Lyr Req: Ninety-Nine Year Blues (Julius Daniels)

Subject: Lyr Add: RAILROAD BILL (from Will Bennett)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 09 - 12:19 AM

This song contains some of the same language:

From Michael Taft's Pre-War Blues Lyrics Concordance:


RAILROAD BILL
Will Bennett, Vocalion 1464, 1929.

1. Railroad Bill : ought to be killed
Never worked : and he never will

REFRAIN: Now I'm 'o' ride my Railroad Bill

2. Railroad Bill : done took my wife
Threatened on me : that he would take my life

3. Going up the mountain : take my stand
Forty‑one derringer : in my right and left hand

4. Going up the mountain : going out west
Forty‑one derringer : sticking in my breast

5. Buy me a gun : just as long as my arm
Kill everybody : ever done me wrong

6. Buy me a gun : with a shiny barrel
Kill somebody : about my good‑looking gal

7. Got a thirty‑eight special : on a forty‑four frame
How in the world can I miss him : when I've got dead aim

8. When I went to the doctor : asked him what the matter could be
Said if you don't stop drinking son : it'll kill you dead

9. Going to drink my liquor : drink it and win [or "in the wind"?]
Doctor said it will kill me : but he never said when

10. If the river was brandy : and I was a duck
I'd sink to the bottom : and I'd never come up

11. Honey honey : do you think of me
Times have caught me : living on pork and beans

12. Son you talk about your honey : you ought to see mine
She's humpbacked bow‑legged : crippled and blind

13. Honey honey : do you think I'm a fool
Think I'm going to quit you : while the weather is cool

14. Honey honey : quit your worrying me
It's going through the world : in my heart disease

15. Going up the mountain : *do everything*
Go through the world :

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: bring me my pistol - blues tune, Jorm
From: retrancer
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 05:28 PM

Amazed, what can i say except "THE CAT RULES" you guys are awesome!!! thanks to each of you!

Subject: Lyr Add: NINETY-NINE YEAR BLUES (Julius Daniels)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 10:33 AM

This is probably the oldest recorded version of the song.

Lyrics transcribed from several sound samples, augmented by information from Michael Taft's Pre-War Blues Lyrics

NINETY-NINE YEAR BLUES
As recorded by Julius Daniels, 19-Feb-1927. (Victor 20658)

Bring me my pistol, three rounds of ball,
I'm gonna kill everybody broke this poor boy['s] law, (?)
Poor boy law, poor boy law,
Poor boy law.

On a Monday I was 'rrested. On a Tuesday I was tried.
The judge found me guilty and I hung my head and cried,
Lord, and cried, Lord, and cried,
Lord, and cried, Lord, and cried.

I asked the judge, "What will be my fine?"
Says, "A pick and a shovel way down Joe Brown's (?) coal mine,
Coal mine, coal mine,
Coal mine, coal mine,
Coal mine."

"Be light on me, judge. I ain't been here before."
"Give you ninety-nine years. Don't come back here no more,
No more, no more,
No more, no more."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: bring me my pistol - blues tune, Jorma
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 04 Apr 07 - 09:09 PM

I've been playing an approximation of Jorma's version of this tune for years, with capo at 4th fret out of open G-chord position (Key of B). Just the one chord will do it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: bring me my pistol - blues tune, Jorm
From: pdq
Date: 04 Apr 07 - 07:35 PM

It's called "99 Year Blues" and can be found on Hot Tuna's third album "Burgers".

Jorma uses a lot of minor chords in some of his 'blues', stretching the definition a bit.

Check out his recent "Blue Country Heart". It was available at a bargain price through the close-out types on eBay. It has a lot of the New Acoustic 'regular suspects' like Jerry Douglas.

Subject: Lyr Req: bring me my pistol - blues tune, Jorma
From: retrancer
Date: 04 Apr 07 - 07:13 PM

I cant remember where i heard this song, only recall a few lines:

Bring me my pistol, bring me three rounds more
I'm gonna shoot everybody I dont like at all, like at all, like at all

I got a 38 special on a 45 frame
I dont miss at all cause i got dead aim, got dead aim, got dead aim


May have heard Jorma do it it but one of my friends says no.

chords appreciated as well, I've been playing this with G and D as a kind of rolling blues with some hammer-ons.

thanks catters