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Misc: Blues : Skip James

  1. Catfish Blues
  2. Cherry Ball Blues
  3. Crow Jane
    1
  4. Cypress Grove
  5. Devil Got My Woman
    1
  6. Hard Time Killing Floor
  7. Special Rider Blues
    1

Catfish Blues

52 Weeks of the Blues
Skip utilises alternate bass lines throughout, his thumb hits on the beat and
changes strings every second beat. It is nearly entirely in E, adding a B7
towards the end of each verse, and very occasionally adding notes from the A
blues scale. There is some similarity between the verses in overall structure;
starting in open position, moving up to the 12th fret, a few bars around the
7th fret and the B7 but it really it goes where ever Skip wants to take it.
The melody lines follow the voice; it really pays to sing while you are
playing. Skip uses the guitar to double his voice, playing in a highly
emotive style, and like a voice he does different things each time to
accentuate the emotion he is trying to put into that particular measure.
As a result, the concept of "bars" really is loosely applied. He adds beats,
subtracts beats, and adds and subtracts entire bars in different verses.
E
I would rather, be a little catfish So I could swim way down in the sea I would have somebody, somebody
E
B7
Settin' out hooks for me
E
B7
Settin' out a hook for me A hook for... You know I went to my baby's house She told me to sit down on her step Sir, you can come right on in Because my husband just now left He just now left He just now... An' I asked my baby To let me sit down 'side her bed Turn on your heater, baby Till it turn cherry red Cherry red, cherry red That's the reason I rather be a little catfish So I could swim way down in the sea I would have netted some of these women Settin' out a line for me Settin' out their line for me A line for... You know I went to the church house And they called on me to pray I got down on my knees But I didn't, no, have no word to say Not a word to say, no word to say That's the reason I rather be a little catfish So I could swim, way down in the sea I would have somebody, somebody Settin' out a line for me Settin' out a line for me A line for... I don't wanna be no tadpole And I don't want to be no bullfrog An if I can't be, be your catfish I won't swim at all No, I won't swim at all No, swim at... That's the reason I want to be a little catfish So I could swim way down in the sea I would have these good lookin' women Settin' out a hook for me Settin' out a hook for me A hook for...

Cherry Ball Blues

I love my cherry ball better than I love myself I loves cherry ball better than I love myself She get so she don't love me, she won't love nobody else Cherry ball quit me, she quit me in a calm, good way Cherry ball quit me, she quit me in a calm, good way But what to take to get her, I carries it every day Now I left cherry ball standing, standing in the back door cryin' Now I left cherry ball, standing in the back door cryin' Of course I feel her condition, but her trouble ain't none a-mine She's just like a spider, she's hangin' on the wall She's just like a spider, she's hangin' on the wall You know she done quit me, she quit me without a cause Now when she left me, she left tears in my eye Now when she left me, she left tears in my eye You know that I love her, but her disposition I do despise Now you can take the Southern, I'm gonna take the Santa Fe Now you take the Southern, I'm gonna take the Santa Fe I'm gon' ride an gon' ramble, till cherry ball come back to me She got to come on back home to me...

Crow Jane

E
B7
Crow Jane, Crow Jane
A7
Don't you hold your head high
E
B7
Someday baby, you know you got to die
E
B7
You got to lay down an...
E
B7
E
You got to die, you got to... You know, I wanna buy me a pistol Wants me forty rounds of ball Shoot Crow Jane, just to see her fall She got to fall, she got to... She got to fall, she got to... That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, so high Someday baby, you know you got to die You got to lay down an... When I dug her grave With a silver spade Ain't nobody gon' take My Crow Jane place You can't take her place... No, you can't take her... That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, too high Someday baby, you know You got to die You got to lay down an... You know, I let her down With a golden chain An every link I would call my, Crow Jane name Crow Jane, Crow... Crow Jane, Crow... You know I never missed my water Till my well went dry Didn't miss Crow Jane Until the day she died Till the day-ay-ay-ay she... That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, too high Someday baby, you know you got to die You got to lay down and... You got to die, you got to... You know, I dug her grave Eight feet in the ground Didn't feel sorry Until they let her down They had to let her down Had a... They had to let her down That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, too high Someday baby, you know you got to die You got to lay down and...

Cypress Grove

I would rather to be buried In some cypress grove I would rather to be buried In some cypress grove Than to have a contrary woman Lord, I never can control And when your knee bones go to achin' An your body gettin' cold When your knee bones go to achin' And your body gettin' cold You know, you just gettin' ready Honey, for some cypress grove Then I would rather be buried Six feet in the clay Then I would rather to be buried Six feet in the clay Then to be way up here in New York City Honey, treated this-a-way An I will drink muddy water I'll sleep in a hollow log I will drink muddy water Sleep in a hollow log Before I stay up here Honey, treated like a dog Yes, I'm goin' away Honey, don't you want to go? Yes, I'm goin' away Honey, don't you wants to go? I'm scared to go back down south Them people goin' kill me, sho' I'm gonna sing this song An' I ain't goin' to sing no mo' I'm goin' to sing this song An' I ain't goin' to sing no mo' Because my time has done got precious Baby, Lord, an' I've got to go, yeah

Devil Got My Woman

Tuning: DADFAD
I'd rather be the devil than to be that woman's man I'd rather be the devil than to be that woman's man Aw, nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind Was nothin' but the devil, changed my baby's mind I laid down last night, laid down last night I laid down last night, tried to take my rest My mind got to ramblin', like a wild geese From the west, from the west The woman I love, woman that I loved Woman I loved, took her from my best friend But he got lucky, stoled her back again And he got lucky, stoled her back again

Hard Time Killing Floor

Tuning: DADFAD
Intro
D|-------------------------|-------0-----------------|
A|-0---0-0---0-------------|-3-------3---3-----------|
F|-------------0---0-0---0-|-----------4-------------|
D|-3---0-2---0-------------|-----0-----------0-----0-|
A|-------------3---0-2---0-|-------------------0h3---|
D|-------------------------|-0-----------0-----------|
Verse
D|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|-0-----------------------|-0---------0-------------|-------------------------|
F|-------------0-----------|-------------------------|-0-----------0-----------|
D|-3---------------------0-|-3---------0-------------|-----0-----0-----0-----0-|
A|-----------0-3-----------|-----------------------0-|-3-----0h2---------0h2---|
D|-------------------------|-------------------0h3---|-------------5-----------|
Chorus
D|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
F|-0----2p1--------2/4\2p0-|-2----2p1--------2/4\2p0-|-2----2p1--------2/4\2p0-|
D|----0-----0--------------|----0-----0--------------|----0-----0--------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
D|-3----------0--0---------|-3----------0--0---------|-3----------0--0---------|
D|-------------------------|-------0-----------------|
A|-------------------0-2-0-|-3-------3---3-----------|
F|-2-----2p1---------------|-----------4-------------|
D|-----0-----0-------------|-----0-----------0-----0-|
A|-------------------------|-------------------0h3---|
D|-3-----------0---0-------|-0-----------0-----------|
 Hard times is here And everywhere you go Times are harder Than they ever been before Um, hmm-hmm Hmm-hmm Um, hmm-hmm Um, hmm-hmm-hmm You know that people They are driftin' from door to door But they can't find no heaven I don't care where they go People, if I ever can get up Off a-this old hard killin' floor Lord, I'll never get down This low no more Well, you hear me singin' This old lonesome song People, you know these hard times Can't last us so long You know, you'll say you had money You better be sure But these hard times gon' kill you Just drive a lonely soul
slow down / fade out
D|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
F|-0----2p1--------2/4\2p0-|-2----2p1--------2/4\2p0-|-2-----2p1---------------|
D|----0-----0--------------|----0-----0--------------|-----0-----0-------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
D|-3----------0--0---------|-3----------0--0---------|-3-----------0-----------|

Special Rider Blues

Tuning: DGDGBD (Open G)
I ain't got no, special rider here I ain't got no, no special rider here I ain't got nobody To love and feel my care I woke up this mornin', looked at the special risin' sun I woke up this mornin', I looked at the special risin' sun Now, I pray up to the good Lord That my special rider, she would come I got up off-a my pallet, I laid down 'cross my bed I got up off my pallet, an' I laid down across my bed When I went to eat my breakfast And the blues was all in my bread You know, I got a letter, how do you reckon it read? I got a letter, an' how do you reckon it read? You better hurry up an' come home Because your special rider, she's dead That's the reason I ain't got no special rider here That's the reason I ain't got no special rider here Now, I ain't got nobody To love and feel my care