Lyr Req: Judge

Subject: Judge
From: Colonel KC
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 11:01 PM

I'm looking for the lyrics for an old Bluesy/vaudevilly song whose refrain starts:"Judge, Judge, dear old, judge, Send me to the (E)'lectric Chair.

Dave Bromberg used to sing it alot and I recently heard it done by David Johansen and the Harry Smiths, implying it was in the Harry Smith Anthology. Could not find it in the database. Can anybody help

Subject: Lyr Add: SEND ME TO THE 'LECTRIC CHAIR
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Nov 99 - 02:52 AM

In the spirit of Mudcat cooperation, here's my attempt at transcription of the lyrics required, but why Bromberg would want to sing, or anyone would want to perpetuate, the gratuitously sick crap in the final stanza escapes me entirely. Evidently, the song comes from the pen of one G. Brooks. It has no connection with Harry Smith's Anthology.

SEND ME TO THE 'LECTRIC CHAIR

Said, judge, Your Honour, hear my plea
Before you open up your card
I do not crave your sympathy
For what I have to record
I caught her with a gamblin' joe
I had warned her about once before
I pulled my knife and I went insane
The rest you already know

Judge, judge, good kind judge
Send me to the 'lectric chair
Said, judge, judge, help me judge
I want to get out of here
I want to take a journey to the devil down below
I sliced up my sweet pet-oodie
I gotta reap just what I sow
So judge, judge, help me judge
And send me to the 'lectric chair

(Instrumental)

He said, judge, Your Honour, mister, sir
I loved that girl so dear
I don't want no bondsman to go my bail
And I don't want to sit here no 99 years
Stuck in your stinking jail
Judge, judge, help me judge
Oh send me to the 'lectric chair

(Instrumental)

He said, judge, oh judge
(Indeciphable short line)
Please send me to the 'lectric chair Oh judge, now judge, my sweet judge
Burn me 'cos I don't care
First I cut her with my Barlow
And then I kinda kicked her in the side
And then I stood there laughin', lord
While she bubbled up inside
So judge, judge, help me judge
And send me to the 'lectric chair

Source: David Bromberg 'Out of the Blues: the best of David Bromberg CBS LP SBP 234966

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Nov 99 - 03:00 AM

That should be 'indecipherable'- as in I couldn't make out what he was singing - not 'indeciphable'. I found that a useful word when I was an editor working with taped material - 'inaudible' when you couldn't hear the bloody thing at all and 'indecipherable' when you could hear something but could not make out what it was.

Regards, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 21 Nov 99 - 09:15 AM

Stewie,

I'm working from memory, but I believe the indecipherable line is either "Please Mr. Sirica" or "Mister Sirica please"

Thats "Sir-Rik-Kah" phonetically and refers to Judge "Hanging John" Sirica who presided over the trial of the Watergate burglars. Just David throwing in a little contemporary (at that time) humor.

Big RiB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From: jeffp
Date: 21 Nov 99 - 10:28 AM

Also, in the last verse, the line is She buckled up and died, not She bubbled up inside.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Nov 99 - 06:43 PM

Roger, I can hear that now.

Jeff, you are quite right, it is 'buckled' but the 'died' part is drowned out by the music in the live version that I have. I still reckon the stanza is pretty sick and unnecessary though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From:
Date: 22 Nov 99 - 09:33 AM

My recollection, from the singing of my high-school art teacher in about 1966, has in the first verse

Before you open up your court

and in the last

Took out my Bowie And I stabbed her in the side Stood there laughing While she rolled around and died

This change hardly redeems the piece, but it does somewhat reduce the mayhem.

Malcolm Smith.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Judge
From: GUEST,Colonel KC
Date: 29 May 00 - 10:02 AM

A Somewhat belated thank you to all for the info. To Malcolm Smith: Your recollections from 1966 clearly predate David Bromberg's version (since Bromberg didn't hit the scene as Jerry Jeff Walker's guitarist until 1969), which brings me back to where did the song come from? I recently heard what appeared to be an old blues recording with a female singer (not Bessie Smith, but perhaps Memphis Minnie) on the radio but did not get the details. I am interested in how the song went before Bromberg hyperbolized it. Any info would help.