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The Leadbelly Ballad-Novel
All songs
composed by Joe Dolce, and published by Dolceamore Music
BIG STRUTTIN' TURKEY
Verse:
You big struttin' turkey,
You made you the boss?
You're headed for the choppin' block
And a bowl of Cranberry sauce.
Chorus:
A gobble and a gobble and a gobble
A gobble and a gobblety goo.
You big struttin' turkey, you,
A gobble and a gobblety goo.
Verse:
You got loud gobble,
But Lord know you can't fly
I've seen you jump and squabble
But you can't jump that high.
Chorus:
Verse:
You big struttin' turkey
Flap your little turkey wings,
You point your turkey leg at me,
But it just don't mean a thing.
Chorus:
Verse:
You got a little turkey head
On a short little turkey neck
When things upset your little turkey world,
You give everything a peck.
Chorus:
---------------------
My grandma used to call Brazil Nuts,
In brown shells, 'Nigger Toes.' (2x)
I think I was fifteen before I found out
They weren't even called those.
I used to tease Maxine in kindergarden,
A little coloured girl I tried to kiss, (2x)
'Till one day, she sunk her fingernails,
Into both of my wrists.
Damn! Maxine drew blood that day
And marked up my little arms. (2x)
Everytime I see a Brazil Nut, now,
I think about those scars.
I had a mixed race schoolin',
White and coloured learned as one, (2x)
You got your mean racists,
And then you got your plain ignorant ones.
My grandma used to call Brazil Nuts,
In those brown shells, 'Nigger Toes.' (2x)
I think I was fifteen before I found out
They weren't even called those.
---------------------
Chorus:
A Coloured Flower, in Coloured Mud,
Of Coloured Petal, and Coloured Bud.
By Coloured Angels, Gathered today,
Forever to Bloom, in The Coloured Bouquet.
The Mulatto was seen
In Plantation life,
A Child of One-half Black,
And One-half White:
The commonest mix
In the racial gene pool,
From the Spanish and Portuguese,
Meaning, 'young mule.'
Chorus:
The High Yellow elegance,
And Shallow Brown sheen,
Of a Light-Skinned Black,
Was held in Esteem.
Three-quarter Dark,
One-quarter Pale,
Was known as a Zambo,
On the Slave colour scale.
Chorus:
The offspring of
both
The White and Black Skin,
Was known as a Griffe,
A Griffane or Griffin.
A Griffe and a Negresse,
Produced a Sacatra,
A term that is heard
Down in Louisiana.
Chorus:
Chorus:
Five-eighths Negro
blood,
Was the Marabou's gift,
The offspring of a
Mulatto and Griffe.
The Melungeon was a person
Mixed tri-racially,
Commonly found
Down in old Tennessee.
Chorus:
If a Quadroon or Quarteron,
Should come into sight,
That's One-quarter Black,
And Three-quarters White,
An Octoroon, Mestee,
Or Mustee, if light,
Is One-eighth part Black,
And Seven-eights White.
One sixteenth-Black,
Fifteen-sixteenth White,
This pedigree is the
Quinteron's Right.
A child of half-Indian blood,
And One-half of Negro,
Was often referred to
As a little Cafuzo.
Chorus:
-------------------------
ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON GIN
Eli Whitney,
With hammer and tin,
One night, invented
The Cotton Gin.
Inspired, he said,
By barnyard events,
When a Tomcat tried to pull
A chicken through a fence.
Now, a Cotton Gin's
Just a big old box,
With a wire screen
And some wire hooks.
In one end, a Cotton
Boll,
Gets pulled and cleaned,
And out from t'other,
Comes a pair of your old Blue Jeans.
Now, some folks
claim
Whitney stole that thing,
From his landlady, by the name of
Catherine Green.
She gave him the
Idea,
With a hairbrush and a pin,
But women weren't allowed
To have patents way back then.
Historians believe
That the Cotton Gin
Was the Key to the whole
Damn Slave System.
Well, if we could
change time,
And maybe go back,
To rescue that chicken
From that old Tomcat.
Or hide Mrs Green's
brush
Under the floor,
We might have prevented
The Civil War.
And Abraham Lincoln
Wouldn't have been shot,
The Battle of Gettysberg,
Might not have been fought.
No Slavery,
No plantations,
No Ku Klux Klan,
No Segregation.
And Eli Whitney,
With his hammer and tin,
Might have just settled,
For inventing The Garbage Bin.
------------------------
.41 CALIBRE PROTECTION SPECIAL COLT
When Huddie turned
his sixteenth birthday,
His daddy gave him a gun,
A .41 calibre Special Colt,
But said, 'Don't bother no one."
A .41 calibre Protection Special Colt,
But said, 'Dont bother no one."
"Don't go
making trouble, son,
Just look after your health,
But if someone try to mess with you,
I want you to protect yourself."
A .41 calibre Protection Special Colt,
I want you to protect yourself."
Huddie come late to
his Mama's house,
He was beat bad and cut up,
Blood all down the front of his shirt,
Jaw slit from bottom to top.
Had a.41 calibre Protection Special Colt,
And a Jaw slit from bottom to top.
Huddie dont take
nothing off nobody,
And he don't go starting things.
But if somebody looked like they wanted to start it,
He'd be the first to swing.
A .41 calibre Protection Special Colt,
He'd be the first to swing.
-------------------------
THE GIDEON BIBLE
Chorus:
There's a Gideon Bible in your hotel room,
In this time of great uncertainty and gloom,
For any sin which you are liable,
Just consult your Gideon Bible,
In the top drawer of the dresser in your room.
Verse:
Gideon was a Judge of Bible lore,
Whom God commanded, 'Gideon, make thou war!
Go and set the Israelites free,
From their false idolatry,
And while you're at it, leave a bible in the drawer."
Chorus:
Verse:
Since 1908, they've been placed and read,
In every hotel, hospital, prison cell and shed.
If you stray into Satan's Lair,
You'll find Gideon waiting there,
In the top drawer of the dresser near your bed.
Chorus:
Now
Gideon's name means 'Mighty Feller of Trees',
And in that name, there's a mighty prophecy,
'Cause the amount of trees it took,
For all the paper in those books,
I'm surprised there's any forests left for you and me.
Chorus:
-------------------------
GIMME LITTLE SUGAR WITH MY BEER, SYLVIE
Chorus:
Give Me a Little Sugar With My Beer, Sylvie
Give me a little sugar with my beer,
It's a bitter taste, but I'll drink a case,
(if you) Give me a little sugar with my beer.
Huddie met two girls
dancin',
They was fine high browns,
One asked him where he come from,
He said 'Chicago town.'
Chorus:
Those two girls
started jiving' him,
'Cause he was fourteen years old.
'Daddy, why don't you take us way up town,
And buy us some beer that's cold.'
Chorus:
Huddie ordered up
two glasses,
Then Huddie ordered up one more,
He filled his mouth, and he swallowed down,
Then spat it on the floor.
Chorus:
'Oh daddy, you from
Chicago,
But you can't drink your beer!"
Huddie said, 'No, I can't drink it straight,
'Less you give me little sugar here.'
Chorus:
-------------------------
Chorus:
Papa, won't you take me down to Shreveport (3x)
To see the Girl from New Orleans.
She's a Red-Headed
and High Yaller (3x)
The Girl from New Orleans.
Chorus:
Cake Walkin' thru
the St James' Bottom (3x)
With the Girl from New Orleans.
Chorus:
I love dancin' with
the tall girl (3x)
The Girl from New Orleans.
Chorus:
-------------------------
God was a Hard Man,
A Hard Man was He,
He built a Hard House,
Down by the Hard Sea.
God had a Hard Wife
Who served him Hard Soup,
She wore a Hard Dress
Sewn on a Hard Hoop.
God had a Hard Job,
He wore a Hard Collar,
And every Hard Day,
He earned a Hard Dollar.
God was a Hard Man, God Was a Hard Man.
God had a Hard Son,
He shook a Hard Rattle,
And every time He'd Cry,
He got a Hard Paddle.
One day the Hard
Son,
Choked on a Hard Bone,
Into a Hard Box,
He made His Hard Home.
God was a Hard Man, God Was a Hard Man.
God drew the Hard
Blind,
To block the Hard Sun,
He put a Hard bullet,
Into His Hard Gun.
God blew His Hard
Brains,
Against the Hard Wall.
They found his Hard Head
Wasn't that Hard at all.
God was a Hard Man, God Was a Hard Man.
-------------------------
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandma is complainin'
Grandma is complainin'
Oh now, what can it be?
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandpa wont wash his ears,
Grandpa wont wash his ears.
That's why he just cant hear.
Grandma is
complainin'
She can't find her keys
She can't find her keys
It's going to be the death of me.
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandpa's drinking rum
Grandpa's drinking rum
He starting to talk in tongues.
Grandma is
complainin'
She can't find her glasses,
She can't find her glasses,
Since they fell in the molasses.
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandpa wont take a shower
Grandpa wont take a shower
And his breath is smelling sour.
Grandma is
complainin'
She's put on too much weight
She's put on too much weight
Since she ate five chocolate cakes.
Grandma is complainin'
Grandpa wont shave his face
Grandpa wont shave his face
He's got hair growing every place.
Grandma is complain'
She cant find her teeth
She cant find her teeth
They're still in that roast beef.
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandpa wont trim his toes
Grandpa wont trim his toes
Puts scratches in her hose.
Grandma is
complainin'
Grandma is complainin'
Grandma is complainin'
Oh now, what can it be?
-------------------------
THE HAPPIEST TIME I EVER HAD
WAS, WHOO! PLAYIN' THE BLUES
Having the blues and
playing the blues,
Are two different kinds of news,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
Now don't ask me to
explain,
'Cause, I ain't got no clues,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
I don't wish you get
blues,
'Cause having them don't amuse,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
Sometimes the blues
can kill you,
'Bout break you in twos,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues get you in
the morning,
Your whole day be confused,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
Sometime the blues
are discouragin',
Everything you do, you lose,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues don't give
no warning,
They sure don't follow no rules,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues wear out
your mind,
And the leather in your shoes,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues will make
you act primitive,
Like the monkeys in the zoos,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues can make
you hateful,
And turn your brain to stews,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
They don't get happy
with drugs,
They don't get happy with booze,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The blues can paint
your heart,
In every shade and hues,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
The pain can melt
you down,
But you can break it like a fuse,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
You have to have
'em, to play 'em,
But having them can abuse,
The happiest times I ever had,
Was, whoo! playin' the blues.
-------------------------
HILL OF DEATH
(lyrics: Louisa Lawson,
Music: Joe Dolce)
chorus:
No downward path to death we go
Through no dark shades or valleys low,
But up and on o'er rises bright
Toward the dawn of the endless light.
verse:
For not in lowlands can we see
The path that was and that to be,
But on the height, just where the soul
Takes deeper breaths to reach the goal.
chorus:
verse:
There we can see the winding way
That we have journeyed all our day,
Then turn and view with spirits still
Our future home beyond the hill.
chorus:
-------------------------
" Gentlemen and
Generals,
Members of the Bar,
I ask you to
Hear and review,
The facts just as they are.
In the matter of
this Riot,
And Soldiers mutiny,
Of the Third Battalion
24th
Black US Infantry.
The boys were sent
to Houston,
From Free New Mexico,
Under orders from
The War Department,
Telling them to go.
The Segregated
Texans
Denied Equality,
They saw Black soldiers
As a threat,
To the Racial harmony.
Two hundred Negro
soldiers
Refused the Jim Crow Stamp.
A mob of armed
White citizens,
Approached Fort Houston Camp.
Sergeant Vida Henry,
Of First Company,
Marched against
The angry mob,
To quell insurgency.
A violent encounter,
Shattered Houston's peace,
Black soldiers killed
Fifteen armed whites,
Including four police.
Martial Law was
declared,
The 24th relieved,
Seven soldiers
Testified,
In trade for clemency.
Gentlemen, I rest my
case,
In this Court Martialling,
And beg, your Honours
Grant acquittal,
And Judge impartially."
Even President
Wilson spoke out,
But Old Jim Crow couldn't hear,
Thirteen black soldiers,
Hung that Christmas,
And six more, by New Year.
-------------------------
I'LL FIGHT JIM CROW, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
I'll leave you your
dignity
And you leave me mine, (3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
You can break my
body,
But you can't break my mind, (3x))
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
Your names will
never hurt me,
I pay them no never mind, (3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
What Jim Crow's
selling,
You know I ain't buying, (3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
Jim Crow got no
reason,
Jim Crow got no rhyme,(3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
You can catch Jim
Crow
Cheatin' and Lying', ((3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
I'll fight Jim Crow,
Till Jim Crow lay dying, (3x)
I'll Fight Jim Crow, Anyplace, Anytime (2x)
-------------------------
JACK JOHNSON AND THE MANN ACT
There's a Rembrandt
on the wall
Of the Cabaret de Champions
Purchased by Jack Johnson
When he boxed overseas.
There's a portrait
of Jack Johnson
And his white wife by Clarkson
In oils of black and white
For all the world to see.
The greatest fighter
of that time
Was a black man named Jack Johnson,
He defeated every single
White Hope they could find.
White folks used to
riot
At the gall of this uppity Negro,
The supremacy of the white race
Was riding on the line.
Chorus:
They done him wrong,
They didn't want Jack Johnson's kind
Around,
So they had to use the Mann Act of 1910
To finally bring him down.
The Mann Act was
written
In the early nineteen hundreds,
To stop the transportation
Of whores across State lines.
Designed to catch
white slavers,
It soon became a handy tool
Of crooked politicians
And their personal designs.
Chorus:
The lowest blow was
struck
On the suicide of his dear wife
His enemies surrounded him
And drew out their sharp knives.
A white girl named
Belle Schreiber,
The daughter of a policeman
Testified that Jack Johnson
Took her across State lines.
Chorus:
-------------------------
Together:
'Knock me out a kiss,
Give me Jelly with my Cake, (3x)
It must be Jelly,
'Cause Jam sure don't shake.'
Her:
'You don't know what's shaking,
'Till you come and shake my tree, (3x)
I'm the best moaner, daddy,
That you'll ever see.'
Him:
'I don't need no monkey woman
To give me the Hateful Blues, (3x)
Just give me some Jelly,
The kind I can't refuse.'
Together:
'Knock me out a kiss,
Give me Jelly with my Cake, (3x)
It must be Jelly,
'Cause Jam sure don't shake.'
Her:
'Don't me mistreating me,
Like my last man do, (3x)
If I catch you cheatin' me,
I'm gonna cheat on you.'
Him:
'I got a Sugarfoot,
I got a Pigfoot, too, (3x)
It's got to be Jelly,
'Cause Jam just won't do.'
Together:
'Knock me out a kiss,
Give me Jelly with my Cake, (3x)
It must be Jelly,
'Cause Jam sure don't shake.'
-------------------------
In eighteen hundred
and sixty-six,
At the close of Civil War,
Six Confederate soldiers vowed
That they would take no more.
No more
Reconstruction shame,
No more scallywags,
No more Northern carpetbaggers,
Crooks and Freeman slaves.
Chorus:
'A.Y.A.K. Are you a Klansman?'
- The stranger offered out his hand.
'A.K.I.A.' came the reply,
'A Klansman I am.'
Chorus
Vigilantes, poor
white farmers,
Confederate guerrilla bands,
Sadists, rapists and common thieves,
Joined the Ku Klux Klan.
Politicians, Judges,
Displaced bored young men,
Neighbours with old grudges,
Joined the Ku Klux Klan.
Chorus
The Klan meant
Anti-Semitism,
White Pride and Secret Silence,
It rode with Burning Crosses,
With lynching and with violence,
To keep the Southern
power,
In the hands of Southern whites,
To curb black education,
Status and voting rights.
Chorus
-------------------------
I was terrible with
women,
I was terrible rough,
I just treat them every which way,
Sometimes I just throw'd them off.
I had me trainloads
women,
I had daughters, I had the mothers,
And if they wouldn't go with me,
Then I'd go find me another.
Chorus:
Surely, don't need no doctor,
Surely, don't need no pill,
Just give me some Lafayette's Mixture
To cure my Serious Ill.
During the American
Revolution,
The Marquis de Lafayette,
Mixed a powder in a solution
To cure anything you get.
Chorus:
Some people call it
a Pox,
Some people say the Drip,
The doctor call it the Gonorrheae
And it certainly made me sick.
Chorus:
Six weeks, Lord, of
sufferin',
Six weeks laying in bed,
Six weeks of Lafayette's Mixture,
'Till you can hardly raise your head.
Chorus:
-------------------------
LAZY BONES
Good morning, Lazy Bones,
Lazy, how do you do?
I never seen no one,
Half as lazy as you.
You say you'll get a
job,
But you don't say when.
You stay up late,
Get up at half-past ten.
You don't shave your
face,
You sure don't brush your teeth.
Your clothes are unmade
And your bed got dirty sheets.
Wake up, Lazy Bones,
Lazy, there's work to do,
I've never seen no one
That sleeps as much as you.
You woke up this
morning,
But then went back to bed.
When I ask you what you do,
You just scratch your head.
Good morning, Lazy
Bones,
Lazy, how do you do?
I never seen no one,
Half as lazy as you.
-------------------------
Lead is the oldest
metal,
Connected to the planet, Saturn,
Lead pipes still bear,
Inscription of
The Roman Emperors.
Sugar of Lead was used in Rome,
As sweetener for the wines,
And was said to cause
Dementia
In the Roman Emperors' minds.
Lead . . . . . . .
Lead resists
corrosion,
And easy to extract,
Lead is used
With Antimony,
And mixed with Arsenic.
Alchemists respected
lead,
Its toxin and its poison.
Lead in toys and
Paints has caused,
The deaths of countless children.
Lead . . . . . . .
Lead forms a part of
solder,
It's used for Pewter pots,
Lead is poured
For Bullet weight,
Lead is cast for Shot.
The symbol, Pb,
signifies
It's Latin root, Plumbum,
Whence comes
The English word, plumbing,
When lead pipes were custom.
Lead . . . . . . .
Lead is bluest when
first cut,
But tarnishes in air.
Lead, when is mixed
In part, with Brass,
Reduces machine tool wear.
Pencil lead isn't lead at all,
Graphite is used instead,
But the Roman stylus,
The Pencillus,
Was fashioned out of lead.
Lead . . . . . . .
-------------------------
Verse
I kissed him, I washed him,
I taught him wrong from right.
I rocked him with lullabyes
On many a sleepless night.
Verse
I taught him how to walk,
How to run and how to play,
How to share with other children.
To bow his head and pray.
Refrain
Help me lower my son down from this Cross,
Help me free his hands from where they're caught.
Return him to my arms, now,
Let me hold him one more time.
Let him lie down here beside me,
With his face pressed close to mine.
He's so heavy, can't you see,
And his skin is cold as stone.
Won't somebody help me carry
My poor Jesus home?
Chorus:
Will anybody here help me lower down Jesus,
Will anybody here help me lower him down?
Oh, oh, oh, I want to know who'll help me lower down Jesus,
I want to know who'll help me carry him home?
Verse
I watched him flower and grow,
I watched him do God's will.
But it hurt me when they took him
And stood him on this Hill.
Refrain
Chorus:
-------------------------
MARIE LAVEAU, LA BELLE VOODOOIENNE
Marie Laveau, la
mre, was mulatto,
She married Jacque Paris, a quadroon.
Her curly black hair, reddish skin, and good looks,
Made her the Queen of Voudoun.
In rituals on Bayou
St John,
Marie danced with her snake, Zombi,
A friend to the Marquis de Lafayette,
In the town of Old New Orleans.
Refrain
Oh Marie Laveau, eh bien!
Oh Marie, La Belle Voodooienne! (2x)
When her husband,
Jacque, disappeared,
She became the Widow Paris,
And bore fifteen children to Christoph Glapion,
A quadroon from Saint Dominique.
The Creole women of
Orleans
Would come to 'Mamzel' Laveau
To confide their intimate secrets and fears,
Of their husbands, their business, their souls.
Refrain
The Orleans white
masters feared her
With her African gibberish and stare.
Resolutions were passed, confining her dance,
To the place know as the Congo Square.
But the whites of
every class still sought her,
Even judges would pay for her spells,
For Marie Laveau was the Queen of Voodoo
And her gris-gris could make sick things well.
Refrain
Marie Laveau was
more than a witch,
She practiced Catholicism,
With prayers, incense and statues of saints,
Nursed the sick, the diseased, the condemned.
On St John's Eve, a
cauldron is boiling,
In honour of the Trinity,
With salt, and black pepper, a black cat and rooster.
Powders, and a snake cut in three.
Now resting in St
Louis Cemetery,
Sit the crypts for Mamzel Marie,
Three crosses in red brick dust on her stone vault
Grants a wish for those who believe.
Refrain
-------------------------
Martha Promise, I'm
bound to leave you,
Away, Martha, Away. (2x)
Martha Promise,
don't mean to grieve you,
Away, Martha, Away. (2x)
Where I'm going, you
can't follow,
Away, Martha, Away. (2x)
I love you, Martha,
I'll n'er forget you,
Away, Martha, Away. (2x)
Martha Promise, I'm
bound to leave you
Away, Martha, Away,
Martha Promise, don't mean to grieve you,
Away, Martha, Away.
-------------------------
MERRY-GO-ROUND
(lyrics: Langston
Hughes, Music: Joe Dolce)
Where is the Jim
Crow section
On this merry-go-round,
Mister 'cause I want to ride ?
Down south where I
come from
White and coloured can't sit side by side.
Down south on the
train
There's a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we're put in the back-
But there ain't no
back
To a merry-go-round!
Where's the horse
for a kid that's black?
-------------------------
Chorus
Get up off of me, Mr Charlie,
Get up off of me, Miss Anne.
Ain't got no use
For no more abuse,
'Bout time both of you understand.
The two of you
crackers have certainly made a mess,
I'm about to drop dead from all this foolishness.
Equal rights have been here for years,
Take the cotton out your ears,
If this was a Final Exam, you'ld flunk the test.
Chorus
No more 'White this'
and 'Coloured that,'
No more 'back of the bus,' now where's that at?
You recall that Abraham Lincoln,
Put an end to that kind of thinkin,'
We went ahead and shot him dead for saying that.
Chorus
So let's start over
and you pretend that youre me,
I'll pretend I'm you and tell you what I see:
I see a typical coloured face,
Of a member of the human race,
And a person that deserves to have some dignity.
-------------------------
Huddie was sitting
During intermission time. (3x))
Sitting back resting,
Just to ease his mind.
Sitting there
resting,
Playing his guitar, (3x)
When he saw a white boy
Ten years old just standing there.
'Whoa, Nigga Mistah
,
You got some pretty good stuff.' (3x)
The white boy kept staring,
He didn't say too much.
'Why', I said,
'Thank you, son,
Just come on over here, (3x)
I'm been trying on this guitar
For almost sixty years.'
'Whoa, Nigga Mistah
,
I like the way you play.' (3x)
The boy stopped in
And that's what I heard him say.
You know when a
white boy
In Dallas stops in (3x)
An' call a nigga Mistah,
You know he's learned somethin'.
'Goodbye, Mistah
Ledbetter,
I like what I hear, (3x)
I hope you come back
Around again next year.'
You know when a
white boy
In Dallas stops in (3x)
An' call a nigga Mistah,
You know he's learned somethin'.
-------------------------
NUMBER ONE MAN, ON THE NUMBER ONE GANG,
ON THE NUMBER ONE FARM, IN THE STATE
Verse:
Gather round people
And don't you be late
I'll tell you the story
I wont make you wait
Tell you a story
Of a mighty black man
From a town that was run
By the Ku Klux Klan.
Chorus:
He was the Number One Man
On the Number One Gang
On the Number One Farm in the State.
Verse:
He could work in the broiling
July sun,
He could carry the lead row
All day long.
He weren't no bully,
But he wouldn't take lip,
He was good with a knife
And good with his fist
.Chorus:
Leadbelly played
guitar
And he'd make it ring
They called him the King
Of the big Twelve String.
He sang folk songs
And he sang the blues,
Wrote songs about Hitler
And Howard Hughes.
Chorus:
-------------------------
Chorus:
Open your legs, Sweet Sally,
Open your legs, Sweet Sue,
Open your legs, Black Patti,
I got something sweet for you.
Verse:
I'll kiss you on your mouth, girl,
I'll kiss you on your shoe,
I'll kiss your round your waist, girl,
And on your big thigh, too.
Chorus:
Verse:
Hear that black snake crawling,
Hear that black snake moan
Don't go steppin' on a black snake,
Or you won't make it home.
Chorus:
Verse:
I'll take you out in the bushes,
The grass is sweet and white,
You can lie there on your back, girl,
And watch the moon all night.
Chorus:
-------------------------
Please keep your
word to me, Orpheo,
Keep your promise and your pact,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
I need to know you
trust me, Orpheo,
And that I can trust you back,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
Hold me fast and
faithfully, Orpheo,
Love's such a narrow track,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
Imagine love
forever, Orpheo,
A love that never would lack,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
When Souls are burnt
with darkness, Orpheo,
And Light is but a crack,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
When Voices turn dry
as dust, Orpheo,
And throats with thirst are so wracked,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
When every fibre in
your body, Orpheo,
Says there's nothing there but Black,
I'm right behind you, Orpheo,
Orpheo, don't look back.
-------------------------
Refrain:
Pig Tails in Gravy ain't that hard to cook,
Remember this song and you won't need no recipe book
Verse:
Two pounds of tails for a pig tail treat,
Cut each pig tail into three or four piece.
One large onion, a stalk of celery,
Chop it coarsely, as coarse as it can be.
Refrain:
Verse:
Four cup water; quarter cup of vinegar,
Add the onions, celery, pig tails and stir.
Black pepper, salt; teaspoon of chili flakes,
Cover and simmer, take an hour to make.
Refrain:
Verse:
Preheat your oven, take the tails from the broth,
Bake 'em at 350 until the fat browns off.
A third cup of flour; a third of water, too,
Mix to a paste and stir until smooth.
Refrain:
Verse:
Stir up your flour paste into your broth,
Stir it 'til your gravy get smooth and soft.
Add the tails to the gravy; simmer low heat,
In fifteen minutes, check your seasoning, and eat.
Refrain:
-------------------------
We could start us a
chapter of the Ku Klux Klan,
Send a boat load of Nigras back to Swahili land,
I could dress in a bedsheet and camouflage green,
Lawd, every day would be like Halloween.
Oh, oh, here I am,
A real live nephew,
Of my Uncle Sam.
I could buy me a
rifle and a thousand rounds,
Buy a book and learn to build a home-made bomb.
The Aryan Nation and the White Pride,
And the Posse Comatatus will be on my side.
Oh, oh, burn a cross
and play golf,
With a real live nephew,
Of my Uncle Adolf.
Now I know that the
Bible supports my views,
I can answer any question with a Verse or two.
Even Jesus said I could trade for my gun,
('Though I can't recall Him ever owning one.)
Oh, oh, how can I do
this?
I'm a real live nephew,
Of my Uncle Judas.
Now, that ol' U.S.
Constitution is my friend,
But there's couple of Amendments that we have to amend,
All the jews and the niggers will have to get out,
And that page about Equal Rights, we'll just cross that out.
Oh, oh, forget the
Alamo,
I'm a real live nephew,
Of my Uncle Jim Crow.
We could start us a
chapter of the Ku Klux Klan,
Send a boat load of Nigras back to Swahili land,
I could dress in a bedsheet and camouflage green,
Lawd, every day would be like Halloween.
Oh, oh, here I am,
A real live nephew,
Of my Uncle Sam.
-------------------------
I don't need me no
Smothered Pork Chop,
I don't need me no T-bone Steak,
Just give me another little portion
Of your Red Velvet Cake.
I don't need me no
Cracklin' Corn Bread,
I don't need me no Shake and Bake,
Just give me some Pecan Frosting
On your Red Velvet Cake.
Don't slip in no Red
Food Colourin',
Lawd knows, I don't needs a Fake,
Just squeeze me some fresh Beet Juice
In your Red Velvet Cake.
Sunrise is Red in
the Morning,
Sunset is Red on the Lake,
But there ain't no Red, half as Red,
As your Red Velvet Cake.
-------------------------
SINGING FOR THE SON IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY
AND THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, ON MONDAY
Verse:
I never met a preacher that I couldn't trust,
Except for this priest on a greyhound bus,
He was sitting with a fourteen year old boy,
Explaining how Jesus could bring him joy.
Chorus:
Singing for the Son, in Church, on Sunday, (3x)
And the House of the Rising Sun, on Monday.
God made the world
in seven days,
(Singing for the Son, in Church, on Sunday)
What he did on the eighth, they just don't say,
(And the House of the Rising Sun, on Monday)
I got a theory and it come in a dream,
(Singing for the Son, in Church, on Sunday)
That God made the brothels in New Orleans.
(And the House of the Rising Sun, on Monday)
Chorus:
You don't know but
you been told,
(Singing for the Son, in Church, on Sunday)
That the Streets of Heaven made of bricks of Gold.
(And the House of the Rising Sun, on Monday)
Well, if the streets got gutters, then you find for
sure,
(Singing for the Son, in Church, on Sunday)
That the garbage flush down to the Golden Sewer.
(And the House of the Rising Sun, on Monday)
Chorus:
-------------------------
SISTER JONES, WON'T YOU COME AND GO WITH ME?
Money's scarce as a
cool summer breeze,
There's a gold mine above your knees,
Sister Jones, won't you come and go with me. (2x)
Jump down, spin
around, pick a bag of beans,
Jump down, spin around, pick a bag of beans,
Sister Jones, won't you come and go with me. (2x)
Got a jimmy-jug full
of corn whiskey,
Got a jimmy-jug full of corn whiskey,
Sister Jones, won't you come and go with me. (2x)
Jim Crow's short,
but ol' Jim Crow's mean,
Trouble on the levee down in New Orleans,
Sister Jones, won't you come and go with me. (2x)
Bird in the cage or
a bird in the tree,
Swim across heaven, it's a mighty big stream,
Sister Jones, won't you come and go with me. (2x)
-------------------------
A Blind Pig
Was an illegal back street bar.
A Struggle Buggy
Was the backseat of a car.
One Beats Ones' Gums
With idle chatter or talk,
To Percolate is to
Go and strut your walk.
Chorus:
Slang is a clangin' bangin'
Beat-up Slangwich,
Slang is filled with bent and dented
Reinvented English language.
July Jam
Is someone really hot.
The Bank's Closed,
Means, 'Sorry, I'd rather not.'
A Sweet Patootie
Is somebody who's cute,
But a Dusty Butt's
Just a cheap prostitute.
Chorus:
Cash, or Cheque? - means
Kiss me now, or make me wait?
But a Flat Tire is a
Disappointing date.
Chorus:
Butter and Egg Fly,
Means someone who's cool.
But to Jump Salty on
someones ass,
Is to get angry with some fool.
Getting Some Stiff Time On,
Means doing well,
While Beluthahatchie's
The next stop, after Hell.
Chorus:
(more
verses)
A Heiferette's,
A young girl on the street,
While an Apple Annie's
Just trying to make ends meet.
Your Glad Rags
Are the best clothes you can
wear.
A Tight Head
Is someone with kinky hair.
Spiffy, naturally,
Is an elegant kind of cat,
But Spifflicated means
Drunk or Fried to the Hat.
Sex of either sex,
Is called Dat Thing.
A Handcuff is the term
For engagement ring.
A Dead Soldier's
An empty beer bottle or can,
A Stem-Winder's
A highly sexual man.
-------------------------
SLAVEWOMAN
Slavewoman in the
Shadows,
It's time that you went Free,
The Plantation is burning
And it's time for us flee.
The Patriarch is
dying
In the Master Bedroom Suite,
His Servants are deserting him,
His House is in defeat.
I travelled down
from Alberta,
North from Morganville
When I saw the black smoke rising
Which led me to your Cell.
The Lock has long
since rusted now
There's no need for a Key,
Your Will is all that stands between
You and your Liberty.
Chorus:
There's a Consciousness a 'raising'
People are joinin' hands,
There's a freedom wind a blowin'
All across this Divided Land.
Dah dah dee dah dee dah dee dah.
Dah dah dee dah dee dah dee dah.
Slavewoman, can you hear me?
I'll help you if I can,
To find the Underground Railroad
To the North Freeholding lands.
Sister, Slavery is
finished,
It's just a matter of time,
Every Law will someday fall
That justifies this Crime.
You may think I'm
the Enemy
You may hold me in doubt,
But there are many here amongst us
Still afraid of speaking out.
Chorus:
I stepped into her
Cell now
To help her to her feet,
The air was Suffocating
From the dreary Southern Heat
The Wooden Door was
open,
No one greeted me.
The Slavewoman had long since gone
To meet her Destiny.
Chorus:
-------------------------
Well, I bought
myself a Starvation Box,
My daddy told me, Son, you're bound to lose. (2x)
You ain't never gonna make no money playing that guitar,
Only give you the Starvation Box Blues.
Now, I been on the
Welfare line,
I've passed the hat, and I've played for food. (2x)
I hope my luck changes soon, people,
Lord I'm sick of these Starvation Box Blues.
Sometimes I want to
smash this Starvation Box,
Build me a fire just to warm my feet. ((2x)
Sometimes I just want to bust it in little pieces,
And use the toothpicks to pick my teeth.
Music has got me
through some hard times, people,
Music has made me jump and shout. (2x)
This old Starvation Box has been my best friend for so long,
Lord, I just can't turn it out.
Sometimes I wish I
had me a real job, people,
And was making steady money just like you (2x)
Instead of living with so much uncertainty,
And all these Starvation Box Blues.
-------------------------
Huddie used to play
On a Six string guitar,
One night he was playin'
In a Sukey-joint bar.
People was drinking,
Some was romancin',
The weather was warm,
Just fine for dancin'.
Huddie was playin,'
When two strings broke,
Didn't pay it no mind,
He just treat it like a joke.
Then a pretty girl
come,
She just walked over,
She brushed against him,
And leaned over his shoulder.
Chorus:
Stella, Stella,
A Stella'd give him one more chance!
A big twelve string guitar
Like a Stella'd give him one more chance!
Then another string
broke,
He thought, I can't stop now,
She was so nice
Bending down so low.
Then another two
broke,
And then you know what?
He had one string left
Just to do his stuff.
Chorus:
So he played one
string
'Cause he'd come so far,
But he fixed his mind then,
To get a twelve string guitar!
Chorus:
-------------------------
I need a dentist,
people,
Any kind of doctor will do. (2x)
I can't eat and I can't sleep,
I got these tooth achin blues
I can't eat no
sugar, people,
I can't even eat no bread. (2x)
I got a tooth that's killing me, friends,
I got a bad tooth that's aching in my head.
I tried to pull it
with some pliers, people,
But the pliers just won't take holt. (2x)
I tried tying a string to the door,
But when I slammed it, the string broke.
Call me a dentist,
people,
Even a veterinarian will do. (2x)
I can't eat and I can't sleep,
I got these tooth achin'blues.
-------------------------
Huddie got religion,
For just about a week,
Put away his old guitar
To listen to that Baptist Preacher speak.
When they asked
Huddie, boy,
'Where's your old guitar?'
He said, 'Done joined the Church now,
Don't need to play it any more.'
Chorus:
Whoa, backslider,
It's plain to see
You done gone back
To your same old used to be.
Whoa, backslider,
They just can't understand,
Why you throw'd religion down,
To be a worldly man.
Huddie led the choir,
To testify his claim,
With 'Run Sinner Run,'
And 'The Blood Done Signed My Name.'
Chorus:
Huddie started
thinking hard,
Sitting there all alone,
Something still was missing,
And Jesus Christ just couldn't fill that hole.
Huddie turned
himself around,
And walked out that church door,
Just went back to singing,
The same old songs that he sang before.
Chorus:
-------------------------
YOU CAN'T LOSE ME NOW,
MISS KATIE
The place I worked
done throw'd me down,
Now I'm Alabama bound,
Like a termite in a wooden leg,
I ain't got much but I just won't beg.
Chorus:
You can't lose me now, Miss Katie
You can't lose me now, Miss Kate
You can't lose me now, Miss Katie,
Please take me back.
Three nights drunk
in the pouring rain
Ain't no cornbread on this train
I'm so hungry I could eat my shoe
With yam, potatoes and green corn stew.
Chorus:
I dreamt that I had
money to kill
I saw my face on a dollar bill
I don't need much, that's a fact,
Just a gun, a knife and a sugar sack.
Chorus:
-------------------------
THE ZIGABOO AND PECKERWOOD WALTZ
(Coloured Ladies Choice)
I've never really
sung the Blues,
'Cause I've never been a Slave,
But I've never owned a slave myself,
And of that I'm proud to say.
Chorus:
Jig is short for
Zigaboo,
And a Nigras just a Negro, it's understood,
Whitey and Honkey refer to Caucasians
But a Cracker's just a damn Peckerwood.
The only Cotton I've
ever picked
Was out of a Vitamin Bottle,
The Silver Spoon's been in my mouth,
Ever since I could toddle.
Chorus:
Now I've been called
some awful names,
And I never much liked to hear it,
'Cause Sticks and Stones might break your bones,
But Names can break your Spirit.
Chorus: