The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #120342 Message #2618114
Posted By: Joe Offer
24-Apr-09 - 05:37 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: My Mama Always Talked to Me (Hammond)
Subject: ADD: My Mama Always Talked to Me
Building on what Jim posted, this is what I hear:
MY MAMA ALWAYS TALKED TO ME
(John Hammond, 1927)
So my mama always talked to me. She give me good advice.
My mama always talked to me. She give me good advice.
She told me quit my rambling and marry me a purty little wife, Lord, Lord,
And marry me a purty little wife.
So my papa always talked to me. I took it all as fun.
My papa always talked to me. I took it all as fun.
He told me I'd ride that Frankfort train before I's twenty-one.
So along one Friday morning about the break of day,
So along one Friday morning about the break of day,
They shot and killed poor Johnny, and carried him away.
They shot and killed poor Johnny, they carried him around.
They shot and killed poor Johnny, they carried him around.
They put him in a coffin, and buried him under the ground.
The sheriff soon arrested them, and [took?] them down in jail.
The sheriff soon arrested them, and [took?] them down to jail.
No friends nor money, no one to go their bail.
So along one Monday morning, I heard the jailer knock.
So along one Monday morning, I heard the jailer knock.
His hands full of keys, to [shove?] in the lock.
"Cheer up, cheer up, my prisoners," I thought I heard him say.
"Cheer up, cheer up, my prisoners," I thought I heard him say.
"Ninety days in Frankfort, you know you're bound to stay."
[Note: The Kentucky State Prison, later known as the Kentucky State Reformatory, was located at Frankfort from 1798 until around 1937.
[The title is given as "...MOTHER..." on the original 78-rpm record, but "...MAMA..." on the CDs where it has been reissued, probably because "mama" is used in the lyrics.]
Transcribed by ear from The Mountain Music of Kentucky CD, Yazoo Records.
There's a recording at last.fm - anybody else want to make a stab at transcribing it?
-Joe, with the not-so-good ear-