Memphis Minnie
(The Great Male vs Female Guitar Contest)
Little Lizzy Douglas, they called her 'the kid',
She was born in Louisiana in a farmer's shed.
She didn't like farming and she didn't like her name,
So she grabbed her guitar and she hopped on a train.
Little Lizzie Douglas stepped on board,
But when she stepped off, Memphis Minnie was born.
Now, big town Chicago was the place to be,
The best blues shows that you ever did see,
And Big Bill Broozny was the Cock of the Heap,
He could play a blues song and put a baby to sleep.
Minnie, Minnie, Memphis Minnie,
You better watch out,
The way she play the guitar,
Really knock the roof off a house.
Now, some fool suggested that they place a few bets,
On a male versus female guitar contest.
A bottle of whisky and a bottle of gin,
Would be the first prize for the one that'd win.
Sleepy John Estes and Tampa Red, too,
Were picked as the judges for this hulabaloo.
The place got packed with both black and white,
Faces against the window just to catch a sight.
Minnie, Minnie, Memphis Minnie,
They heard about
The way she play the guitar,
Really knock the roof off a house.
When Bill took the stage, the crowd went wild,
The place was packed, they were standing in the aisles,
Whooping and a hollering, and making every sound,
It took them ten minutes just to settle them down.
Bill played it fat, Bill played it lean,
Played a song he wrote called 'Just a Dream'.
Bill played it tough, Bill played it sweet,
The crowd was convinced that he couldn't be beat.
Well, when Minnie took the stage, the crowd got quiet,
They thought she was crazy and she shouldn't even try it.
This coal-black woman from way down South,
With sparkling gold teeth across the front of her mouth.
Well, Minnie stood right up out of her chair,
She took that guitar and put it everywhere,
She hitched her skirt way above her thigh,
She was a good-looking woman and caught everyone's eye.
Minnie played a little of her 'Chauffer Blues',
And when she got finished, poor Bill looked confused.
The crowd kept whooping and yelling encores,
The house kept rocking for twenty minutes more.
Minnie, Minnie, Memphis Minnie,
You better watch out,
The way she play the guitar,
Really knock the roof off a house.
Sleepy John Estes lifted Minnie off the floor,
He declared her the winner with a much higher score,
But when she came over for her prizes and stuff,
Bill had drunk all her whisky and the dirty dog just run off.
Minnie, Minnie, Memphis Minnie,
There ain't no doubt,
The way she play the guitar,
Really knock the roof off a house.