Message Board Archive: Thread Number 72

I've gotten alot of practice over the years in understanding mumbled
lyrics, slang, and other hard-to-understand passages on the old blues
records, but some passages continue to confound me. Now that I've got
you all here, I thought I might impose upon your obvious good nature by
asking you to give your input on some impossible-to-decipher lyrics.

I-T-D lyric #1:

     What in the world is Blind Lemon Jefferson saying or
     trying to say in the following passage in Dry Southern
     Blues--each "???" represents one indecipherable syllable:

          She got feet like a monkey, head like a teddy bear
          She got feet like a monkey, head like a teddy bear
          And a mouth full o' ???-???-???-??? each and
               everywhere.

     It sounds like he's doing some variant (or maybe the
     original) of the old "hand full of gimme, mouth full of
     much obliged", but what he actually says sounds like
     lee-bar-JAIR-en or something, so it can't be that.

HAALP! And thanks in advance.

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 09:33:31 -0500 (EST)
From: Owner-HyperNews@ComCAT.COM (Tom)
Subject: Lemon's mumbo jumbo
Message Number: 72.1

I think what he's saying is:

"And a mouth full of leavin' I guarantee is everywhere"

or

"And a mouth full of leave I guarantee is everywhere"

Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 03:16:22 -0500 (EST)
From: abalfour@dial.pipex.com (Alan Balfour)
Subject: Note: For what it's worth.....
Message Number: 72.2

Between 1965 and 1969 Bob Groom in Blues World Magazine conducted an
analysis of/forum for Lemon's most garble or undecipherable lyrics. At
the time it was either David Evans or Bill Ferris who suggested
'mouthful of lip' as a possibility, being a common black vernacular term
meaning 'full-lipped' (similar usage to 'heavy hipped'). However, as my
Blues World's have long since gone AWOL I can't verify this but note
that Macleod in his transcription gives 'mouthful of lip'. Upon
listening I now hear what I want to hear, namely 'mouthful of lip', but
I can't trthfully say that's what he sings.

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 11:58:41 -0500 (EST)
From: ari@secondmind.com (Ari Eisinger)
Subject: Idea: Re: Country blues doubletalk?
Message Number: 72.3

Hmm...This Bob Groom guy...If we could get in touch with him, maybe we
could get a copy of that article. I'd like to see it.

I found a few people by that name in an email address search. Where's he
from? Do you know? Perhaps we could bother him about this.

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 12:05:00 -0500 (EST)
From: ari@secondmind.com (Ari Eisinger)
Subject: Question: Re: Country blues doubletalk?
Message Number: 72.4

Does anyone know this Bob Groom personally? If so, perhaps you could get
a copy of his article that Alan referred to. I'd like to see it.

Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 03:51:42 -0500 (EST)
From: abalfour@dial.pipex.com (Alan Balfour)
Subject: Feedback: Archive at University of Mississippi?
Message Number: 72.4.1

I'm sure the archive at University of Mississippi has a complete set of
Blues World (along with all other pioneering blues mags of the 60s)
since they inherited Jim O'Neal's personal holdings of such things.

However, Bob Groom's series of articles culminated in a BLJ Blues World
booklet published in 1970. I'd be amazed if Bob in his notes to the
Document CD Jefferson series didn't incorporate much of that work into
those. I'll give him a call and see if he's prepared to at least
photocopy the booklet.