Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy (Rev Gary Davis

Subject: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 11:27 AM

Can anyone help me out with this one? It's a slow minor-key blues tune; I don't recall who wrote it, I heard it first many years ago on an early-70's live record by the Grateful Dead. I have heard it since in a version that sounded more "authentic," but I never got the specifics, and don't remember all the lyrics. The first verse, as I recall, goes something like this:

Death don't have no mercy in this land Death don't have no mercy in this land Comes to your house, but it don't stay long Wake up in the morning, find your children are gone Death don't have no mercy in this land

It's not Shakespeare, I suppose, but sung soulfully against a sort of "blues dirge" it can be very moving. It's not in the DT, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 11:34 AM

We have it at home, with chords. Be patient, I'll get it posted in when I can. Hardi and I enjoy playing this one, and our jam pals did too just last week during porch picking Friday. Dark and loud electric autoharp slamming the awfulness home, with reverb yeah!!!!! while the fiddle whined, the distortion bass thumped, a mandolin tickled the upper ranges, and an acoustic 'lectrified geetar twirled lead.... too bad you couldn't be there... DEATH! ...don't have no mercy..... in this.... TOOWWWWWNNNNnnnn.......

:~>

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:02 PM

That was quick, Susan -- thanks, and I look forward to actually getting the lyrics. It's a song I had not played until many years until a couple of nights ago, and now I want to revisit it. We can get your electric autoharp, and my kazoo (through an Echoplex into a Marshall stack), and just let anyone try to ignore us!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:07 PM

WS--

Well! If you will kazoo we need no vocal, which will free me up to play nose flute into an omnidirectional mic to catch ALL the tones!!

We can record this and blast it from a cartop speaker, touring through our towns!

On the side of my car, I will put a big magnetic sign reading:

THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES!

That work for you? The Damned Dirge Tour. LOL. Sign me up!

~S~

Subject: Lyr Add: DEATH DON'T HAVE NO MERCY (from Hot Tuna)
From: BlueJay
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:22 PM

Whistle Stop- Great tune, written by Rev. Gary Davis. The version I have is by Jorma Kaukonen on the first Hot Tuna album.

 Em                  Am    B7        Em
  Death don't have no mercy, in this land,
         Em                 D               G    B7
  I say death don't have no mercy, in this land,
          Em
  When it comes to your house, it won't stay long,
  Am
  Look 'round the room one of your family will be gone,
  Em          G       C     B7        Em
  Death don't have no mercy, in this land.

Death don't take time for vacation in this land,
Death don't take time for vacation in this land,
When it comes to your house, it won't stay long,
Look round the room one of your family will be gone,
Death don't have no mercy, in this land.

Death don't give you time to get ready, in this land,
Death don't give you time to get ready, in this land,
When it comes to your house, it won't stay long,
Look 'round the room, one of your family will be gone,
Death don't have no mercy, in this land.

It'll leave you standin' here cryin' in this land,
It'll leave you standin' here cryin', in this land,
When it comes to your house, it won't stay long,
Look 'round the room one of your family will be gone,
Death don't have no mercy, in this land.

I'm not sure just how "authentic" this is. I've never heard the Rev. Gary Davis' version. Or how true the lyrics are. But Jorma K. does an outstanding job on it. Good enough fo me. :) BlueJay

HTML preformat commands added. --JoeClone, 5-Dec-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:25 PM

Looks right to me, except chord changes did not land in the right place due to text style, but I bet WS can figger out where they go!

BlueJay, you joining our band? Playing what?

Need a bodhran payer as well, yes? Oh and pipes!!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: BlueJay
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:25 PM

Well, the chord part didn't work. I thought I'd figured out how to do that, all the chords got lumped at the start of the line. Anyway, it's an easy song, sounds like you probably already know how it goes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: BlueJay
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 12:35 PM

Sorry Praise, no drums or pipes for me. Just guitar, and a litle mandolin and autozither. Hope I did that right, for 'Spaw. Anyway, I thought we were already together in one huge band, drifting around the world in various permutations. I've played with a bunch of incredible folk, lately.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 01:12 PM

Thanks to both of you for helping me out with this one. I didn't need the chords, just the words, and I don't really care much about authenticity (I'm sure that amounts to heresy on this forum, but I'll do my best to dodge the slings and arrows that are sure to come my way). With a nose flute, mandolin, and autozither backup, we can't miss -- especially when I start my Chuck Berry duckwalk in the middle of the electric kazoo solo while Susan plays that electric autoharp with her teeth.

Again, much appreciated.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death Don't Have No Mercy
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 00 - 02:04 PM

THAT's the band I meant, BlueJay!

~S~