Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues

Subject: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: DownEast Bob
Date: 28 Sep 99 - 03:53 PM

A guitar picker named Pete Stone at the U. of Chicago in the 50s, wrote a great talking blues called "Talking Nothin' Blues. Does anybody have the lyrics? I don't think it was ever recorded, and as far as I know, Pete never recorded, unless he was on Chicago Mob Scene released by Riverside in the late 50s or early 60s.

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Art Thieme
Date: 28 Sep 99 - 04:50 PM

Pete Stone did record that song---and he did that on, as you say, the Chicago Mob Scene LP on Riverside.Bob Gibson (as Sam Hall) and Larry Ehtlich and Bob March & others were also on the album.

I posted the song on an earlier thread with this same title I think.

Art

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 99 - 12:11 AM

from memory:

"Well, I looked from the porch to the top of the wall,
Nothin' was there, nothin' at all.
Nothin' at all in any degree,
A predominance of vacancy"

There's a man in this town, goin' around,
Spreadin' nothin' all over the ground.
Heard some passin' people say,
"All that nothin' gets in the way..
There oughta be a law.

I went downtown, some nothin' to buy..
Pile in the window, 40 feet high.
The man in the store, he smile an' say..
'We got plenty o' nothin' today.
All vacuum packed....

Well, this song was written with nothin' in mind
Nothin' at all of any kind.
Nothin' at all in any respect..
We was aided by a poverty of intellect......

(your mileage may differ..)

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Downeast Bob
Date: 29 Sep 99 - 12:37 PM

Wow! Thanks for the lyrics. I've been trying for about 45 years to remember how it went. You guys just made my decade.

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 99 - 03:21 PM

*had some notion there may be another verse, but 'nothing' comes to mind.*

"I got plenty of Nothin',and nothin's plenty for me"

Subject: Lyr Add: TALKING NOTHIN' BLUES
From: DownEast Bob
Date: 29 Sep 99 - 09:10 PM

Yes, Bill, there was more. With the help of what you posted, plus my own memory, plus a little add-versing of my own, I came up with:

Last night I looked upon the stair.
I saw nothin'. Nothin' was there.
From my front porch to the top of the wall,
There was lot's of nothin', nothin' at all....
    Nothing....
    A pree-ponderance of vacancy.

There's a man in town, he's goin' around,
Spreadin' lots of nothin' all over the ground.
I heard some passin' people say,
"All that nothin' gets in the way....
    There oughta be a law."

My wife said, "Honey, don't you know,
Nothin' makes my flowers grow."
So I figured I better lay in a supply
And I went downtown, some nothin' to buy.
    Took along an empty...
    Wallet.

The man in the store, he smile an' say,
"We got plenty o' nothin'; nothin' today.
Boxes, bottles, cans, and jars,
Semi-trailers and big boxcars,...
    All vacuum-packed.

He says, "How do you want it? Large or small?
Fat or slender? Short or tall?"
I says, "Gimme a slightly rounded pile,
Empty as a politician's smile...
    Full of hot air....
    Wrap it up as a gift."

Well, this song was written with nothin' in mind,
Nothin' at all of any kind,
Nothin' at all in any degree,
Nothin' to it that I can see,...
    Nothin'...
    Nothin'...
    It just grew...
    Out of a poverty of intellect.

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Sep 99 - 04:31 PM

Hey! neat..there are some there I never saw..(I found it printed somewhere once)so now we BOTH have more...thanks!

Subject: RE: Talking Nothin' Blues
From:
Date: 03 Jan 05 - 10:51 AM

Hi,

Lyrics to two of the verses of Talking Nothin' Blues:

Well, I looked from the hall to the top of the stairs,
didn't see nothing that wasn't there,
nothin, nothin', nothin, nothin' at all,
nothin', nothin all over the wall

Well, a man on the corner standing around,
Spreading nothin' all over the ground,
Heard some passing people say,
"All that nothin' gets in the way,
Aught to be a law."

If you hear of any more, let me known

Thanks

T

Subject: Lyr Add: TALKIN' NOTHIN' BLUES
From: GUEST,Keith Hollis New Zealand
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 10:37 PM

TALKIN' NOTHIN' BLUES

I looked from the hall to the top of the stairs,
Didn't see a man who wasn't there,
Nothin', nothin', nothin' at all,
Nothin' at all, all over the wall.
    A predominance of vacancy.

There's a man on the corner standing around,
Spreading nuthin' all over the ground.
Heard some passing people say,
All that nothin' gets in the way.
    Ought to be a law.

Went to the cupboard. The cupboard was bare.
Nuthin', nuthin', nuthin' was there.
Turned around, scratched my face.
So much dammed nuthin' all over the place,
    On the floor and in the chairs.

Well, I thought I’d better lay in a supply,
So I went to the store some nuthin to buy.
In the window a big display:
"We got plenty of nuthin' today,
    All vacuum packed."

Clerk came round, said, "What’ll it be?"
"Nuthin', nuthin', nuthin' for me."
"How do you want it? Large or small?
Fat or skinny? Short or tall?"
    "I'll take some with bows on it,
    Wrap it up nice for a gift."

Well, this song was written with nuthin' in mind,
Nuthin' at all of any kind,
Nuthin' at all of any degree,
And there’s nuthin' in it as you can see,
    Nuthin', nuthin', nuthin'.
    We was aided by a poverty of intellect.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 11:47 PM

What goes around..,.

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST,Rick Squires
Date: 04 Sep 19 - 06:50 PM

I remember a slightly different opening verse:

“I looked from the hall to the top of the stair,
Didn’t see nothing, nothing anywhere.
Nothing, nothing, nothing at all.
Nothing at all, all over the wall.
A predominance of vacancy...”

That was from about 1961 or ‘62, o group of my brothers friends
from Victoria University, New Zealand, folk club...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 04 Sep 19 - 08:12 PM

'Chicago Mob Scene' LP on Riverside was released in 1957. No songwriters were credited on the album.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 20 - 04:44 AM

The first lines (in the version I listened to) went:

I looked from the hall to the top of the stair,
Didn't see the man that wasn't standing there,
There was nothin, nothin, nothin at all.
Nothin at all, all over the wall.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: cnd
Date: 26 Jul 20 - 09:26 AM

Can't find a true original of the recording, but if you want to hear the song, there's a recording of the song by John T. Wurzer here, though his introductory comments make it seem like he used this site (or elsewhere on the internet) as a resource for his lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST,Natsera
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 05:13 AM

I think the first verse was

As I was going up the stair
I saw a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away!

The rest of the verses were what Bill D posted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST,Guest: Robert
Date: 26 Sep 22 - 02:28 PM

My lyrics resembled Keith Hollis' from New Zealand - This version was published in "Sing Out (The Folk Song Magazine)"" Volume 3, published in 1961. No authorship given.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Talking Nothin' Blues
From: GUEST,Keith Hollis
Date: 28 Apr 23 - 06:52 PM

TALKIN’ NUTHIN’ BLUES


I LOOKED FROM THE HALL TO THE TOP OF THE STAIRS,

DIDN’T SEE A MAN WHO WASN’T THERE,

NOTHIN’ NOTHIN’ NOTHIN’ AT ALL, NOTHIN’ AT ALL ALL OVER THE WALL.

A PREDOMINENCE OF VACANCY.



THERE’S A MAN ON THE CORNER STANDING AROUND,

SPREADING NUTHIN’ ALL OVER THE GROUND,

HEARD SOME PASSING PEOPLE SAY,

ALL THAT NOTHIN’ GETS IN THE WAY, OUGHTA BE A LAW.



WENT TO THE CUPBOARD, THE CUPBOARD WAS BARE,

NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ WAS THERE,

TURNED AROUND, SCRATCHED MY FACE,

SO MUCH DAMMED NUTHIN’ ALL OVER THE PLACE,

ON THE FLOOR AND IN THE CHAIRS.



WELL I THOUGHT I’D BETTER LAY IN A SUPPLY,

SO I WENT TO THE STORE SOME NUTHIN TO BUY,

IN THE WINDOW A BIG DISPLAY, WE GOT PLENTY OF NUTHIN’ TODAY,

ALL VACCUM PACKED.






CLERK CAME ROUND, SAID WHAT’LL IT BE,

I SAID NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ FOR ME,

HOW DO YOU WANT IT LARGE OR SMALL,

FAT OR SKINNY, SHORT OR TALL,

I’LL TAKE SOME WITH BOWS ON IT, WRAP IT UP NICE IT’S FOR A GIFT.



WELL THIS SONG WAS WRITTEN WITH NUTHIN’ IN MIND,

NUTHIN’ AT ALL OF ANY KIND, NUTHIN’ AT ALL OF ANY DEGREE,

AND THERES NUTHIN’ IN IT AS YOU CAN SEE,

NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ NUTHIN’ WE WAS AIDED BY A POVERTY OF INTELLECT