Topic: Ma Rainey Lyrics

[Bunker Hill]

Here's Sandra Leib's stab at it from page 105, Mother Of The Blues: A Study Of Ma Rainey (Massachuestts UP, 1981):

Ramblin' man makes no change in me,
I'm gonna ramble back to my used-to-be?ah

Chorus:
Hear me talkin' to you?I don't bite my tongue,
You want to be my man, you got to fetch it with you when you come.

Eve and Adam, in the Garden takin' a chance,
Adam didn't take time to get his pants, ah

Chorus.

Our old cat swallowed a ball of yarn,
When the kittens was born, they had sweaters on;

Chorus.

Hello, Central, give me 609,
What it takes to get it in these hips of mine;

Chorus.

Grandpa got, grandma told,
He says her jelly roll was 'most too old;

Chorus.

"Hear Me Talking To You"

[Chezztone]

Cool! I like the verse about the cat, that sounds right. The others of course are pretty much the same as how I had it. Although I'm sticking to the "picking plants." Cheers and thanks for the help, Chezz

[Bunker Hill]

I've only got the track on an old Folkways compilation LP and that line is pretty indistict on there. Leib probably listened to the version on the Milestone double LP of the mid-70s or, maybe, the 78. But given the theme picking plants fits.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here's another merged lyric thread for a singer who certainly rates one.
All best,
Johnm

[Oatmeal Jones]

Never mind, I ended up finding enough sources to figure it out. I'm loving this Ma Rainey stuff.



Document Ma Rainey Vol. 1
Those Dogs of Mine (Famous Cornfield Blues)
3-1924

Looka here people, listen to me
Believe me I'm telling the truth
If your corns hurt you, just like mine do
You'd say these same words too

Out for a walk
I started to talk
Oh how my corns did hurt
I had to keep on the shady side of the street 
To keep out the light of the sun

Oh Lord these dogs of mine
They gone to worry me all the time
The reason why, I don't know
Sometimes I soak em in Sapolio
Lord I beg to be excused
I can't wear these old sharp toed shoes
Oh Lord how the sun do shine
Down on all these hounds of mine

Oh Lord these dogs of mine
They gone to worry me all the time
The reason why, I don't know
Sometimes I soak em in Sapolio
Lord I beg to be excused
I can't wear these old sharp toed shoes
Oh Lord how the sun do shine
Down on all these hounds of mine

[dj]

Some suggestions:

If your corns hurt you, just like mine   (i.e. no DO)

Out for a walk, I STOPPED to talk
Oh how my corns did BURN     (pronounced "BOIN")

Oh Lord these dogs of mine
They GOIN' to worry me all the time   (See note below)

Oh LORDY how the sun do shine

Oh LORDY these dogs of mine
They GOIN' to worry me all the time   (Yes, it's pronounced "gone", but it's clearly "goin")
The reason why, BOYS, I don't know

Oh LORDY how the sun do shine

Nice catch on Sapolio!  There's one for the Brand Names In The Blues list.

[Oatmeal Jones]

I actually gleaned most of the help from the google books Sandra Lieb Ma Rainey stuff I could find online.

I'd feel bad taking credit for those good ears on her. Beautiful song.

[Bunker Hill]

I actually gleaned most of the help from the google books Sandra Lieb Ma Rainey stuff I could find online.

It's a very good, well researched book and lives up to the sub title "A Study of Ma Rainey". It was published thirty years ago and doesn't show its age. It certainly kicked Derrick Stewart-Baxter's laudable "standard work" of 1970 well and truly into touch.

[Cleoma]

So, nearly 40 years after first trying to decipher this, I STILL can't get the whole thing!!  Here's what I've got, any suggestions are appreciated! Her singing still thrills me.

You can hear it here:

Oh My Babe Blues ? Ma Rainey

One of these days I?m going to leave my home, oh my babe
Now I know I?m going and it won?t be long
If I go, let me go
If I stay, let me stay
Maybe  I?ll , ask, let me come back home.

Tell my dad I won?t be home tonight, oh my babe
My heart aches and I?m not treated right.
My heart?s down???, it?s a shame
And I just can?t call his name
Then I?d ask to let me come back home.

Lawdy lawd have mercy on poor me, oh my babe
Tell somebody to let My heart go free
When I go, keave me alone
And I ?ll stay from my home
Tell my dad I want to come back home.

I?m leavin now, I?m sorry we have to part, oh my babe
Cause you tried To break my aching heart
But someday you will  say
Come back home babe someday
Then I?ll know my dad wants me back home.

[Johnm]

Hi Suzy,
"My heart's down" sounds right to me in the place you have indicated.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been listening to Ma Rainey a lot lately--what a singer!  I found a recently posted video at youtube that has a complete version of the truncated song that was included with the post two back from here.  Here it is:



I really think Ma was one of the very greatest blues singers.  What a shame that she stopped recording in 1928.  Her recordings from that year, like "Black Eye Blues" and "Sleep Talking Blues", still sounded sensational.

In listening to this song a few more times, Suzy, I think Ma sings,
  3.2 SEND somebody to let my heart go free
in that third verse.

Her singing is killing me.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Ma Rainey's "Stack O'Lee Blues" can be found on the Yazoo CD "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", Yazoo 1071.  It is a unique treatment of the Stackerlee story, I think, because it borrows its melody and phrasing from "Frankie and Johnny", and even keeps the "He was my man, but he done me wrong" refrain.  It makes no mention of Stackerlee and Billy De Lyons' set-to.  I find I tend to forget about all of that when Ma starts to sing.  If I can find it on youtube, I'll post it here.  I'd appreciate help with the one line in bent brackets.





Stack O'Lee was a bad man, everybody know
And when they seed Stack O'Lee comin', they'd give him the road
He was my man, but he done me wrong

Stack O'Lee Stack O'Lee, was so desperate and bad
He'd take everything his women would bring and everything they had
He was my man, but he's done me wrong

Stack O'Lee's on the warpath, and you'd better run
'Cause Stack O'Lee holds a bad man and he'll kill you just for fun
He was my man, but he's done you wrong

Stack O'Lee's in jail now, with his face turned to the wall
Thirty women and old corn whiskey was the cause of it all
He was my man, but he's done you wrong

A hundred-dollar coffin and a eighty-dollar hack
Carried him to the cemetery but it did not bring him back
He was my man, but he's done me wrong

All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I really think Ma was one of the very greatest blues singers.  What a shame that she stopped recording in 1928.  Her recordings from that year, like "Black Eye Blues" and "Sleep Talking Blues", still sounded sensational.

It really is a shame, especially since she apparently kept touring and performing until 1935. So it really was the record company's fault - foiled by Paramount yet again. 1928 was too early to shut her down. Papa Charlie Jackson, with whom Ma Rainey made her last two recordings in '28, recorded a fair amount in 1929, then a few more things in the 30s, including three unissued sides with Bill Broonzy and Teddy Edwards I didn't know about till looking up his later discography just now.

[bnemerov]

Johnm,

[holds a gatlin']

best,
bruce

[uncle bud]

Bruce, that's what I thought I was hearing at first, but it does sound like it ends in "bad man" with that B standing out for me. I wonder if it is just an exclamation, something like "ho! 's a bad man". e.g "whoa, is a bad man". Or an ungrammatical moment: "who's a bad man".