Lyr Req: Lazy John (from Johnnie Lee Wills)

Subject: RE: Johnnie Wills lyr: Lazy John
From: Richie
Date: 03 Dec 06 - 10:05 PM

Here's a bit from an on-line clip:

Lazy John- Johnnie Lee Wills

Lazy John, lazy John
Won't you get your day's work all done
Lying in the shade and you're in the sun
Why don't you go away Lazy John.

Instrumental

Up in the mornin' at the break of day,
Workin' in the cotton tryin' to earn my pay,
Later in the morning here you come along
Why don't you go away Lazy John.

Subject: Johnnie Wills lyr: Lazy John
From: Richie
Date: 03 Dec 06 - 06:23 PM

Hi,

Anyone have the lyrics to Johnnie Lee Wills version of Lazy John. Did Clyde Davenport get the song from Johnnie Lee?

[Johnnie Lee Wills was born September 2, 1912 in Hall County, Texas. He grew up loving and playing music. As a young adult, he found himself picking cotton and driving a delivery truck for Burris Mills, supplying grocery stores with flour. At age nineteen, realizing he would rather do just about anything than remain in the cotton patch, he went to work for his brother Bob, playing tenor banjo in a small band. In 1934, this small band came to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Johnnie Lee Wills had the unique distinction as being one of the six truly original members of the "Texas Playboys."]

I don't get the connection of this Lazy John and Kytrad's (Jean Ritchie's). Are these two different songs?

Jean's is a version of Soldier Soldier (or vice-versa) and the other Lazy John is a fiddle song attributed to Davenport.

The Folk Index lumps them together, I don't get it.

Richie