Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I'll Give You Sugar for Sugar, Salt for Salt.

I've been digging through books, old records, and archives. The goal is to unearth roots music that I can learn, enjoy, expand upon, and perform. The search has been fruitful: I've found sea chanteys about falling in love with anonymous prostitutes, traditional blues songs about existential angst, broadside ballads full of the filthiest limericks I've ever set eyes upon, and British drinking songs about lecherous clergymen.

My favorite lyrics so far, though, may belong to "James Alley Blues," which was originally recorded in 1927 in New Orleans by the man who wrote it. His name was Richard "Rabbit" Brown. The second and third verses set the theme:

I've seen better days, but I'm puttin' up with these...
I'd have a much better time, but these girls are so hard to please.


'cause I was born in the country, she thinks I'm easy to rule...
She tryin' to hitch me to her wagon and drive me just like a mule.


Kinky. Now have a peek at the last three verses!

I'll give you sugar for sugar, let you get salt for salt...
And if you can't get along with me, it's your own fault.

You want me to love you, then you treat me mean...
You're my daily thought, you're my nightly dream.

Sometimes I think that you're too sweet to die... too sweet to die...
Another time, I think you oughta be buried alive.

Now those're some strong blues.

No comments: