Posted by Ari Eisinger Named it a name, got him the tin This fits nicely after the first two lines of the verse which I take to be A.E. Smith, [a] mighty man but "got him the tin" doesn't really sound like what he's saying and it doesn't fit with the tenor of the lyrics, so I don't think that's it either. I'll keep trying. Does anyone else have any insight here? Thanks for your post. Link: Ari Eisinger's Home Page
on November 18, 2006, 3:05 pm, in reply to "Blind Willie Johnson's masterpiece God Moves on the Water"
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This is really a tough one! I've been listening to it over and over today without success. The first part of the line sounds to me like it might be "Name of the name", but then I can't figure out what the second part ("God in a tin") could be that would fit with that. I also briefly thought it might be
Went to the sea, Lord, and poured (put) it in.
Built a boat that he couldn't understand
--Previous Message--
: I have just discovered your message board
: while researching Geechie Wiley trying to
: find out a little bit more information on
: her. I went to a "concert in the
: park" in Ventnor on the Isle of
: Wight(UK)in the summer. It was good, but in
: the intervals there was a DJ playing old
: blues songs. He played Last Kind Words
: Blues and, as usual, it blew me away. I
: went to speak to him and to reminisce with
: him about the dark days of the 1970s and 80s
: when you rarely heard a blues song on the
: air never mind in a park in southern
: England.
: Anyway, back to your site: I was impressed
: with the level of expertise among you and
: your readers and it occurred to me as I was
: reading that you might be able to shed some
: light on what Blind Willie Johnson is
: singing about in God Moves on the Water. He
: appears to sing, towards the end, about the
: Titanic: "Named it the name of god in a
: tin". Has anyone any idea what this is
: all about? I'd be very grateful for any
: ideas.
:
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