den, takin' names
Well, he went to that gamblers' den, takin' names
Well, he took that gambler's name, Lord, the gambler died in pain
There's a man goin' around, Lord, takin' names

Lord, Lord, Lord, man goin' 'round, Lord, takin' names
There's a man goin' around, Lord, takin' names
Well, he took my sister's name, he left my poor heart in pain
There's a man goin' around, Lord, takin' names

Well, he's riding left and right, takin' names
Well, he's riding left and right, Lord, takin' names
Well, he' riding 'mong the wife, and the coloreds and the whites
Lord, Lord, Lord, man goin' 'round, takin' names

SOLO
Well, he took my brother's name, and he left my heart in pain
Lord, Lord, Lord, man goin' 'round taking names

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Yet another Gospel song that Josh White recorded out of Vestapol in his early years (1933) was "Pure Religion, Hallelu'".  Indeed, if Josh White's birthdate is correct as it is normally recorded, he was all of nineteen years old when he recorded this song!  He really developed such a beautiful style in that tuning.  Here is his performance of the song:



SOLO

You gonna need that pure religion, hallelu', hallelu'
Gonna need that pure religion, hallelu'
You gonna need that pure religion, pure religion will carry you through
You gonna need that pure religion, hallelu'

Goodbye Mother, don't you moan, hallelu'
Goodbye Mother, don't you moan, hallelu'
Goodbye Mother, don't you moan, you may know I'm goin' home
You gonna need that pure religion, hallelu'

Oh, goodbye Father, don't you cry (guitar)
Goodbye Father, don't you cry, hallelu'
Goodbye Father, don't you cry, you may know I was born to die
Oh, what a wonder in the sun, hallelu'

SOLO

Now, hearse come backin' up to my door, hallelu'
Hearse come backin' up to my door, hallelu'
Hearse come backin' up to my door, I ain't gonna see my friends no more
You gonna need that pure religion, hallelu'

Now, goodbye Father, don't you cry, hallelu'
Goodbye Father, don't you cry, hallelu'
Goodbye Father, don't you cry, you may know I was born to die
You gon' need that pure religion, hallelu'

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Josh White's gospel songs in Vestapol are somewhat habit forming, I'm finding.  Here's another, "I Don't Intend to Die in Egyptland".  These songs represent a body of work which, apart from Ari Eisinger's sensational version of "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed", has largely gone uncovered by present-day players in the style.  I suppose the fact that they are pretty much uniformly high concept arrangements that require hairbreadth control of bends and a sporting right hand might go some way towards explaining why the songs have not been covered more than they have. 

I'd be interested to know who Josh White's vocal models were.  His sort of elocutionary vocal delivery doesn't have many (or any) precedents in the singing of Country blues singers who recorded prior to him, though Lonnie Johnson had something of the same sort of sound.  In the main though, recordings of religious numbers by his peers and those that came before him had a much rougher and less worked-out sound.   In any event, here is "I Don't Intend to Die in Egypt Land":



SOLO

I don't intend to stop, I don't intend to stand
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
I don't intend to stop 'til I reach the Promised Land
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: Lord, I can stay away, Lord, I can stay away
Lord, I can stay away
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

The Pilate's wife, she had a dream
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
That an honest man she seen
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

"Go bring me some water, let me wash my hand."
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
"I shan't be guilty of an innocent man."
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: Lord, I can stay away, Lord, I can stay away
Lord, I can stay away
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

The tallest tree in Paradise
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
People down there call it the Tree of Life
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: Lord, I can stay away, Lord, I can't stay away
Lord, I can stay away
I don't intend to die in Egypt land

Mose, Mose, don't get lost
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
Smite that rock and come across
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: Lord, I can stay away, Lord, I can't stay away
Lord, I can stay away
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: I don't intend to stop, I don't intend to stand
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land
I don't intend to stop 'til I reach the Promised Land
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

REFRAIN: Lord, I can stay away, Lord, I can't stay away
Lord, I can stay away
I don't intend to die in the Egypt land

All best,
Johnm





 

[Mr.OMuck]

I would bet that Josh White was taking his vocal cues from the sophisticated tenors already appearing in Gospel quartets around this time. He knew and played with the Golden Gate quartet (as did Leadbelly) and the similarly cool precisely articulated vocal style is very similar to their lead tenor.
https://youtu.be/ey9z8o7y-7A?list=PL1B425A911EAA6DC4

That was later in the 40's however, but this way of singing, Lonnie Johnson might very well have been his inspiration, was already around.

[Johnm]

You make a good point, Phil.  There may have been a tradition of more uptown Gospel ensemble singing that pre-dated commercial recording, or for that matter, Black Pop vocal groups like the Ink Spots, but long before the Ink Spots.  It may have been that Josh White was purposely trying to get away from a "country" sound in his singing--it certainly seems so, but looking still to perform that kind of repertoire.  Just to my taste, his singing works much better on the Gospel material he did than on the blues he sang.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For "Lord, I Want to Die Easy", from 1934, Josh White was once again working out of Vestapol tuning.  It may be of interest to some of you that a high percentage of the Gospel songs Josh recorded in this style were 16-bar forms with an AABA phrasing of the lyrics.  Of the songs transcribed thus far in this thread, "There's A Man Goin' Around, Taking Names", "Pure Religion, Hallelu", and "Lord, I Want to Die Easy" all conform to that structural model.  Here is his performance of "Lord, I Want to Die Easy":



SOLO

I want to die easy, Lord, when I die
I want to die easy, Lord, when I die
I want to die easy when I die, shout, "Salvation" when I fly
I want to die easy, when I die

I want to meet my Mother, Lord, when I die
I want to meet my Mother, Lord, when I die
I want to meet my Mother when I die, shout, "Salvation", Lord, Lord, as I fly
I want to die easy, when I die

SOLO

Now, I want to cross over, Lord, when I die
I want to cross over, Lord, when I die
I want to cross over when I die, shout, "Salvation", Lord, as I fly
I want to die easy, Lord, when I die

I want to meet my Jesus, when I die
I want to meet my Jesus, Lord, when I die
I want to meet my Jesus when I die, shout, "Salvation" as I fly
I want to die easy, Lord, when I die

Now, I want to die easy, Lord, when I die
I want to die easy, Lord, when I die
I want to die easy when I die, shout, "Salvation" as I fly
I want to die easy, when I die

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Josh White's rendition of "Can't Help But Crying Sometimes" is yet another of his Gospel songs that he chose to accompany out of low-tuned Vestapol.  I think it is one of his most exciting guitar parts, and the melody has a minor cast, particularly in its second phrase, that makes it sound almost like something Skip James would have done.  Josh consistently sings "can't help from crying sometimes", despite the title.  Here is his rendition:



SOLO

REFRAIN: Lord, I can't help from crying sometimes
I can't help from crying sometimes
Through trials and through fears, Lord, my eyes got dim with tears
And I can't help from crying sometimes

Now, it haven't been so very long, since I could look around
So many loving faces I could see
But that old master, Death, has come and cut their breath
Lord, I can't help from crying sometimes

SOLO

Seems like I can't stop from sinning, I know hell's going to be my own
I'm asking God to have mercy, and change my sinful soul
'Cause through trials and through fears, my eyes get wet with tears
And I can't help from crying sometimes

REFRAIN: I can't help from crying sometimes
I can't help from crying sometimes
Through trials and through fears, my eyes got dim with tears
I can't help from crying sometimes

All best,
Johnm

[Willie Poor Boy]

His In My Time Of Dying is probably the version of Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dying Bed that Led Zeppelin inexplicably credited to themselves.  His is definitely more stately than Charley Patton's or Blind Willie Johnson's but I think I'd still vote for Charley Patton among the contenders for this song if I had to pick a favorite.  White's bass bits are just about electric though.



In the time of dying
I don't want nobody to moan
all I want my friends to do,
come and fold my dying arms

well, well, well, so I can die easy x3
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed

In the time time of dying
i don't nobody to cry
all I want my friends to do,
come and close my dying eyes

well, well, well, so I can die easy
well, well, well . . .
well, well, well . . .
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed

Goin' on down to the river
stick my sword up in the sand
gonna shout my troubles over
I've done made it to the promised land

Well, well, well I've done crossed over
Well, Well, Well . . .
Well, well, well I've done crossed over
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed

He's a dying Bed Maker . . .
well, well, well . . .
well,  well, well, He's a dying Bed Maker
Jesus Gonna make up my dying bed

Goin' on down to the river
stick my sword up in the sand
gonna shout my troubles over
I've done made it to the promised land

Well, well, well I've done crossed over
Well, Well, Well I've done crossed over
Well, well, well I've done crossed over
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed

Meet me Jesus, meet me
Won't you meet me in the middle of the air
and if these wings should fail me
lord, won't you meet me with another pair

Well well well won't you meet me Jesus x 3
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed

Well well well won't you meet me Jesus
Well, Well, Well . . .
Well well well won't you meet me Jesus
Jesus Gonna make up my dying bed

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Thanks for posting "In My Time of Dying", Brad.  Josh White backed himself out of Vestapol again for "Death's Coming Back After You".  An unusually high percentage of these religious songs that Josh White recorded in this period, 1933--1935, focus on death.  Here is his performance:



SOLO

REFRAIN: I declare, old death is coming back after you
Death's coming back after you
She went a long time ago, Lord, she won't be back no more
Death is coming back after you

Oh, death came to my house, took my mother and gone
Every time I look around, I miss her in my home
She went a long time ago, Lord, she won't be back no more
Death's coming back after you

REFRAIN: I declare, old death is coming back after you
Death's coming back after you
She went a long time ago, Lord, she won't be back no more
Death's coming back after you

SOLO

REFRAIN: I declare, old death is coming back, Lord, after you
Death's coming back after you
She went a long time ago, Lord, she won't be back no more
Death's coming back after you

All best,
Johnm

[big joe weems]

Johnm,

It sounds to me like Josh may have chosen his low vestapol tuning in an attempt to achieve a slide-like sound.  Maybe he imitated slide players to arrive at this?  "There's a Man Goin' Around Taking Names" sounds to me just like a slide player would phrase it.  What do you think?

Joe

[Johnm]

I don't think that was the reason for the low tuning, Joe.  Josh could certainly have played slide if he chose to do so.  I think he liked the low-tuned Vestapol sound because it made extreme bends easier to do than in a guitar tuned at standard pitch.  That combined with a rich chordal vocabulary that he found in Vestapol and utilized for these religious songs was the impetus for him playing so much there, I think. 

For another player who chose to tune extremely low, and who utilized extreme bends, though with perhaps a tougher sound than Josh, check out Rosa Lee Hill, who was recorded by George Mitchell.  She was incredibly adept at big bends.
All best,
Johnm