Comments on: Singing the Blues http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/ Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:40:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Anselm Berrigan http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26540 Anselm Berrigan Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:23:32 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26540 John: This is a slightly oblique response to the question, which I just saw last night, but one interesting song to me over the years has been "Delia" - of which I know versions by Blind Willie McTell, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash (that being on one of Cash's cover albums he was doing the last years of his life). My mother told me once about playing two of the versions to a workshop she was teaching at home in Paris several years ago. So I took that idea and brought the Cash and McTell versions to a class I was teaching at Rutgers at the time - it was a great thing to do because you can track the changes in the lyrics across the different versions and have a conversation that moves easily between music and poetry, covers and translation, voice and singing, etc..... I think the McTell version is more interesting as a song than the Cash version, but the singing on the Cash version is hypnotic and creepy. It's a violent song. I don't know the Dylan version as well as the other two. McTell's "Dying Crapshooter Blue" is something else. I need to go and listen to it again, but the counting conceit wrapped around instructions for how the crapshooter's funeral is to be conducted knocks me out every time. John: This is a slightly oblique response to the question, which I just saw last night, but one interesting song to me over the years has been “Delia” – of which I know versions by Blind Willie McTell, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash (that being on one of Cash’s cover albums he was doing the last years of his life). My mother told me once about playing two of the versions to a workshop she was teaching at home in Paris several years ago. So I took that idea and brought the Cash and McTell versions to a class I was teaching at Rutgers at the time – it was a great thing to do because you can track the changes in the lyrics across the different versions and have a conversation that moves easily between music and poetry, covers and translation, voice and singing, etc…..

I think the McTell version is more interesting as a song than the Cash version, but the singing on the Cash version is hypnotic and creepy. It’s a violent song. I don’t know the Dylan version as well as the other two.

McTell’s “Dying Crapshooter Blue” is something else. I need to go and listen to it again, but the counting conceit wrapped around instructions for how the crapshooter’s funeral is to be conducted knocks me out every time.
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]]> By: john http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26535 john Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:03:56 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26535 By far the most interesting anthology of blues lyrics I've seen is "The Blues Line," which first came out 40 years ago, edited by Eric Sackheim. He prints a lot of stuff that doesn't come close to following the AAB formula, including an improvised or semi-improvised spoken short story with sung refrains, by Lightning Hopkins, that brings tears to my eyes, called "Mister Charlie." No question but that the collection is an impressive gathering of poetry. First heard "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" on Dylan's great first album, which is mostly covers. By far the most interesting anthology of blues lyrics I’ve seen is “The Blues Line,” which first came out 40 years ago, edited by Eric Sackheim. He prints a lot of stuff that doesn’t come close to following the AAB formula, including an improvised or semi-improvised spoken short story with sung refrains, by Lightning Hopkins, that brings tears to my eyes, called “Mister Charlie.” No question but that the collection is an impressive gathering of poetry.

First heard “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” on Dylan’s great first album, which is mostly covers.
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]]> By: John S. O'Connor http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26514 John S. O'Connor Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:12:46 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26514 I have always loved BLJ's song "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean." I probably also heard it first in the Harry Smith Anthology, though I know it's been covered by everyone. I heard a knockout Mavis Staples rendition once -- and I know Lou Reed does a long electric guitar-heavy version on the Harry Smith Project Live discs. I have read Blues Poems (edited by Kevin Young) and, of course, the great Langston Hughes blues poems, but what other blues poems do you know of? Which great blues lyrics might count as poems (either great old lyrics by people like Bessie Smith and Honeyboy Edwards or contemporary lyricists like Joe Henry. (I was just listening to his beautiful song Richard Pryor "Addresses a Tearful Nation"). I have always loved BLJ’s song “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.” I probably also heard it first in the Harry Smith Anthology, though I know it’s been covered by everyone. I heard a knockout Mavis Staples rendition once — and I know Lou Reed does a long electric guitar-heavy version on the Harry Smith Project Live discs.

I have read Blues Poems (edited by Kevin Young) and, of course, the great Langston Hughes blues poems, but what other blues poems do you know of? Which great blues lyrics might count as poems (either great old lyrics by people like Bessie Smith and Honeyboy Edwards or contemporary lyricists like Joe Henry. (I was just listening to his beautiful song Richard Pryor “Addresses a Tearful Nation”).
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]]> By: Anselm http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26513 Anselm Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:55:13 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26513 First seven lines of See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (1928) by Blind Lemon Jefferson Well, there's one kind of favor I'll ask of you There's just one kind of favor I'll ask of you You can see that my grave is kept clean And there's two white horses following me And there's two white horses following me I got two white horses following me Waiting on my burying ground I heard this first via the Harry Smith edited Anthology of American Folk Music, though I think its one of Jefferson's better known songs. First seven lines of
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (1928)
by Blind Lemon Jefferson

Well, there’s one kind of favor I’ll ask of you
There’s just one kind of favor I’ll ask of you
You can see that my grave is kept clean

And there’s two white horses following me
And there’s two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground

I heard this first via the Harry Smith edited Anthology of American Folk Music, though I think its one of Jefferson’s better known songs.
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]]> By: Anselm http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26512 Anselm Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:14:52 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26512 Blind Willie Johnson's song "Soul of a Man" comes to my mind sometimes with no warning in all of its dual voiced clear mystery.....that and Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See that my grave is kept clean"..... Blind Willie Johnson’s song “Soul of a Man” comes to my mind sometimes with no warning in all of its dual voiced clear mystery…..that and Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See that my grave is kept clean”…..
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]]> By: Gerardine Baugh http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26505 Gerardine Baugh Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:51:09 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26505 I clicked on the link to their site. I am sitting here listening to some wonderful Blues. Smooth sound! I look forward to the CD coming out in January. Gerardine Baugh gerardinebaugh.wordpress.com/ I clicked on the link to their site. I am sitting here listening to some wonderful Blues. Smooth sound! I look forward to the CD coming out in January.

Gerardine Baugh
gerardinebaugh.wordpress.com/
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]]> By: Terreson http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/11/singing-the-blues/#comment-26504 Terreson Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:44:08 +0000 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/?p=6496#comment-26504 Yes. Terreson Yes.

Terreson
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