Lyr Req: Poor Boy / Po' Boy (Bukka White)

Subject: Poor Boy by Bukka White
From:
Date: 07 Apr 98 - 10:07 PM

Anybody got words to Bukka White's Poor Boy? About momma trying to get son out of prison but the sargent wants two hundred dollar bills. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Poor Boy by Bukka White
From: Rockaday Johnnie
Date: 08 Apr 98 - 11:11 AM

Don't know the words, but there's a "Po' Boy" on Bukka White The Complete Sessions 1930-1940 Travelin' man Cd 03 -Also a Po boy long ways from home (probably NOT the song you're looking for) on "Mississippi Blues" Tocoma CD72701 - a re-issue of the Fahey tapes.

Subject: Lyr Add: POOR BOY LONG WAYS FROM HOME
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 07:00 PM

I think this song and PO' BOY are sung to the same tune, though the words may be significantly different.


POOR BOY LONG WAYS FROM HOME
As sung by Bukka White on "The Sonet Blues Story" (2006)

Poor boy long way from home,
Poor boy long way from home,
Poor boy long way from home,
I don't have no happy home to go.

When I left my home, my baby said moan(?) [or "sat and moaned"? or –?]
When I left my home, my baby said moan(?)
When I left my home, my baby said moan(?)
She want to know, daddy, when you comin' back home?

They got me down here on the farm.
Got me down here on the farm.
I don't have no one to come and go my bail.
Baby, I want to come back home to you.

Sorry, babe, I can't call you over the phone.
Sorry I can't call you over the phone
'Cause they got me down here on this little farm,
And I can't call you, baby, over the phone.

Subject: Lyr Add: PO' BOY
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 07:35 PM

Spotify has 11 copies of this song, all from different albums, but all stemming from the same original recording, I think. Some of them have apparently been electronically processed for noise reduction, but none are easy to understand. Below is my attempt at a transcription. I am not confident of ANY of the lyrics I have posted. More listeners might help.


PO' BOY
As sung by Bukka White

Poor boy he was traveling,
The king of the road.
Poor boy he got hungry.
He didn't even have nowhere to go.

Poor boy ...
... evenin' sun go down
They ... rock in a pillow
An' a cold ground hard sleepin' place(?)

Poor boy mama come to see him
Frightened ...
When she looked an' seen him,
Oh, she went to screamin' an' cryin'.

He said to her, "Mother,
Poor boy ...
Oh, she ... me
Oh, how old mother scream and cry.

Oh, she said goodbye.
Your mother's gonna leave you alone.
She tell you be a good boy.
You will be home by and by.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Boy by Bukka White
From: GUEST,999
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 10:09 PM

Discussion of the song lyrics at

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=2438.90

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Boy by Bukka White
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 14 - 11:05 PM

Poor Boy

Me and poor boy we were travellin'
Travellin' a long way from home
Me and poor boy we got forlorn
We got pulled off and fell a'bound

My dear mother she got worried
When we were down on that lil farm
My mother she called that farm
And they told her they hadn't seen felled abound

My dear mother got on the phone
And she called down on that little farm
When my mother talked to the sargeant
He wasn't no have mercy on that bill

Well the sargeant told my mother
It would take two hundred dollar bills
We didn't have no one
To come-and-go dollar bill

Poor boy he got worried
Poor boy cus and breakin' down
I said "poor boy don't worry
Our mother gonna get us out of prison bount"

Oh my mother she got worried
She couldn't get them two hundred dollar bills
So early one Sunday morning
My mother she came down on that farm

Well the sargeant met my dear mother
He met her at the gate
My mother she told the sargeant
She didn't even have no two hundred dollar bills

Well my mother she kneeled down
She kneeled down on her knees
Oh my mother told the sargeant
Would he please, sir, have mercy on poor me

My dear mother she started cryin'
Old sargeant he broke down
He said "feed boy please promise me
You will not hobo on my train."

I said listen my brother poor boy
Don't be worried and cryin'
Somebody, somebody somewhere
Gonna get us out of prison-bound.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Boy by Bukka White
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 16 - 04:48 PM

The John Lomax recording of this song has lyrics as follows (or at least as far as I can decipher):

Poor boy he was traveling
The king of the road
Poor boy he got hungry,
He didn't even have no where to go.

Poor boy says I hate for
That evening sun going down,
The curb, the rocks are my pillow
And the cold ground my sleeping place.

Poor boy's mama come to see him,
Frightened, sad and prison bound,
When she looked and see him,
How she went to screaming and crying.

Take back your old mother,
Poor boy now is prison bound,
Oh she kneeled on her knee,
How old mother screams and cries.

Oh she said goodbye,
Your mama's gonna leave you now,
She said if you be a good boy,
You will be home by and by.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Boy / Po' Boy (Bukka White)
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 07:12 PM

I have always played the second verse of Poor Boy a Long way from home as "When I left my home by baby didn't know"