Lyr Add: Goin' to Heaven Blues (Blind Arvella Gray

Subject: Lyr Add: GOIN' TO HEAVEN BLUES (Blind Arvella Gray
From: Art Thieme
Date: 16 Oct 99 - 08:34 PM

Arvella Gray was a blind blues singer who lived in Chicago in the 1960s. He played bottleneck blues on an old National (metal body) guitar. Several fingers were missing from his noting hand. Arvella would stand on Grand Ave & State Street & do "John Henry", "Going To Heaven" and many others for the subway commuters going down and coming up from the trains. Hopefully they would drop change into his tin cup.

I really loved this one.

Art Thieme

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I'm goin' to heaven--gonna sit down on a stool,
I'm goin' to heaven--gonna sit down on a stool,
Gonna ask poor Moses to sing me the walkin' blues.

I started to leave and I'm not gonna change my mind,
I'm gonna stay right here where I can have better times.

Says I play Short Duces---then there's fours and fives,
Says I draw cold water from that poor boy's eyes.

Say when you lose your money, partner, please don't lose your mind,
Say when you lose your woman please don't bother mine.

Now, you can always tell when your woman don't want you around,
She's got her hair tied up and her hips turned upside-down.

What makes a rooster crow 'bout the dawn of day?
To let the sweet man know that the workin' man's gone away.

Talkin' 'bout your good woman but you ought to see mine,
She's low and squatty & built up from the ground.

Now when a woman takes the blues she hangs her head and cries,
When a man takes the blues he hops a freight car and he rides.

When I sing this song, partner, I ain't gonna sing no more,
Gonna grab my hat and down the road I'm gone.

Now a song like this bring back memories,
Makes me think about the old times---the old times that used to be.

Now I believe I'll go 'cause I don't feel welcome here,
I believe I'll go 'cause I don't feel welcome here,
This ain't my home and I sure don't have to stay.