The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #91493 Message #1742833
Posted By: Jim Dixon
17-May-06 - 10:25 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: It's a Good Thing (Frank Stokes)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: It's a good thing - Frank Stokes
Whoa! This is a tough one to transcribe. I found several sound samples at Allmusic.com and listened to all of them several times, and this is the best I could do.
Besides the usual indistinctness of old records, Stokes had a lisp, and drops a lot of "s" sounds.
...ev'ry day. I knocked May down, stomped in her face. ... the po'lice raid I went to workhouse, to work out my time. Had the same doggone woman on my mind. In time got out, lawd, I stumbled in sin. I strolled right back to May's house again. In time I tried to ... to have a little fun. Mean to come back ... got more than one. It's a good thing. It's a good thing....
...Let me tell y' a little some'in' [=something]. Don't you raise no fuss. Most these young women want ... to truck(?) Oh, they egg you (?) from they ankle plumb to they knee. They're as full o' dumb (?) devilment as they can be. While you out, man, tryin' to ... plan, She's a-winkin' an' a-blinkin' at another man. You get out o' sight, she peepin' through the crack. "I wonder how long 'fore th' ol' man get back?" Her man get back, he ready t' have a little fun, 'Fore he get out o' sight, she got....
...diff'rent women all the time. I had a woman got a name was Lou Take God a'mighty devilment the woman would do. Another woman got a name Henrietta. Talk ... men says she never knowed better. Another woman got a name was-a Jenny. Talked to white folks, black folks. She wouldn't choose any. Another woman got a name was Matty. She's a slippin' in the ... some dark alley. Another woman ... name was May....