LONG-HANDLED SHOVEL

It takes a long-handled shovel to dig a nine-foot hole.
It takes a long-handled shovel to dig a nine-foot hole.
It takes a long-legged woman to satisfy my soul.

It takes a two-bladed ax, Lord, to cut this timber down.
It takes a two-bladed ax, Lord, to cut this timber down.
It takes a two-timin' woman to make me leave this town.

It takes a fast-movin' rattler to take me from this place.
It takes a fast-movin' rattler to take me from this place.
It takes a fast-talkin' mama to laugh right in my face.

It takes a six-string guitar to help me sing this song.
It takes a six-string guitar to help me sing this song.
It takes a six-shot pistol - and I'll be long time gone.

From.: Blues und Work Songs, p. 37
by: Janheinz Jahn
Fischer Bücherei - Bücher des Wissens
July 1964

p. 16: Blues logic is realized by a so called "call" (describing the global situation or an object), repeated in a different key, answered by the subject "I".
The verse confronts something normal with something special (It takes a two-bladed ax...: I am so strong - I contain so much happiness ("Magara"), that it's hard to make me greedy.
p. 18: the song Long-handled Shovel is shown in the topic where the power of living is demonstrated...
p. 28 describes the blues melodic with a hint to Long-handled Shovel as a blues where a so called high tone is reached in the first phrase by continuous increasement, until it turns with an emphasized falling ductus...

I own the Silverman Blues book. I hope the next days I can send you additional verses!

Snobby

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 4-Feb-03.