The Memphis Jug Band recorded Cocaine Habit Blues with Hattie Hart on lead vocals in 1930. That was towards the end of a cocaine craze and you can hear Hart mention that cocaine is going out of style:
The drug was made illegal in the US in 1914 by the Harrison Narcotics Act. So by 1930 it was recognized as a dangerous drug and was no longer commonly used like it was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when it was legal. But coke was still around frequently enough to have quite a few songs written about it in the late 20s and early 30s. So I wanted to play a few of those records.
Let’s get away from Beale Street in Memphis and head to my home state of Virginia. Luke Jordan was from Lynchburg, Virginia, which is Jerry Falwell country now, but it was a different story back in 1927. Here’s Luke Jordan with Cocaine Blues:
That’s Luke Jordan – simply wild about his good cocaine. Jordan recorded only 12 sides but he was very influential around Virginia and the East Coast. One fan of his was a West Virginia coal mine worker by the name of Dick Justice. In 1929, Justice recorded his own version of Cocaine Blues. He might have seen Jordan play, but its clear from listening that Justice learned the song from Jordan’s record. It’s interesting to hear a white man sing the song and keep lyrics like “I’ve got a girl that works in the white folks yard. She brings me meal I swear she brings me lard. She brings everything that a girl can steal.”
Charley Patton was the biggest blues musician in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s. He recorded his take on cocaine addiction in 1929 with A Spoonful Blues. Listen to how Patton uses the slide guitar to finish his vocal lines. After the first line of the song, Patton never says the word spoonful with his voice. He lets his guitar do the talking. Charley Patton is a little less positive about cocaine than some of the other singers. He really gets at the intensity of addiction in that song. He sings “All I want in this creation is a spoonful. Would you kill a man? Yes, I will kill just about a spoonful.”
Charley Jordan recorded his version of the song for the Vocalion record label in 1930 with the title, Just a Spoonful
Show 1 – Cocaine Blues
Cocaine Habit Blues - Memphis Jug Band
Cocaine Blues - Luke Jordan
Cocaine - Dick Justice
Spoonful Blues - Charlie Patton
Just a Spoonful - Charley Jordan
Cocaine habit mighty bad
It's the worst old habit that I ever had
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
I went to Mr Beaman's in a lope
Saw a sign on the window said no more dope
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
If you don't believe cocaine is good
Ask Alma Rose at Minglewood
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
I love my whiskey and I love my gin
But the way I love my coke is a doggone sin
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
Since cocaine went out of style
You can catch them shooting needles all the while
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
It takes a little coke to give me ease
Strut your stuff long as you please
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
The drug was made illegal in the US in 1914 by the Harrison Narcotics Act. So by 1930 it was recognized as a dangerous drug and was no longer commonly used like it was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when it was legal. But coke was still around frequently enough to have quite a few songs written about it in the late 20s and early 30s. So I wanted to play a few of those records.
Let’s get away from Beale Street in Memphis and head to my home state of Virginia. Luke Jordan was from Lynchburg, Virginia, which is Jerry Falwell country now, but it was a different story back in 1927. Here’s Luke Jordan with Cocaine Blues:
Oh come on gal, don't you take me for no fool
I'm not going to quit you pretty mama while the weather's cool
Around your back door says honey I'm going to creep
As long as you make your two and a half a week
Now I got a girl, she works in the white folk's yard
She brings me meal, I can swear she brings some lard
She brings me meat, she brings me lard
She brings everything I swear that she can steal
Now Barnum Bailey Circus came to town
They had a dancer looking good and brown
They didn't know it was against the law
But the monkey stopped at a Fine drugstore
Stepped around the corner just a minute too late
Another one sitting there at the big back gate
I’m simply wild about my good cocaine
I called my Cora, hey hey
She come on sniffing with her nose all sore
The doctor's gone going to sell no more
Say run doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
I’m simply wild about my good cocaine
Now the furniture man came to my house it was last Sunday morn
He asked me was my wife at home and I told she has long been gone
He backed his wagon up to my door, took everything I had
He carried it back to the furniture store and I swear I did feel sad
What in the world has anyone got dealing with the furniture man?
If you've got no dough, to stand up for sure, he certainly will drag you back
He will take everything from an earthly plant, from the skillet to a frying pan
If there ever was a devil born without any horns, it must have been the furniture man.
I called my Cora, hey hey
She come on sniffing with her nose all sore
Doctor swore gonna smell no more
Saying coke's for horses not women or men
The doctors say it'll kill you, but they didn't say when
I’m simply wild about my good cocaine
Now the baby's in the cradle in New Orleans, it kept a-whipping till it got so mean
It kept a-whipping had to fix it so
The joke with laughter, fell on more(??)
Saying, run doctor, ring the bell, the women in the alley
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
I called my Cora, hey hey
She come on sniffing with her nose all sore
The doctor swore she's gonna smell no more
Saying, run doctor, ring the bell, the women in the alley
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
That’s Luke Jordan – simply wild about his good cocaine. Jordan recorded only 12 sides but he was very influential around Virginia and the East Coast. One fan of his was a West Virginia coal mine worker by the name of Dick Justice. In 1929, Justice recorded his own version of Cocaine Blues. He might have seen Jordan play, but its clear from listening that Justice learned the song from Jordan’s record. It’s interesting to hear a white man sing the song and keep lyrics like “I’ve got a girl that works in the white folks yard. She brings me meal I swear she brings me lard. She brings everything that a girl can steal.”
Charley Patton was the biggest blues musician in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s. He recorded his take on cocaine addiction in 1929 with A Spoonful Blues. Listen to how Patton uses the slide guitar to finish his vocal lines. After the first line of the song, Patton never says the word spoonful with his voice. He lets his guitar do the talking. Charley Patton is a little less positive about cocaine than some of the other singers. He really gets at the intensity of addiction in that song. He sings “All I want in this creation is a spoonful. Would you kill a man? Yes, I will kill just about a spoonful.”
(spoken: I'm about to go to jail about this spoonful)That transcription is based on the one in the Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues - The Worlds of Charley Patton box set by Dick Spottswood.
In all a-spoon, about that spoonful
The women going crazy, every day in their life about a...
It's all I want, in this creation is a...
I go home (spoken: wanna fight!) about a...
Doctor's dying (way in Hot Springs)
About a...
These women going crazy every day in their life about a...
Would you kill a man dead? (spoken: yes, I will!) just about a...
Oh babe, I'm a fool about my...
(spoken: Don't take me long!) to get my...
Hey baby, you know I need my...
It's mens on Parchman (done lifetime) just about a...
Hey baby, (spoken: you know I ain't long) about my...
It's all I want (spoken: honey, in this creation) is a...
I go to bed, get up and wanna fight about a...
(spoken: Look-y here, baby, would you slap me? Yes I will!) just about a...
Hey baby,
(spoken: you know I'm a fool about my...
Would you kill a man?
(spoken: Yes I would, you know I'd kill him)
just about a...
Most every man (spoken: that you see is)
fool about his...
(spoken: You know baby, I need)
that old...
Hey baby,
(spoken: I wanna hit the judge about a)
About a...
(spoken: Baby, you gonna quit me? Yeah honey!)
just About a...
It's all I want, baby, this creation is a...
(spoken: look here, baby, I'm leaving town!)
just about a...
Hey baby, (spoken: you know I need)
that old...
(spoken: Don't make me mad, baby!)
Cause I want my...
Hey baby, I'm a fool about that...
(spoken: Look-y here, honey!)
I need that...
Most every man leaves without a...
Sundays mean (spoken: I know they are)
about a...
Hey baby, (spoken: I'm sneakin' around here)
and ain't got me no...
Oh, that spoonful, hey baby, you know I need my...
Charley Jordan recorded his version of the song for the Vocalion record label in 1930 with the title, Just a Spoonful
All I crave, this creation is a spoonfulThese songs marked the end of the cocaine era of the first few decades of the last century as other drugs grew in popularity, cocaine faded away not to be the popular drug until a reemergence in the 60s and full blown popularity in the seventies and eighties when we got songs like White Lines and the Eric Clapton/John Cale piece, Cocaine. If you ask me, the Memphis Jug Band, Luke Jordan, Charley Patton and the others did a better job with the coke songs back in the late 20s and early 30s.
Big fat mules, little plantation and a spoonful
I want some, just a spoonful
Just a spoonful, just a spoonful
I smacked the judge and I go to jail for a spoonful
I go to jail, I don’t want no bail for a spoonful
My baby says I couldn’t get that spoonful
I said “Look here gal, don’t you fool with me about my spoonful”
I walk the street all night long looking for my spoonful
Spoonful, for my spoonful
I said “Look here gal, don’t you fool with me about my spoonful”
It’s a spoonful, just a spoonful
My baby cried all night long for a spoonful
She thought that she wasn’t gonna get that little old spoonful
Police caught me, he knocked me down for a spoonful
I caught the train, I left the town for a spoonful
Show 1 – Cocaine Blues
Cocaine Habit Blues - Memphis Jug Band
Cocaine Blues - Luke Jordan
Cocaine - Dick Justice
Spoonful Blues - Charlie Patton
Just a Spoonful - Charley Jordan
4 comments:
Hey Mike.
I really enjoy your show and find myself listening to them over and over again to hear the songs (and maybe remember some of the commentary better). Your dialog on the songs is what's really missing from most forms of brodcast.
Your cocaine blues show (cocaine's a hell of a drug!) is definitely my favorite, followed by the canned heat and jake one. I guess because there's nothing more blues-worthy than songs about hopeless addiction to horrible drugs that'll get you sent to jail and worse. Always makes me feel better about my problems ;)
Anyway please keep it up!
Hi Mike,
Really interesting blog! I never knew what 'bonus' a few of these bluesmen were referring to in their lyrics but always wondered.
So, thanks very much for that info!
Sadly, the GREAT BLUESMEN/WOMEN from the late 20's to late 40's, had no idea what a huge foundation they were laying down for future years to come in every genre of music. People who have never heard their original music will never know either.
Peace,
AwC
Any idea what the line "run, doctor, ring the bell... women in the alley" refers to? This has puzzled me for years, especially the bit about ringing the bell. Please share any insights you may have. Thanks.
Jake
You are very serious about your blog, so it's just doomed to become popular and very relevant.
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