Topic: Bo Weavil Jackson Lyrics

[LoneWolf]

Thank you. The only versions I know are by Butler and by the Carter Family, but they're pretty different.

[dingwall]

Thanks, Rivers.   I managed to edit.

[Doug]

There's another version of this song (with slightly different words/verses) on the Dust-to-Digital collection "Goodbye Babylon" by Louis Washington.

[Giorgio]

Hi everybody!

I'm new here. This is an amazing forum for bluesmen like us, I think. I'm soory for my very poor english, I'm Italian...

So, I was looking for Bo Weavil Jackson/Sam Butler's "Devil And My Brown Blues" lyrics...
I tried to listen to the song and write what I was hearing but I couldn't get out comprehensible things.
I can't do this, I don't understand most of the words.

May anybody help me? Thanks..

[uncle bud]

Welcome to WC, Giorgio. Bo Weavil Jackson is certainly hard to understand. Here's what I have so far, but there are several spots that are very suspect. Square brackets indicate I am not sure or don't know what he's singing. Hopefully some other ears might help.


Devil and My Brown - Bo Weavil Jackson

No gypsy woman, no gypsy woman can't fry no meat for me, lordy mama
No gypsy woman can't fry no meat for me
I ain't scared, I'm skittish she might poison me

'Cause I woke up this morning, woke up this morning, heard somebody callin' me, lordy mama
Woke up this morning, heard somebody callin' me
Must've been a weevil, thing they call a stingaree

A bo weevil's here, a bo weevil's there, itchin'? mama's everywhere, the preachers tell me that --
Bo weevil's here, bo weevil's everywhere
I dreamt a dream last night, it was all in your flour there

The farmer went to the merchant, said, "I want meat and meal", lordy mama
Farmer went to the merchant, said, "I wants meat and meal"
The merchant screamed, "No, no, the bo weevil's in your field"

Bitin' spider, bitin' spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Bitin' spider now, crawlin' on the wall
Grinds it nat'ral but he's crazy 'bout his alcohol

I heard a mighty rumblin' down under the ground, lordy mama
Mighty rumblin' way down under the ground
The boll weevil and the devil was [thievin'/cheatin'?] with somebody's brown

Daddy was low and squatty, daddy was cut for speed, lordy mama
He low and squatty, daddy was cut for speed
Says he has everything that a poor bo weevil needs

Now bo weevil, now bo weevil, sittin' down on the square, the first time I seen
Mister Bo Weevil, sittin' down on the square
Next time I seen him, mama, he had his whole family there

Bo weevil told that farmer, "Buy no Ford machine", lordy mama
He told the farmer not to buy no Ford machine
'Cause he's gonna fix it so he can't buy no gasoline

edited to pick up changes from LD50 and banjochris

[Giorgio]

Thank you very much uncle bud.

[LD50]

Instead of 'Geechie', I think he's saying 'Gypsy'.

In the line "I'm scared [?? ??] she might poison me", I think the word 'skillet' is in the bracketed part. But I can't nail it down.

"The farmer woke up this morning" should really be "'Cause I woke up this morning".

I'm pretty sure this:

"Spider, spider, spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall"

Is really this:

"Bitin' spider, bitin' spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Bitin' spider, crawlin' on the wall"

I think this:

"The boll weevil and the devil was [keepin'?] with somebody's brown"

is actually:

"The boll weevil and the devil was thievin' somebody's brown"

I'm pretty sure this line:

"Cause he's gonna [make?] it so he can't buy no gasoline"

Is really:

"Cause he's gonna fix it so he can't buy no gasoline"

'Cut for speed' looks a little odd, tho I think it is right.

Welcome to WC, Giorgio. Bo Weavil Jackson is certainly hard to understand. Here's what I have so far, but there are several spots that are very suspect. Square brackets indicate I am not sure or don't know what he's singing. Hopefully some other ears might help.


Devil and My Brown - Bo Weavil Jackson

No [Geechie] woman, no [Geechie] woman can't grind no meat for me, lordy mama
No [Geechie] woman can't grind no meat for me
I'm scared [?? ??] she might poison me

The farmer woke up this morning, woke up this morning, heard somebody callin' me, lordy mama
Woke up this morning, heard somebody callin' me
Must've been a weevil, thing they call a stingaree

A bo weevil here, a bo weevil there, [itchin'?] mama's everywhere, can't you hear me that --
Bo weevil's here, bo weevil's everywhere
I [got to dream] last night, it was all in your flour there

The farmer went to the merchant, said, "I want meat and meal", lordy mama
Farmer went to the merchant, said, "I wants meat and meal"
The merchant screamed, "No, no, the bo weevil's in your field"

Spider, spider, spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall
[?? ?? nat'ral?] but he's crazy 'bout his alcohol

I heard a mighty rumblin' down under the ground, lordy mama
Mighty rumblin' way down under the ground
The boll weevil and the devil was [keepin'?] with somebody's brown

Daddy was low and squatty, daddy was [cut for speed?], lordy mama
He low and squatty, daddy was [cut for speed?]
Says he has everything that a poor bo weevil needs

Now bo weevil, now bo weevil, sittin' down on the square, the first time I seen
Mister Bo Weevil, sittin' down on the square
Next time I seen him, mama, he had his whole family there

Bo weevil told that farmer, "buy no Ford machine"
He told the farmer not to buy no Ford machine
'Cause he's gonna [make?] it so he can't buy no gasoline

[uncle bud]

Instead of 'Geechie', I think he's saying 'Gypsy'.

In the line "I'm scared [?? ??] she might poison me", I think the word 'skillet' is in the bracketed part. But I can't nail it down.

"The farmer woke up this morning" should really be "'Cause I woke up this morning".

I'm pretty sure this:

"Spider, spider, spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Spider, spider, crawlin' on the wall"

Is really this:

"Bitin' spider, bitin' spider, crawlin' on the wall, mmm-mmm
Bitin' spider, crawlin' on the wall"

I think this:

"The boll weevil and the devil was [keepin'?] with somebody's brown"

is actually:

"The boll weevil and the devil was thievin' somebody's brown"

I'm pretty sure this line:

"Cause he's gonna [make?] it so he can't buy no gasoline"

Is really:

"Cause he's gonna fix it so he can't buy no gasoline"

'Cut for speed' looks a little odd, tho I think it is right.

Agreed on "gypsy", should have thought of that and was pretty sure I was wrong. 

Re. skillet. I thought I heard that at first though am not sure it's right. It's possibly "skittish"?

I also agree with "'Cause I woke up...", "Bitin' spider" and "fix it".

Where you have "thievin' somebody's brown" I am still hearing a "with" in there. Not sure we've nailed that but will listen some more.

Good ears! Will make the changes above.

[banjochris]

A few more suggestions:

1st verse
CAN FRY instead of can't grind in both line 1 and 2 (I hear gypsy as well)
I'm scared I'LL GET IT, she might poison me

3rd verse
bo weevil'S (both times)
itchin' is right
I hear the end of the first line as THE PREACHERS TELL ME THAT instead of can't you hear me that
perhaps A DREADFUL DREAM last night...?

5th verse line 2 and 3
Bitin' spider NOW, crawlin'...
GRINDS IT NATURAL, but he's crazy 'bout his alcohol

6th verse I hear CHEATIN' WITH (could be thievin' with but I can definitely hear the "with")
cut for speed is right as in built for speed

last verse
missing LORDY MAMA at end of 1st line

Chris

[Giorgio]

Can I (or somebody) put these lyrics on Weeniepedia?
 

[Slack]

Giorgio,

If you make one more post, you'll be a Wikipedia editor and can put the lyrics in yourself. 

So you could reply to this post

[LD50]

A few more suggestions:

1st verse
CAN FRY instead of can't grind in both line 1 and 2 (I hear gypsy as well)
I'm scared I'LL GET IT, she might poison me

Good catch -- I agree on both changes.

3rd verse
bo weevil'S (both times)
itchin' is right
I hear the end of the first line as THE PREACHERS TELL ME THAT instead of can't you hear me that
perhaps A DREADFUL DREAM last night...?

It sure does sound like 'itchin'.
'Preachers tell me that' may be right.
But he's *not* saying 'dreadful dream'. I really hear 'I got to dream'.

5th verse line 2 and 3
Bitin' spider NOW, crawlin'...
GRINDS IT NATURAL, but he's crazy 'bout his alcohol

I've never heard that exact phrase before, but it does sound like that! Nice catch!

6th verse I hear CHEATIN' WITH (could be thievin' with but I can definitely hear the "with")

Hmmm. I listened really closely on headphones and I do not hear a 'with'. It can't be 'thievin' with somebody's brown' or 'cheatin with somebody's brown', since those both have one syllable too many for what Jackson actually sings. I still go with  'thievin' somebody's brown'

cut for speed is right as in built for speed
last verse
missing LORDY MAMA at end of 1st line
Chris

Agree.

[Giorgio]

Ok, thanks, I'll do it.

[banjochris]

By the way, does someone want to merge this thread with the current one?

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=128&topic=761.0

[uncle bud]

A few more suggestions:

1st verse
CAN FRY instead of can't grind in both line 1 and 2 (I hear gypsy as well)
I'm scared I'LL GET IT, she might poison me

I agree on CAN FRY. However, for line 3, I am now hearing this pretty clearly:

I AIN'T SCARED, I'M SKITTISH she might poison me

For comparison, in "Royal Palm Special", Sloppy Henry sings "I don't want no northern gals fry no meat for me/I ain't scared but I'm skittish she might poison me".

3rd verse
bo weevil'S (both times)
itchin' is right
I hear the end of the first line as THE PREACHERS TELL ME THAT instead of can't you hear me that
perhaps A DREADFUL DREAM last night...?

Agreed on the 'S and I think you may be right on THE PREACHERS TELL ME THAT. But is it possibly singular PREACHER?

For the last line of this, I now hear "I DREAMT a dream last night" pretty clearly. Dreamt is sung a bit more like DRAMT.

5th verse line 2 and 3
Bitin' spider NOW, crawlin'...
GRINDS IT NATURAL, but he's crazy 'bout his alcohol

Agreed.

6th verse I hear CHEATIN' WITH (could be thievin' with but I can definitely hear the "with")
cut for speed is right as in built for speed

I lean towards CHEATIN' WITH now as well. LD50, I definitely hear the WITH and the extra syllable that entails. the -IN' in CHEATIN' is very quick but audible.