Re: Geechie Wiley (Greatest female blues singer) (2 messages!)

Posted by Jon W. on August 2, 2002, 4:22 am

Motherless Child Blues by Geechie Wiley and Elvie Thomas My mother told me just before she died My mother told me just before she died My mother told me just before she died My mother told me just before she died Oh daughter daughter please don’t be like me Oh daughter daughter please don’t be like me Oh daughter daughter please don’t be like me To fall in love with every man you see But I did not listen what my mother said But I did not listen what my mother said But I did not listen what my mother said That’s the reason why I’m driftin’ here today Baby now she’s dead, six feet in the ground Baby now she’s dead, she’s six feet in the ground Baby now she’s dead, she’s six feet in the ground And I’m a child, and I am driftin’ ‘round Do you remember the day baby, you drove me from your door? Do you remember the day baby, you drove me from your door? Do you remember the day you drove me from your door? “Go away from here woman, and don’t come here no more.” I walked away and I wring my hands and cryin’ I walked away and I wring my hands and cryin’ I walked away and I wring my hands and cryin’ Didn’t have no blues, I couldn’t keep tarryin’ aroun’ This one seems pretty self explanatory. She's saddened by a breakup and many before, and remembers what her mother told her, advice which she never heeded. Dig the beauty of Elvie's voice on this one. Wow. Over To My House seems to be in Em. I've never heard a raggy piece done this way that I can think of, and everybody should hear this one. From what I get, the chords are: Em-B7-Em-B7-Em-Am-Em-B7-Em-B7-Em. Of course she doesn't just strum these, and she pulls plenty of punches in filler notes, etc. That goes for all of the chords I'll be giving; for instance, in Pick Poor Robin Clean, the D7 is often a D, etc. Over To My House Geechie Wiley and Elvie Thomas (Guitar Intro) Come ‘round over to my house, ain’t nobody here but me I been listenin’ for the last six months, and I could not see Cause you can shake it, you can break it, you can hang it on the wall Throw it out the window, run and catch it ‘fore it falls On over to my house, ain’t nobody here but, I’m cryin’, ain’t nobody here but me Come ‘round over to my house, cause there ain’t nobody here but me I’ve been listenin’ for the last six months, and I could not see I said you need not think because you’re little and cute I’m gonna buy you a (fox-black) suit Come on over to my house, ain’t nobody here but, I’m cryin’, ain’t nobody here but me (Guitar Solo) Come ‘round over to my house, cause there ain’t nobody here but me I’ve been listenin’ for the last six months, and I could not see When I was sittin’ in my parlor, just a strummin’ and playin’ I wasn’t too drunk to hear the backdoor slam Come ‘round over to my house, ain’t nobody here but, I’m cryin’, ain’t nobody here but me Come ‘round over to my house, cause there ain’t nobody here but me I’ve been listenin’ for the last six months, and I could not see I’m gonna grab me a picket off of my back fence Gonna whip ‘em at your head until you learn some sense Come ‘round over to my house, ain’t nobody here but, I’m cryin’, ain’t nobody here but me Come ‘round over to my house, cause there ain’t nobody here but me I’ve been listenin’ for the last six months, and I could not see I cried ashes to ashes, and sand to sand Every married woman’s gotta backdoor man On over baby to my house, ain’t nobody here but, I’m cryin’, ain’t nobody here but me I love these lyrics, and they're very cleverly executed. This song gives you the feeling that old Geechie might have been a hard woman to live with: infidelity, assault, murder. The list goes on. Pick Poor Robin Clean is probably a pretty old piece. Luke Jordan does a beautiful rendition of it on Document's 'The Songster Tradtion', from which one can exptrapolate it's vintage. The chord progression is a fairly standard rag progression: C-A7-D7-G7-C. It's a really fun piece, but I'd recommend switching some lyrics around before playing it in public. Pick Poor Robin Clean by Geechie Wiley and Elvie Thomas Spoken: “Hello there, Geechie!” “Hello there, (Smack)!” “What are you doin’ down here?” “Oh I’m just down here tryin’ to play these barn blues about Robin!” “Let me hear it, then!” I picked poor Robin clean, I picked poor Robin clean I picked his head, I picked his feet, I woulda picked a spider but he wasn’t fit to eat But I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean And I’ll be satisfied, having a family Lord, in that Jaybird land, where I can pick poor Robin clean Poor Robin clean, pick poor Robin clean Lord, in that Jaybird land, where I can pick poor Robin clean Then I’ll be satisfied, having a family (Guitar Solo) Get off my money, and don’t get funny Cause I’m a nigger, don’t cut no figure Gamblin’ for Sadie, she is my lady And I’m a hustling coon, that’s just what I am You better pick poor Robin clean, pick poor Robin clean Picked his head, picked his feet, I woulda picked a spider but he wasn’t fit to eat But I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean And I’ll be satisfied, having a family Spoken: “Yeaah! Won’t be long now!” (Guitar Solo) Scat: Ahh, dah dah-dah-lah di-di-dah, dah dah-dah-lah dah dah dah dah-dah, dah dah-dah dah Ahh, dah dah-dah-lah di-di-dah, dah dah-dah-lah di-di-dah dah dah-dah, dah dah-dah dah Picked poor Robin clean, picked his head, picked his feet I woulda picked a spider but he wasn’t fit to eat I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean Said I’ll be satisfied, having a family This song is about gambling and stealing, possibly to the extent of taking someone else's spouse. As always, it's sung with lots of spirit, giving one the impression that, given the opportunity, Geechie might just take all you've got; and why not? You'd probably be dead by then anyway. Eagles On A Half is a really great piece in A, in which Geechie employs some licks used by Willie Brown when accompanying Patton on Moon Goin Down, as well as a D riff later used by Robert Johnson. Here's the progression: A-D7-A-E-D7-A. And the lyrics: Eagles On A Half by Geechie Wiley (Guitar Intro) It’s a low, it’s a low, low, low down dirty shame It’s a low, it’s a low, low, low down dirty shame I’ve got a brownskin man but I’m scared to call his name I’ve to squat low Pappa, let your Mamma see I’ve to squat low Pappa, let your Mamma see I wants to see that whole business, please don’t worry me (Guitar Solo) I twisted and I tumbled, I roll the whole night long I twisted and I tumbled, I roll the whole night long I didn’t have no Daddy to, hold me in his arms (Guitar Solo) I said get back Rider, don’t care how you lay I said get back Rider, don’t care how you lay I wanna tell you I, can’t stay here today I said eagles on a half dollar, babe ain’t gotta be cruel I said eagles on a half babe, I ain’t gotta be cruel I love you Daddy, what’s your dollar for? This one gets pretty racy, and if I'm right about the last verse, we've finally stumbled upon something that Geechie wouldn't do: prostitute herself to her own man! My, the awe-inspiring virtue! However, if I screwed up the last verse, it could mean that she's just not willing to settle for a half-dollar, but would do it for a whole dollar, in which case we're right back where we started. In any case, Geechie is undoubtedly one of Mississippi's greatest artists, and definitley (in my opinion) it's greatest female blues singer. If you like acoustic blues, you must get to know her work. It's unparalleled in both skill and beauty. Happy listening and, please, if you've got better ideas as to my parethetical lyrics, let us know. One more treat. Go here, and you can learn to play her masterpiece; every acoustic blues player should know it: http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001041.html Bye for now. Jon

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