‘"The blues" is a secular African-American musical genre that has had broad influence in popular music. Blues songs deal with a variety of topics and emotions, though it is often mistakenly thought that they deal almost exclusively with sorrow and protest.
Though there are no recordings of blues songs made before the 1910s, it is generally accepted that a musical style recognizable as blues was being played and sung by African-American musicians in the Southern United States by the 1890s. The songs drew freely from earlier African American styles, such as work songs, field hollers, spirituals, minstrelsy, as well as from Anglo and European derived forms. Blues singers emphasized "blue notes," usually the third, fifth and seventh degrees of the scale, which they often slurred or "bent" upward a quarter tone or more, sometimes mimicking or echoing these effects on accompanying instruments, such as the fiddle, harmonica or guitar. Although they did not always seek to tell a story, singers used imagery that reflected their audience's language and world. Moans, cries, shouts and grunts were often interpolated. The so-called "12 Bar Blues" became the dominant blues song form early on, and remains so to this day. In it, verses are three lines long, with the first line repeated, and the third line usually completing a thought or making a point.’-https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/popular-songs-of-the-day/blues/
Have you ever heard a great Blues song and been intrigued by what is happening in the music and lyrics, even if you can't quite make out exactly what is being said? Here are some selected sources for discovering the expressions of Blues poetry that will help illuminate and decode the meaning of that content for modern listeners. Some examples are given below.
LC Subjects: Blues (Music) — Texts. Blues (Music) — Poetry. African Americans — Music — Texts.
Charley Patton, “High Water Everywhere, Part 1” (Patton). Acc. own guitar. Grafton, Wisconsin, ca. October 1929. Paramount 12909.
The back water done rose all around Sumner, Lord, drove me down the line. Back water done rose at Sumner, drove poor Charley down the line. And I’ll tell the world the water done struck Drew’ses town.
Lord, the whole round country, Lord, creek water is overflowed. Lord, the whole round country, man, it’s overflowed. (Spoken: You know, I can’t stay here. I’m … I’ll go where it’s high, boy.) I would go to the hill country, but they got me barred.
Now looky here now at Leland, Lordy, river was rising high. Looky here, boys around Leland tell me river is ragin’ high. (Spoken: Boy, it’s rising over there. Yeah.) I’m gonna move over to Greenville. Bought our tickets. Good-bye.
Looky here, the water dug out, Lordy (Spoken: Levee broke), rose most everywhere. The water at Greenville and Leland, Lord, it done rose everywhere. (Spoken: Boy, you can’t never stay here.) I would go down to Rosedale, but they tell me it’s water there.
Lord, the water now, mama, done struck Shaw’ses town. Well, they tell me the water done struck Shaw’ses town. (Spoken: Boy, I’m going to Vicksburg.) Well, I’m going to Vicksburg on a high[er] mound.
I am going out on high water where land don’t never flow. [sic] Well, I’m going on a hill where water, oh, it don’t never flow. (Spoken: Boy, Sharkey County and Issaquena’s drowned and inched over.) Bolivar Country was inchin’ over in Tallahatchie’s shore. (Spoken: Boy, I went in Tallahatchie. They got it over there.)
Lord, the water done rushed all over that old Jackson Road. Lord, the water done raised up over the Jackson Road. (Spoken: Boy, it got my clothes.) I’m going back to the hill country. Won’t be worried no more.
-Nobody Knows Where the Blues Come From : Lyrics and History, edited by Robert Springer, University Press of Mississippi, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/afpl/detail.action?docID=840333.
Blind Willie McTell, “Mama Tain’t Long Fo’ Day” (McTell) Acc. own guitar. Atlanta, Oct 1927. Victor 21474.
Wake up mamma, don't you sleep so hard
Wake up mamma, don't you sleep so hard
For it's these old blues walkin' all over your yard
I've got these blues, the reason I'm not satisfied
I've got these blues, I'm not satisfied
That's the reason why I stroll away and cry
Blues grabbed me at midnight, didn't turn me loose till day
Blues grabbed me at midnight, didn't turn me loose till day
I didn't have no mama to drive these blues away
The big star fallin', mama tain't long ‘for day
The big star fallin', mama tain't long ‘for day
Maybe the sunshine will drive these blues away
Oh, come here quick; Come on, mama
You know I got you
-https://genius.com/Blind-willie-mctell-mama-taint-long-fo-day-lyrics
Furry Lewis, “Dry Land Blues” (Lewis) Acc. own guitar. Memphis, Aug 1928.
Victor 45429-2
I can look through muddy water; babe, I can see dry land
I can look through muddy water, babe, I can see dry land
If you don’t want me, mama, let’s shake hand in hand
I'm going so far, I can't hear your rooster crow
I'm going so far, I can't hear your rooster crow
This is my last time ever knocking at your door
You won't cook me no dinner, mama, you won't iron me no clothes
You won't do nothin’ but walk the Horn Lake Road
Mens, if you love your woman, please measure it in her cup
She happen to quit you, boy, leave you in tough luck
You can take my woman, man, you ain't done nothin’ smart
I have more than one woman playing in my backyard
What you gonna do when your troubles get like mine?
What you gonna do when your trouble get like mine?
And it's trouble here, and it's trouble everywhere
So much trouble floating in the air
-https://weeniecampbell.com/wiki/index.php?title=Dry_Land_Blues
Blues poems / selected and edited by Kevin Young, opens a new window
The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics From Leadbelly to Muddy Waters
The Little Blues Book. Illustrations by R. Crumb
Squeeze My Lemon: A Collection of Classic Blues Lyrics. by Poe, Randy
Talkin' to Myself: Blues Lyrics, 1921-1942
Blueswomen: Profiles of 37 Early Performers, With An Anthology of Lyrics, 1920-1945. Bourgeois, Anna Stong
Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs & Hidden Histories. Wald, Elijah
Barrelhouse Words: A Blues Dialect Dictionary. by Calt, Stephen
Also available as an E-book: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/afpl/detail.action?docID=3413993
The Language of the Blues From Alcorub to Zuzu. by DeSalvo, Debra
Words and Songs of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone;
Add a comment to: The Poetry of the Blues