Little Sadie - ringing my bell?

Subject: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: Margo
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 01:21 AM

There's a murder song called "Little Sadie". In one verse, it says

Standin' on the corner just a ringin' my bell
When up steps the sheriff of Thomasville
Says young man, is your name Brown
Remember the night you shot Sadie down?

Does anyone have any idea what the "ringin' my bell" is all about? Thanks, Margo

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 03:01 AM

Click here for the version we have in the Digital Tradition.
No exegetical notes on bells, I'm afraid.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: GUEST,Gern (now designated as GUEST)
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 09:06 AM

I believe that these lyrics are wrong. On the version recorded by Tom (Clarence) Ashley and Doc Watson, the words sung are "standing on the corner reading the bill," a probable reference to his own wanted poster. Check out the various versions of this old ballad and decide for yourself: they range from the sublime (the Freight Hoppers) to the ridiculous (Bob Dylan, not at his best on this one, and he does indeed say "ringing my bell." I know what it means when a ballplayer "really got his bell rung," but I'm not sure this is what Dylan was doing at the time.)

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 09:33 AM

I loved Dylan's version on Self Portrait. However, I may be the only one that I know that think it is a great album.

JAB

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: bob jr
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 12:28 PM

no jab your not the only one i also think its a great album too

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: gillymor
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:45 PM

Almost like Gern I hear it "Iwas standing on the corner and reading the bills, When up walked the sheriff from Thomasville." Got it from "Doc Watson on Stage" (he plays banjo on it). Tony Rice and Jerry Garcia(on solo acoustic guitar) also do nice versions of this great old ballad.

Frankie

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: Margo
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 10:06 PM

Thanks guys. Reading the bill makes more sense to me. I'll sing it that way. I hate singing words and phrases that I don't understand. Margo

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 04:33 AM

Funny, this is the song that first brought me here. I couldn't figure out what Tom Ashley was saying. Now I'm even MORE confused... :0

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Little Sadie - ringing my bell?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 10:56 PM

Dylan sings "standin' on a corner, just ringin' my bell". Why? Because it SOUNDS good. It makes less sense than "reading the bills", but it sounds absolutely great! This is how Dylan often uses lyrics. He tends toward a mysterious use of language, which suggestsmany things, and confirms nothing ("and muttered underneath his breath, "Nothing is revealed."). That leaves it free to the individual interpretation. That's very democratic art. Joan Baez says that he is good at "keeping things vague". That is one reason why he writes such powerful songs. The layers of possible meaning and interpretation are endless, and they are up to the listener.

Is this a sidewalk Santa ringing his bell? No, definitely not. It's not anyone ringing an actual physical bell at all, it's something else. It is highly unlikely that it refers to anything sexual...but how about the inner voice of the man, the voice of the heart, the unspoken desires, the voice of the soul?

Could those not be characterized as a ringing bell?

How about the cry of loneliness, anger or despair? That's a ringing bell.

There you go. Sing it either way...but "ringing my bell" is more powerful and packs a keener punch.

I love Dylan's slower version of "In Search of Little Sadie". It's a killer, on an album with a few lousy tracks and a bunch of great ones.

Subject: TAB: Little Sadie
From: GUEST,JP
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:05 AM

{t:LITTLE SADIE }
{st:(AKA Bad Lee Brown, East St. Louis Blues, Late One Night, Penitentiary Blues) }

  
 Dm      F        Dm                C                          Am  
1 |   |   |   |   2 |   |   |   |   3 |   |   |   |   4 |   |   |   |  
|---------T-9-8---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|---8-9-T-------T-|-9-8-------------|-----8---T---8---|-----------------|  
|-T---------------|-----T-9-7---7-8/|-9-----9-9---9---|-T-9-7-----------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------T-7-------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
  
C                                     A7                        Dm  
5 |   |   |   |   6 |   |   |   |   7 |   |   |   |   8 |   |   |   |  
|---------5-4-3-0-|---------0---5-6-|-8-5-----5-------|-5---5---------0-|  
|-5-4-3-----------|-4-3-------------|-----8-5---8-6-5-|-6---5-----------|  
|-------5---------|-----5-2---------|-----------------|---------7---7---|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
  
Dm        F         Dm                C                         Am  
17|   |   |   |  18 |   |   |   |  19 |   |   |   |  20 |   |   |   |  
|-1-3-1-0---0-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|---------3---3-1-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-2-1p0-----------|---------0-2-0---|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-------3-0---0-1-|-2-1-2-3-------3-|-2-0-------------|  
|-----------------|-----------4-----|-----------------|-----3-2-0-------|  
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------0-3/5-|  
  
C                                     A7                        Dm  
21|   |   |   |  22 |   |   |   |  23 |   |   |   |  24 |   |   |   |  
|-----------------|-----------------|-5-----0-3-1-0---|-----------------|  
|-----------------|-------------5-8-|---8-6---------3-|-1---------------|  
|---------------5-|-8\7-5---5-7-----|-----------------|---2p0-----------|  
|-----------5-7---|-------7---------|-----------------|-------3-0-------|  
|-3---3-5/7-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
|---5-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|  
  
/4 means slide up to this note.     \3 means slide down to this note.     3p2 means pull off from 3 to 2.  
  
0h3 means hammer on from 0 to 3.     T means tenth fret  
#The intermediate player should be able to perform this break in approximately 6.5 seconds.  
{eot}  

[Dm]Went out one [F]night to make my [Dm]rounds,
[C]Met little Sadie and I blowed her [Am]down.
[C]I run right home and I went to bed,
[A7]A forty-four smokeless under my [Dm]head.

[Dm]I began to [F]think what a deed I'd [Dm]done,
[C]Grabbed my hat and away'd I [Am]run;
[C]Made a good run, just a little too slow,
[A7]They overtook me in Jeri[Dm]cho.

[Dm]Standin' on the [F]corner, readin' a [Dm]bill
[C]Up stepped the sheriff from Thomas[Am]ville;
[C]Says, "Young man, is your name Lee Brown?
[A7]Remember the night you blowed Sadie [Dm]down?"
{colb}
[Dm]"Yes, Oh [F]yes, my name is [Dm]Lee
[C]I murdered little Sadie in the first de[Am]gree,
[C]First degree and the second degree,
[A7]Got any papers, you can read 'em to [Dm]me."

[Dm]Took me down[F]town and dressed me in [Dm]black,
[C]Put me on the train and they sent me [Am]back.
[C]Had no one to go my bail,
[A7]Crammed me back into the county [Dm]jail.

[Dm]Judge and the [F]jury they took their [Dm]stand,
[C]Judge had his papers in his right [Am]hand,
[C]Forty-one days, forty one nights,
[A7]Forty-one years to wear the ball and the [Dm]stripes.
#With the chords
#you might not agree,
#But what the heck-
#The tab is free!
#Mac

Subject: Lyr Add: LITTLE SADIE
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 09:50 PM

I was standin on the corner
Just readin the bill
Along came the sheriff from Jericho Hill
He says hey fella is your name Brown?
Remember the night you blowed your Sadie down?

I said oh yea my name is Lee
You got me for murder in the first degree
First degree, second degree
If you got any papers will you read em to me?

Later on:

They sent me to Frankfort, I been there before
Made me wear the chain Til my ankle was sore
Gave me forty one years to life
And all I did was kill my wife.

That's the way (with another five or so verses) that I've been singing it for about thirty years but I don't know where I got the verses from

CB