TEXAS EASY STREET BLUES

Ahhhh, what's the matter now
Tell me, mama, what's the matter now
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

When you see me comin', don't call my name
When you see me comin', don't call my name
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

Oooh, what's the matter now
Ain't nothin' the matter (Spoken)
Please tell me, what's the matter now
Tell you, wasn't nothin' the matter (Spoken)
I'm goin' back to Texas sit on easy street

Oooh, what's the matter now
Tell me, mama, what's the matter now
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

When you see me comin', heist your window high
When you see me comin', heist your window high
Well, I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

Oooh, what's the matter now
Please tell me, what's the matter now
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

Got the Texas blues, blue as I can be
Got the Texas blues, blue as I can be
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

Oooh, what's the matter now
Tell me, mama, what's the matter now
Got a black mule, baby, kickin' in my stall

Oooh, what's the matter now
Oooh, what's the matter now
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

When you see me runnin', something goin' on wrong
When you see me runnin', something goin' on wrong
I'm goin' back to Texas, sit on easy street

Source: Henry Thomas 'Texas Worried Blues: Complete Recorded Works 1927-1929' Yazoo CD 1080/1. Original recording Vocalion 1197 Chicago 13 June 1928.

Henry 'Ragtime Texas' Thomas was one of the greatest songsters in American music history. 'Songster' is a term used to distinguish the music of certain black performers from that of the pure country blues singers. The word had once been used to describe the men and the song materials that were present before the blues became dominant. Basically, it is a matter of repertoire: the songsters sang the blues but their musical interests extended much farther than that. The songsters' songbag included blues, traditional ballads and dance tunes, popular songs, vaudeville songs, medicine show items, ragtime pieces and more. It is interesting that it was the songsters rather than the bluesmen who had the greatest impact on the American folk revival in the 1960s. Songsters such as Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt , Skip James and Mance Lipscomb were 'rediscovered' in the 1960s to pursue new careers at festivals such as the Newport festival.

Thomas was a street singer and hobo who recorded in the 1920s. He sang, played guitar and whistles and threw in the panpipes (quills) for good measure. 'Texas Easy Street' is one of the ten blues that he recorded - in toto, he recorded 23 sides.