arzajac
378 posts
Oct 18, 2010
5:45 AM
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If anyone knows this I would be grateful.
Off of Adam's Nat Riddles/Charlie Hilbert El Café street live album, the song "Killing Me":
Baby, you're killing me on my feet
Baby, you're killing me on my feet
You won't leave me alone in the daytime and at night you won't let me sleep.
Is this an original? If not, who wrote it? Nat only sings two different verses. Are there more?
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Joe_L
717 posts
Oct 18, 2010
8:20 AM
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Try Sonny Boy Williamson II's "You Killing Me". There are three verses.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Oct 18, 2010 8:22 AM
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tmf714
269 posts
Oct 18, 2010
8:54 AM
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Not even close-I just listened to them both.
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bluemoose
350 posts
Oct 18, 2010
9:22 AM
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ummmmm....? Those are the opening lines of SBWII "You Killing Me", just like Joe said.
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tmf714
270 posts
Oct 18, 2010
9:28 AM
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Ummmm,chill-I will have to listen again.
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bluemoose
352 posts
Oct 18, 2010
10:39 AM
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No problem...it ain't verbatim but neither was Sonny Boy. This brought to mind another line from a SBWII song so I checked into "Pontiac Blues" but brought up the "Sonny Boy Williamson in Europe" version and the line wasn't even in it. It is in the "King Biscuit Time" version.
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arzajac
379 posts
Oct 18, 2010
10:43 AM
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I should have known. I am now quite embarrassed for asking!
Thank you.
Oh baby, you killing me on my feet.
Oh baby, you know, you killing me on my feet.
You won't let me rest in the daytime,
and all night you won't let me sleep.
But the little girl she came to me one morning
and said Sonny Boy, I apologize.
Come tell me one morning, said Sonny Boy, I apologize.
So I told the little girl I'm gonna forgive you baby so you can have one more try.
There's one thing, baby, now really I want you to do.
Treat me nice Mama, and I won't love nobody but you.
Treat me kind. There ain't nothin' I wouldn't do.
Come home now darling, I won't love nobody but you.
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KingoBad
444 posts
Oct 18, 2010
10:47 AM
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I think you run into a problem with finding the origins of blues lyrics. They have been copied so many times (and changed and twisted) that they lead back vaguely to the deep south. They, of course, seem to have signposts with various singers, but many of them are just traditional hand me downs.
I'm not saying that new lyrics weren't written. I'm just saying that to find the "original" may be a problem.
I think the more appropriate question in the blues is: "in what songs have you heard these lyrics?"
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Joe_L
718 posts
Oct 18, 2010
11:36 AM
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Great Hello Kingo!
You raise a really good point. Many of the artists that were active in the 1950's heavily borrowed from the people they were listening to. Those guys did the same thing.
It's sort of challenging to dig back beyond the RCA Bluebird era of recording, but many of the really old tunes were recorded and/or attributed to artists that recorded for Lester Melrose on RCA Bluebird. An example of some of those artists would be: Roosevelt Sykes, Big Bill Broonzy, John Lee Williamson and Memphis Minnie. Memphis Slim and Big Maceo were also regarded as highly influential.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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KingoBad
446 posts
Oct 18, 2010
1:47 PM
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Great Hello Joe_L!!!
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jbone
420 posts
Oct 19, 2010
4:22 AM
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i write lyrics. wife and i build songs. there are a few songs which i have improved the lyrics over time, or forgot a line and ad libbed one as i went along.
blues is a living thing that mutates sometimes depending on the skills and memory of the writer of a song. imho this evolution is a good thing, it allows a writer/performer to hone a song or a line into a sharper image over time.
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