Hi everybody

I'm a musician, and I would like to arrange a delta blues song from Robert Petway. But the problem is that I'm french, and the recording's qualitity is really poor... so I can't understand all the lyrics. I'm trying, but I don't know every words in English thus sometime my sentences make no sense. If anybody can help me, thank you so much


Here's the link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJQGAM871hg


Fabien,

Hi and welcome.

This is a great old blues number, sung in a style that even native speakers can find difficult.

What have you managed to get so far?

Here is what I've got for the moment. I'm sorry because most of the time it doesn't make sense, but please don't judge me :

No sweet mama, don't you see
????????? "upon me"

I don't stop hollerin', well must I ride 'em on down
I don't stop hollerin' moma, I believe I ('ll ?) ride em on down

Tell my baby she, wait for ??? ( sounds like "less")
Look my baby came just to, ???

I say I don't stop hollerin', well must i ride em on down
I don't stop hollerin' moma, Must I ride 'em on down


Be my ??an, What you (done-done ?)
Let me sweet moma name your thumb good ( yes i know it really makes no sense)
I say I don't stop hollering...

Hey ??? ( I hear "blowstep"") moma, Can't come down
Look now man she loose a ?? Morning come
I say i don't stop hollerin'...


Shouldn't bother the seller, Man in the bin
??? ..


Thank you for your help

I would never judge a fellow Blues connoisseur, especially a performing one as yourself.

This is what I get, but please don't take it as totally correct, the blues has it's own slang.

"I done stopped hollerin' " = I've given up shouting (presumably because it doesn't have any effect)

Robert Petway - Ride 'em on down.

No swing mama, don't you see,
Shaking your thing mama sure about to get the best from me,
And I said I, done stopped hollerin'
Why must I ride 'em on down.

I done stopped hollerin' mama,
I believe I ride 'em on down.

Tell my baby she, wait for lies,
Let my baby (can yessir), lives too fast,
I done stopped hollerin'
Why must I ride 'em on down.

I done stopped hollerin' mama,
How must I ride 'em on down.

She's my woman, what she gone done,
Lemme swing mama now if I am good, may not come,
I done stopped hollerin'
Why must I ride 'em on down.

Ride 'em on down man we don't care.

I done stopped hollerin' mama,
Why must I ride 'em on down.

Play it man, play it louder.

......... ......, shake 'em on down,
Look now mama the lights are on and the moon is down,
I said ooh done stopped hollerin' mama,
Why must I ride 'em on down.

Yeah, I done stopped hollerin' mama,
Why must I ride 'em on down.

Cute little butter seller laying in the bed,
I jumped and the last one sure fell dead,
I said ooh done stopped hollerin' mama,
Why must I ride 'em on down, yeah.

I done stopped hollerin' mama,
Why must I ride 'em on down.


This may be of interest to you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shake_%27Em_on_Down

Get your nightcap mama, and your gown
Baby 'fore day we gonna shake 'em on down
Hey done stopped hollerin', oh, must I shake 'em on down
I done stopped hollerin' now, must I shake 'em on down

Woaw, now it makes sense lol. I was wrong everywhere ! You really helped me, thank you very much for spending your time

Originally Posted by Fabien Guidi

Woaw, now it makes sense lol. I was wrong everywhere ! You really helped me, thank you very much for spending your time

Hi Fabien,

This singing style is very difficult to understand, I can't get all the words, and as you are a non-native English speaker, it's even harder.

I'm glad I could make sense of it to you, and I hope you do it justice when you perform it.

Bonne chance,

Mixa.