Lyr Req: Talking Casey (Mississippi John Hurt)

Subject: Mississippi John Hurt: Talking Casey
From: GUEST,Ruediger, germany
Date: 08 Jun 00 - 02:41 PM

Geschätzte Countryblues-Freunde! Trying to figure out what exactly Mississippi John Hurt is singing on his Vanguard recording ‚Talking Casey' (‚Today'). The lyrics are not to find in any of the available songbooks. Here is what I transcribed so far. Anyone out there who can fill in the missing words? You would do me a big favour, since it's a great piece of music and I'd love to perform this song! Mit lieben Grüßen from good old germany, Rüdiger.

Talking Casey Casey Jones was a brave engineer ??? his wife ??? he was sittin' up in his cab the day he ??? she felt that something might go wrong she called him something like this:

Casey, Casey, don't leave me here Casey, don't, don't leave me here

little children come to their father crying: daddy don't leave us here...

daddy, daddy, don't leave us here

he could't stand that children crying ??? he said get the bell going I heard the bell going something like this...

wife still crying...

don't leave me here Casey, don't, don't leave me here

next thing I heard his drive wheel jumping in the railroad joints something like this he were gone...

he run up some sheep, some sheep ??? so he had to stop his train made him sort of mad, too I heard him, when he was cuttin' down he was blowing something like this for the sheep to get off the track...

after he had to stop for the sheep to get off the track come his cousin here is what he said you know, what he said was this:

hop down little sheep hop down little sheep

don't leave me here Casey, don't, don't leave me here

after that he was a little behind time looked like the drive wheel was tryin' to catch up with the little track-wheel ??? what's your deal one good christian lady come singing: lord, have mercy, save me lord

oh lord, have mercy, oh lord oh lord, have mercy, save me, lord oh lord, don't leave me, oh lord, oh lord, don't leave me, save me lord

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Case
From: ddw
Date: 08 Jun 00 - 10:15 PM

Rudiger — I've got this at home, but I have to admit I've always listened to the guitar work rather than the words. I'll give it a listen and see if I can fill in some of your blanks, but I won't be back online until Sunday or Monday night. I'll put a trace on this so I can see if anybody has answered your question before then.

cheers

david

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Case
From: GUEST,trucker dave
Date: 10 Jun 00 - 12:09 AM

uh, is this the one that was recorded live at oberlin college? I live not far from where John Hurt lived and being from Mississippi i understand most all the words but some of the lyrics other than the missing parts you have written down are wrong. The CD i have is "The Best of Mississippi John Hurt". I figured out several years ago what the missing words were in "Richland Women Blues" because i wanted to play it and the phrase "turkey red roadster with a rumble seat" was sure not something you hear everyday. My elderly father helped fill in the blanks. If it is the same song i can give you the rest of the lyrics. I perform several of John Hurt's songs but "Talking Casey" is just something no one around here would listen to. It seems strange since you are from Germany? and hardly anyone in Mississippi has ever heard of John Hurt.

Subject: Lyr Add: TALKING CASEY (Mississippi John Hurt)
From: GUEST,trucker dave
Date: 10 Jun 00 - 04:15 PM

Here are the lyrics. I hope it is the same song.

This is Casey Jones, what I call Talking Casey. Talking like him.

Casey, don't leave me here. Casey Jones, please don't leave me here. Little children commence to hollering and crying, "Daddy don't leave me here. Daddy, don't leave me here." He couldn't stand that and he told the fireman, say, "Git the bell and let's go." I heard the bell something like this. Shortly after that, he's gone and I heard the drive wheels jumping the joints. About the time he got switched and running, he run up on some sheep. Blowed for them to get off the track but they wouldn't get off and he had to stop his train. He blowing something like this. I heard him when he's cutting down, fixing to stop. Made him sorta mad when he had to stop his train. Then he got behind time a little bit, commenced to cussing; here's what he said. After that, I heard him. He's running so fast, look like them drive wheels about to catch up with those little truck wheels. People all got scared, thought he was going to make a wreck, which he did. One lady commence to singing, "Lord, have mercy! Save me, Lord! Oh Lord, have... Oh Lord... Oh Lord, have mercy, save... Oh Lord, don't leave...Oh Lord don't leave me, save me...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Case
From: GUEST,ruediger
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 04:47 AM

thanks a lot, trucker dave! it's a good thing there are people from around the area that understand songs like that properly. It seems to be not quite the version I have at home, but it's definitely satisfying. Your right, none of my german fellow musicians knows songs of john hurt. I love most of them. What I particulary like about Talking Casey is, that john hurt tells a story and gives the sounds to it on his instrument.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Casey
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 03 - 09:39 PM

What's the name of the MJH song that contains the phrase - "...like a tree standing by the water, I will not be moved...?" Please let me know if you know. [e-mail]
Cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Casey
From: Mark Ross
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 02:47 PM

The song is the old hymn WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED. Check the DT.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mississippi John Hurt's Talking Casey
From: PoppaGator
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 04:45 PM

"Turkey red roadster" or "turkey red bloomers" back in that ole rumble seat? I kinda like the imagery of underwear in the back seat of a car...

The "Richland Woman [or Women} Blues" lyrics in the DT verify the way I always thought I heard it:

@displaysong.cfm?SongID=4954

Thing is, there's no one definitive version because the artist himself sang it a little different every time. I know there are minor differences between recorded versions of fairly structured tunes like "Richland Woman" -- must be even more variations among versions of a rambling talkin'-blues number such as "Casey."