The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #24419   Message #278755
Posted By: GUEST,Gern (now designated as GUEST)
16-Aug-00 - 09:06 AM
Thread Name: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
I believe that these lyrics are wrong. On the version recorded by Tom (Clarence) Ashley and Doc Watson, the words sung are "standing on the corner reading the bill," a probable reference to his own wanted poster. Check out the various versions of this old ballad and decide for yourself: they range from the sublime (the Freight Hoppers) to the ridiculous (Bob Dylan, not at his best on this one, and he does indeed say "ringing my bell." I know what it means when a ballplayer "really got his bell rung," but I'm not sure this is what Dylan was doing at the time.)