Walking blues…still walking

Tags

blues, blues harp, Bonny Rait, Eric Clapton, grateful dead, Indiara Sfair, Joanna Connor, Joe Bonomasa, Keb Mo, muddy waters, Paul Butterfield, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Rev.Robert Jones, Robert Johnson, Rory Gallagher, Son House, walking blues

From Wikipedia:

“Walkin’ Blues” or “Walking Blues” is a blues standard written and recorded by American Delta blues musician Son House in 1930. Although unissued at the time, it was part of House’s repertoire and other musicians, including Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, adapted the song and recorded their own versions.

Besides “Walking Blues”, Johnson’s 1936 rendition incorporates melodic and rhythmic elements from House’s “My Black Mama” (which House also used for his “Death Letter“) and slide guitar techniques Johnson learned from House. In 1941, Waters recorded the song with some different lyrics as “Country Blues” in his first field recording session for Alan Lomax. It served as the basis for his first charting song, “(I Feel Like) Going Home”, for Chess Records in 1948. He later recorded “Walkin’ Blues” with lyrics closer to House’s and Johnson’s for his first single, released by Chess in 1950. Various musicians have recorded the song over the years, usually as an electric ensemble piece.

Although Robert Johnson’s version may be the more well known we should start with the original Son House version:

Well got up this morning, feeling ’round for my shoes

Know about that, I got the walkin’ blues

I said I got up this morning, I was feeling ’round for my shoes

I said you know about that now, I got the walkin’ blues

The blues ain’t nothing but a lowdown shaking chill

If you ain’t had ’em I hope you never will

Oh, the blues is a lowdown old aching chill

If you ain’t had ’em boys, I- I hope you never will

When you get worried drop me a line

If I don’t go crazy, honey, I’m going to lose my mind

When you get worried I said sit down and drop me a line

If I don’t go crazy, honey, I’m going to lose my mind

Your hair ain’t curly, your doggone eyes ain’t blue

If you don’t want me what the world I- I want with you?

Oh, your hair ain’t curly and your doggone eyes ain’t blue

I said now if you don’t want me, babe, what the wide world I want with you?

Don’t a man feel bad the Good Lord’s sun go down?

He don’t have nobody to throw his arms around

Can’t a man feel bad, I said when the Good Lord’s sun go down?

I said he don’t have a soul, not to throw his arms around

Looky here baby, what you want me to do?

I’ve done all I could just to get a-along with you

Looky here honey, what do you want poor me to do?

I say I’ve done all I could, honey, just to get along with you

You know I love my baby like the cow love to chew her cud

I’m layin’ round here though I ain’t doin’ no good

Ooh, I love you honey like the cow love to chew her cud

I’m layin’ round here, baby, but I- I sure ain’t doin’ no good

You know the minutes seem like hours, the hours seem like days

Seem like my baby don’t stop her lowdown ways

Oh, the minutes seem like hours, I said the hours, they seem like days

You know it seems like my bride never stop her old lowdown ways

I’m going to the gypsy now to have my fortune told

I believe somebody is stealing my jelly roll

I’m going to the gypsy, I believe I’ll have my fortune told

’cause I believe somebody is trying to steal my jelly roll

I got up this morning, feeling sick and bad

Thinking ’bout the good times that I once have had

I said soon this morning, I was feeling so sick and bad

You know I was thinking ’bout the good times now that I- I once have had

The sun is going down behind that old western hill

Yes, yes

Ooh, behind that old western hill

And I wouldn’t do nothing boys, not against my woman’s will

You know I’m going away, I’ll stay a great long time

I ain’t coming back here until you change your mind

Oh, I’m going away, I believe I’ll stay a great long time

I said I ain’t coming back, honey, until you change your mind

and now Johnson’s:

Johnson follows a “morning” theme, similar to House’s 1930 recording and uses House’s first verse. Johnson’s second verse may have been local or composed by either singer. It formed the basis of the song by their younger neighbor Muddy Waters, which was published by the Library of Congress as “Country Blues” and by Aristocrat Records as “I Feel Like Going Home”. The third verse was in circulation and had been recorded by Mamie Smith in 1920 in “Fare Thee Honey”.

As a male singer, Johnson could plausibly speak of the dangerous hobo practice of “riding the blinds” defined as “To cadge a lift by standing on the platform attached to the blind baggage car…a car that ain’t got no door in the end that’s next to the engine”. The fourth verse is extremely common. The final verse, with reference to the widely advertised Elgin watch, was first used on record by Blind Lemon Jefferson in “Change My Luck Blues” in 1928.

Lets get Muddy Waters feel for this song -live in Paris

Muddy and others continued to adapt the lyrics so keep looking for new lines/verses in the following examples.

Woke up this morning, feel ’round for my shoes
You know ’bout that babe, had them old walkin’ blues
Woke up this morning, I feel ’round for my shoes
You know ’bout that babe, Lord, I had them old walkin’ blues

Leavin’ this morning, I had to go ride the blinds
I’ve been mistreated, don’t mind dying
This morning, I had to go ride the blinds
I’ve been mistreated, Lord, I don’t mind dying

People tell me walkin’ blues ain’t bad;
Worst old feeling I most ever had
People tell me the old walkin’ blues ain’t bad
Well it’s the worst old feeling, Lord, I most ever had.

and some more recent musical versions:

I particularly like Bonny Raits’ version: