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FFree Blues MP3!E Internet Blues RadioE Blues History Blues Language Lyrics by Artist Lyrics by Title Lyrics by Topic Top 100 Lyrics Sites Tabs & Chords Top 100 Tab Sites Lyrics&Tabs Wanted! Essential Blues CD's Essential Blues Books Message Board Chat Room Blues Musician Ad's Links Site Map The Awards Page About... alternate navigation menu ![[Charley Patton]](../photographs/charley_patton.jpg)   - statistics -
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by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Get in trouble at Belzoni, there ain't no use a-screamin' and cryin' Get in trouble in Belzoni, there ain't no use a-screamin' and cryin' Mr. Will will take you, back to Belzoni jailhouse flyin' Le' me tell you folksies, how he treated me Le' me tell you folksies, how he treated me An' he put me in a cellar, just as dark as it could be There I laid one evenin', Mr. Purvis was standin' 'round There I laid one evenin', Mr. Purvis was standin' 'round Mr. Purvis told Mr. Will to, let poor Charley down It takes booze and blues, Lord, to carry me through Takes booze and blues, Lord, to carry me through But it did seem like years, in a jailhouse where there is no boo' I got up one mornin', feelin' awe, hmm I got up one mornin', feelin' mighty bad, hmm An' it might not a-been them Belzoni jail I had (spoken: Blues I had, boys) While I was in trouble, ain't no use a-screamin' When I was in prison, it ain't no use a-screamin and cryin' Mr. Purvis the onliest man could, ease that pain of mine
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Well, backwater done rose all around Sumner now, drove me down the line Backwater done rose at Sumner, drove poor Charley down the line Lord, I'll tell the world the water, done crept through this town Lord, the whole round country, Lord, river has overflowed Lord, the whole round country, man, is overflowed You know I can't stay here, I'll go where it's high, boy I would goto the hilly country, but, they got me barred Now, look-a here now at Leland, river was risin' high Look-a here boys around Leland tell me, river was raisin' high Boy, it's risin' over there, yeah I'm gonna move to Greenville, fore I leave, goodbye Look-a here the water now, Lordy, Levee1 broke, rose most everywhere The water at Greenville and Leland, Lord, it done rose everywhere Boy, you can't never stay here I would go down to Rosedale, but, they tell me there's water there Now, the water now, mama, done took Charley's town Well, they tell me the water, done took Charley's town Boy, I'm goin' to Vicksburg Well, I'm goin' to Vicksburg, for that high of mine I am goin' up that water, where lands don't never flow Well, I'm goin' over the hill where, water, oh don't ever flow Boy, hit Sharkey County and everything was down in Stovall But, that whole county was leavin', over that Tallahatchie shore Boy, went to Tallahatchie and got it over there Lord, the water done rushed all over, down old Jackson road Lord, the water done raised, over the Jackson road Boy, it starched my clothes I'm goin' back to the hilly country, won't be worried no more __________ Note: this song tells the story of the great Mississippi flood of 1927. The two-part song is long, it covers both sides of a 78 rpm. The music of part one is very similar to Willie Brown's "Future Blues" and Son House's "Jinx Blues"; Note 1: origin: from the old French word levée, act of raising, from lever to raise. An embankment for preventing flooding, or a river landing place, also, a continuous dike or ridge (as of earth) for confining the irrigation areas of land to be flooded. A levee camp therefore is a work camp for building or improving dikes to prevent rivers from flooding the land, primarily in the Mississippi Delta area.
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Backwater at Blytheville, backed up all around Backwater at Blytheville, done took Joiner town It was fifty families and children come to sink and drown The water was risin' up at my friend's door The water was risin' up at my friend's door The man said to his women folk, "Lord, we'd better go" The water was risin', got up in my bed Lord, the water was rollin', got up to my bed I thought I would take a trip, Lord, out on the big ice sled Oh, I can hear, Lord, Lord, water upon my door, you know what I mean, look-a here I hear the ice, Lord, Lord, was sinkin' down, I couldn't get no boats there, Marion City gone down So high the water was risin' our men sinkin' down Man, the water was risin' at places all around, boy, they's all around It was fifty men and children come to sink and drown Oh, Lordy, women and grown men drown Oh, women and children sinkin' down Lord, have mercy I couldn't see nobody's home and wasn't no one to be found __________ Note: see note for part 1
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Sees a little boll weevil2 keeps movin' in the, Lordie! You can plant your cotton and you won't get a half a bale, Lordie Bo weevil, bo weevil, where's your native home? Lordie "A-Louisiana raised in Texas, least is where I was bred and born", Lordie Well, I saw the bo weevil, Lord, a-circle, Lord, in the air, Lordie The next time I seed him, Lord, he had his family there, Lordie Bo weevil left Texas, Lord, he bid me "fare ye well", Lordie (spoken: Where you goin' now?) I'm goin' down the Mississippi, gonna give Louisiana hell, Lordie (spoken: How is that, boy?) Suck all the blossoms and he leave your hedges square, Lordie The next time I seed you, you know you had your family there, Lordie Bo weevil meet his wife, "We can sit down on the hill", Lordie Bo weevil told his wife, "Let's trade this forty3 in", Lordie Bo weevil told his wife, says, "I believe I may go North", Lordie (spoken: Hold on, I'm gonna tell all about that) "Let's leave Louisiana, we can go to Arkansas", Lordie Well, I saw the bo weevil, Lord a-circle, Lord, in the air, Lordie Next time I seed him, Lord, he had his family there, Lordie Bo weevil told the farmer that "I 'tain't got ticket fare", Lordie Sucks all the blossom and leave your hedges square, Lordie Bo weevil, bo weevil, where your native home? Lordie "Most anywhere they raise cotton and corn", Lordie Bo weevil, bo weevil, "Outta treat me fair", Lordie The next time I did you had your family there, Lordie __________ Note 1: weevil was wrongly spelled "weavil" on the original issue of this song by Paramount Records; Note 2: bo or boll weevil, a grayish weevil, super-family of beetles, that infests the cotton plant and feeds on the squares and bolls. See illustration; Note 3: forty acres of land "When I was a kid we had a depression prior to this 1929-1930-1931 stuff. I imagine that it must have been around 1907 or 1909. People couldn't hardly get five dollars for a bale of cotton. It started from all those boll weevil plagues that would eat up most of the crops." -- Skip James --
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Aw, that moon has gone down, baby, North Star 'bout to shine Aw, the moon goin' down, baby, North Star 'bout to shine Rosetta Henry told me, "Lord, I don't want you hangin' 'round" Oh well, where were you now, baby, Clarksdale mill burned down1? Oh well, where were you now, babe, Clarksdale mill burned down? (spoken: Boy, you know where I were) "I were way down Sunflower2 with my face all full-a frowns" They's a house over yonder, painted all over green They's a house over yonder, painted all over green (spoken: Boy, you know I know it's over there!) Some of the finest young women, Lord, a man most ever seen Lord, I think I heard the Helena whistle3, Helena whistle, Helena whistle blow Lord, I think I heard the Helena whistle blow (spoken: Well, I hear it blowin' now) Lord, I ain't gonna stop walkin' till I get in my rider's door __________ Note 1: the upper Mississippi Delta town of Clarksdale suffered a serious fire in 1899; Note 2: whether Patton means the river, the town or the county of Sunflower is unclear; Note 3: probably a steamboat or a train named after the city of Helena by Charley
Patton
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Baby, saddle my pony, saddle up my black mare Baby, saddle my pony, saddle up my black mare I'm gonna find a rider, baby, in the world somewhere "Hello central, the matter with your line?" "Hello central, matter, Lord, with your line?" "Come a storm last night an' tore the wire down" Got a brand new Shetland, man, already trained Brand new Shetland, baby, already trained Just get in the saddle, tighten up on your reins And a brownskin woman like somethin' fit to eat Brownskin woman like somethin' fit to eat But a jet black woman, don't put your hands on me Took my baby, to meet the mornin' train Took baby, meet that mornin' train An' the blues come down, baby, like showers of rain I got somethin' to tell you when I gets a chance Somethin' to tell you when I get a chance I don't wanna marry, just wanna be your man __________ Note: Patton recorded two versions of this song. The first was entitled "Pony Blues" while the second changed to "Stoney Pony Blues" This is one of Patton's most popular pieces. Most Delta musicians had a version of "Pony Blues" in their repertoire, Son House recorded a "Pony Blues" in his 1942 Library of Congress recordings. Tommy Johnson's "Bye Bye Blues" and Willie Brown's "M&O Blues" are both derivatives from the same source. As to which came first has never been clearly established.
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020), copyright notice Yes on me, it's poor me, you must take pity on poor me I ain't got nobody, take pity on poor me You may go, you may stay, but she'll come back some sweet day By and by, sweet mama, by and by Don't the moon look pretty shinin' down through the tree? Oh, I can see Bertha Lee1, Lord, but she can't see me You may go, you may stay, but she'll come back some sweet day By and by, sweet mama, baby won't you, by and by You may go, you may stay, but she'll come back some sweet day By and by, sweet mama, by and by Yes on me, it's poor me, you must have pity on poor me I ain't got nobody, take pity on poor me Don't the moon look pretty shinin' down through the tree? Oh, I can see Bertha Lee, but she can't see me You may go, you may stay, but she'll come back some sweet day By and by, sweet mama, oh baby, won't you, by and by __________ Note 1: Bertha Lee was Patton's girl friend and recording partner in the early 1930's
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