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BLUES SONG LYRICS
“Three O’clock Blues,” by B.B. King
Well now it’s three o’clock in the morning And I can’t even close my eyes Three o’clock in the morning baby And I can’t even close my eyes Can’t find my baby And I can’t be satisfied I’ve looked around me And my baby she can’t be found I’ve looked all around me, people And my baby she can’t be found You know if I don’t find my baby I’m going down to the golden ground That’s where the men hang out Goodbye, everybody I believe this is the end Oh goodbye everybody I believe this is the end I want you to tell my baby Tell her please please forgive me Forgive me for my sins
“Stones in My Passway,” Robert Johnson
I got stones in my passway and my road seem dark as night I got stones in my passway and my road seem dark as night I have pains in my hearts they have taken my appetite I have a bird to whistle and I have a bird to sing Have a bird to whistle and I have a bird to sing I got a woman that I'm lovin' boy, she don't mean a thing My enemies have betrayed me have overtaken poor Bob at last My enemies have betrayed me have overtaken poor Bob at last An ' 'ere's one thing certainly they have stones all in my pass Now you tryin' to take my life and all my lovin' too You laid a passway for me now what are you trying to do I'm cryin' please plea-ease let us be friends And when you hear me howlin' in my passway, rider plea-ease open your door and let me in I got three legs to truck home boys, please don't block my road I got three legs to truck home boys, please don't block my road I've been feelin' ashamed 'bout my rider babe, I'm booked and I got to go
“If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day,” by
Robert Johnson
If I had possession over judgment day if I had possession over judgment day Lord, the little woman I'm lovin' wouldn't have no right to pray And I went to the mountain lookin' far as my eyes could see And I went to the mountain lookin' far as my eye could see Some other man got my woman and the - 'a lonesome blues got me And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long Boy, I woke up this mornin' my biscuit roller gone Had to fold my arms and I slowly walked away spoken: I didn't like the way she done Had to fold my arms and I slowly walked away I said in my mind, "Yo," trouble gon' come some day Now run here, baby set down on my knee I wanna tell you all about the way they treated me
“I Believe I'll Dust My Broom 1936,” by Robert
Johnson
I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom Girlfriend, the black man you been lovin', girlfriend, can get my room I'm gon' write a letter, telephone every town I know I'm gon' write a letter, telephone every town I know If I can't find her in West Helena, she must be in East Monroe I know I don't want no woman, wants every downtown man she meet I don't want no woman, wants every downtown man she meet She's a no good doney, they shouldn't allow her on the street I believe, I believe I'll go back home I believe, I believe I'll go back home You can mistreat me here, babe, but you can't when I go home And I'm gettin' up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom I'm gettin' up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom Girlfriend, the black man you been lovin', girlfriend, can get my room I'm gonna call up Chiney, see is my good girl over there I'm gonna call up China, see is my good girl over there 'F I can't find her on Philippine's island, she must be in Ethiopia somewhere
__________
Note 1: both West Helena and East Monroe are in Arkansas,
some 30 miles apart.
“Dust My Broom 1951,” by Robert Johnson, Elmore
James
I'm gonna get up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom (2x) Girlfriend, the black man you been lovin', girlfriend, can get my room I'm gon' write a letter, Telephone every town I know (2x) If I can't find her in West Helena, She must be in East Monroe, I know I don't want no woman, Wants every downtown man she meet (2x) She's a no good doney, They shouldn't 'low her on the street I believe, I believe I'll go back home (2x) You can mistreat me here, babe, But you can't when I go home And I'm gettin' up in the morning, I believe I'll dust my broom (2x) Girlfriend, the black man that you been lovin', Girlfriend, can get my room I'm gon' call up Chiney, She is my good girl over there (2x) If I can't find her on Philippine's Island, She must be in Ethiopia somewhere
“The Weary Blues,” Langston Hughes
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon, I heard a Negro play. Down on Lenox Avenue the other night By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light He did a lazy sway... He did a lazy sway... To the tune o' those Weary Blues. With his ebony hands on each ivory key He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues! Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. Sweet Blues! Coming from a black man's soul. O Blues! In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan-- "Ain't got nobody in all this world, Ain't got nobody but ma self. I's gwine to quit ma frownin' And put ma troubles on the shelf." Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more-- "I got the Weary Blues And I can't be satisfied. Got the Weary Blues And can't be satisfied-- I ain't happy no mo' And I wish that I had died." And far into the night he crooned that tune. The stars went out and so did the moon. The singer stopped playing and went to bed While the Weary Blues echoed through his head. He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.
“John Henry,” by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
When John Henry was a little baby, Sitting on his daddy's knee, Pointed he figured out a little piece of steel, Steel's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord, Steel's gonna be the death of me, Well, now steel's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord, Steel's gonna be the death of me. John Henry told his captain one day, A man ain't nothin' but a man, Before I will let you steam drill beat me down, Would die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord, Die with this hammer in my hand, I would die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord, Die with this hammer in my hand. John Henry had a little woman, Her name was Polly Ann, John Henry got sick and had to go to bed, You know Polly, she drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord, Polly, she drove steel like a man. How she drive? John Henry drivin' on the right hand side, Steam drill drivin' on the left, Before I will let your steam drill beat me down I will drive my poor self to death, Lord, Lord, Drive my poor self to death. John Henry drove steel on the Southern He drove steel on the C&O. He drove steel for that Big Ben Tunnel Steel drivin' kill John you know, Steel drivin' kill John you know, Well, now steel drivin' kill John you know, Lord, Lord, Steel drivin' kill John you know.
Some says John Henry was born in Texas,
Some people thinks he was born in Maine,
John Henry was born down in Tennessee,
He was a leader of a steel-driving-gang, Lord, Lord, Leader of a steel-driving-gang, Was a leader of a steel-driving-gang, Lord, Lord, Leader of a steel-driving-gang. Well, the captain loved to see John Henry, One of all loved to hear him sing, But most of all that the paymaster loved, He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring, He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring, He just loved to get John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord, Loved to get John Henry's hammer ring. They carried John Henry on the mountain, Upon a mountain so high, Last words I heard that poor boy say: Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die, Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die, Give me a cool drink of water 'fore I die. Well, they carried John Henry's body to the White-house, And they laid it in the sand, Everytime a locomotive follows go rollin' by, They say: Yonder lays a steel-drivin' man, Well, now yonder lays a steel-drivin' man, They say yonder lays a steel-drivin' man, Yonder lays a steel-drivin' man.
“Cross Road Blues (Take 1),” by Robert Johnson
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor Bob, if you please" Yeoo, standin' at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride Ooo eeee, I tried to flag a ride Didn't nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down Standin' at the crossroad, baby, eee, eee, risin' sun goin' down I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, babe, I'm sinkin' down And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west I went to the crossroad, baby, I looked east and west Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress
Note 1: this could either be the close friend of Son House named Willie Brown with whom he played together when Robert Johnson first began to play, or the younger Willie Brown who did some recordings for the Library of Congress or yet another completely unknown Willie Brown, who knows(?); Note: did Robert Johnson sell his soul to the devil at the crossroads?. Read about it at The Mudcat Café. In the Delta of the Mississippi River, where Robert Johnson was born, they said that if an aspiring bluesman waited by the side of a deserted country crossroads in the dark of a moonless night, then Satan himself might come and tune his guitar, sealing a pact for the bluesman's soul and guaranteeing a lifetime of easy money, women, and fame. They said that Robert Johnson must have waited by the crossroads and gotten his guitar fine-tuned.
“Hard Time Killing Floor,” by Skip James
Hard time here and everywhere you go Times is harder than ever been before And the people are driftin' from door to door Can't find no heaven, I don't care where they go Hear me tell you people, just before I go These hard times will kill you just dry long so Well, you hear me singin' my lonesome song These hard times can last us so very long If I ever get off this killin' floor I'll never get down this low no more No-no, no-no, I'll never get down this low no more And you say you had money, you better be sure 'Cause these hard times will drive you from door to door Sing this song and I ain't gonna sing no more Sing this song and I ain't gonna sing no more
These hard times will drive you from door to door
“Mannish Boy,” by Muddy Waters
Ooooooh, yeah, ooh, yeah
Everythin', everythin', everytin's gonna be alright this mornin' Ooh yeah, whoaw Now when I was a young boy, at the age of five My mother said I was, gonna be the greatest man alive But now I'm a man, way past 21 Want you to believe me baby, I had lot's of fun I'm a man I spell mmm, aaa child, nnn That represents man No B, O child, Y That mean mannish boy I'm a man I'm a full grown man I'm a man I'm a natural born lovers man I'm a man I'm a rollin' stone I'm a man I'm a hoochie coochie man Sittin' on the outside, just me and my mate You know I'm made to move you honey, come up two hours late Wasn't that a man I spell mmm, aaa child, nnn That represents man No B, O child, Y That mean mannish boy I'm a man I'm a full grown man Man I'm a natural born lovers man Man I'm a rolllin' stone Man-child I'm a hoochie coochie man The line I shoot will never miss When I make love to a woman, she can't resist I think I go down, to old Kansas Stew I'm gonna bring back my second cousin, that little Johnny Cocheroo All you little girls, sittin'out at that line I can make love to you woman, in five minutes time Ain't that a man I spell mmm, aaa child, nnn That represents man No B, O child, Y That mean mannish boy Man I'm a full grown man Man I'm a natural born lovers man Man I'm a rollin' stone I'm a man-child I'm a hoochie coochie man well, well, well, well hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry Don't hurt me, don't hurt me child don't hurt me, don't hurt, don't hurt me child well, well, well, well Yeah
