Lyr Add: Bald Headed Woman

Subject: Lyr Add: BALD HEADED WOMAN (from Harry Belafonte)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 11:34 PM

This chain gang song sticks in my head but I can't find the source. I thought it was one of the Library of Congress, archive records - one of the early red ones but I can't find the track now. Or at the Library site or at Rounder or Mudcat or Google.

Couple of people (esp. Lightnin' Hopkins & Shel something) wrote unrelated songs or things by the title. (One of) the first to record it was Harry Belefonte (1960?) whose words are below. They agree with my recollection exactly. Perhaps from this, the Seeedish rockers, Abba (great name) recorded a garbled, pointless version and The Who took theirs and pointlessed and garbled it further. Then lots of others covered the rock nonsense.

I'm trying to find where it came from - which recording, from which prison & by whom recorded. And if Belafonte's words are as true to the original as I think.

Lastly, I'd like to know how it was used - dim memory has is as a hoeing song. This lighter tool would mean a faster work rhythm than, say, chopping and the work stroke might be the end of every other line. (?) Say, on each "mean." (???)

Yes?

There's a brief clip of Belafonte at Bald and, no surprise, it gives a pretty good Truth to the original (as I remember it) but the chop sounds seem very fast - 3 per line, I guess.

         Bald Headed Woman

I don't want no bald headed woman,
She too mean, Lord, Lordy well she too mean
I don't want no bald headed woman,
She too mean, Lord, Lordy well she too mean

I don't want no sugar in my coffee,
Make me mean Lord, Lordy well it make me mean
I don't want no sugar in my coffee,
Make me mean Lord, Lordy well it make me mean

I got a bulldog he weigh five hundred
In my back yard Lord, Lordy in my back yard
When he bark he call like thunder,
In my back yard well, Lordy in my back yard

I don't want no cold iron shackles
'Round my legs, Lord, Lordy well a round my legs.
I don't want no cold iron shackles
'Round my legs, Lord, Lordy well a round my legs.

If you see my long haired woman,
Better bow your head, Lord, Lordy well a bow your head
If you see my long haired woman,
Better bow your head, Lord, Lordy well a bow your head

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 11:44 PM

I think it is related to the "Take this Hammer" songs. There's a similar version I posted by the Sweet Brothers called "I've got a Bulldog."

As I remember there is a bunch of info in several threads.

Richie

Subject: Lyr Add: BALD HEADED WOMAN (from The Who)
From: Rasener
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 03:30 AM

These are the lyrics from The Who and this link will allow you to hear and see them sing it Bald headed woman - The Who

Yeah I don't want no bald headed woman,
It'll make me mean yeah lord it'll make me mean,
Yeah I don't want no bald headed woman,
It'll make me mean yeah lord it'll make me mean.

Yeah I don't want no sugar in my coffee,
It'll make me mean yeah lord it'll make me mean,
Yeah I don't want no sugar in my coffee,
It'll make me mean yeah lord it'll make me mean.

Yeah I'm traveling on a bald headed mountain,
I've done my time, I've done my time,
Yeah I've been traveling them bald headed mountains,
I've done my time, I've done my time,
I said I've done my time, I done my time.
I said I've done my time now yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
I've done my time yeah, I've done my time yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Don't want no bald headed woman baby,
Yeah gonna make me mean, make me mean,
I don't want no bald headed woman,
That's gonna gonna make me mean make me mean now,

Don't want no sugar in my coffee,
Gonna make me mean, make me mean,
Don't want no sugar in my coffee,
Gonna make me mean, make me mean.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: Scrump
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 06:27 AM

IIRC The Who's version was credited on the record label to Shel Talmy who produced their early singles (including this one), and he must have based it on the older song, and changed the lyrics to make it more 'suitable' for the 1960s pop audience. (Shel Talmy also produced a lot of the Kinks' early stuff too - no idea what happened to him afterwards).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: Roberto
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 06:49 AM

Abby, you can't find it because it is listed under the title BLACK WOMAN, re-released on two CDs: Prison Songs, Historical recordings from Parchman Farm 1947-48, Volume One: Murderous Home, Alan Lomax Collection, Rounder 1714, and Prison Blues of the South, Laserlight 17026. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: Abby Sale
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 11:54 AM

Absolutely right, Roberto. You have saved the small balance of my sanity. Happily, there's a clip at Rounder on "Murderous Home" and that's the one. I'm pleased (and not at all amazed) that Belafonte had the timing right of the "chops." Very fast for a work song. Hard work.

I had it on:

Negro Prison Blues & Songs, Legacy Int-CD, 199? which is a ripped copy of:

Negro Prison Songs (A Lomax,) Tradition - LP, 196? (1947)

Oi!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: Roberto
Date: 05 Nov 06 - 04:20 AM

I also have the Tradition lp, with a white cover and black bars making the drawing of a prison on it. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & Req. - Bald Headed Woman
From: Abby Sale
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 09:07 AM

Following up:

I draw your attention to:

http://www.folkstreams.net/ which is folkstreams.net - "A National Preserve of Documentary Films about American Roots Cultures" Streamed great stuff. RealPlay or Quicktime, etc. Wonderful stuff to make available in one easy place.

One film included is "Gandy Dancers," A 1994 film by Barry Dornfeld and folklorist Maggie Holtzberg. Track lining (the action _and_ the L of C work song we know) is demonstrated. Maybe be the same fellers we saw in their demonstration at Mystic - I don't know. Good narration and subtitles, too.

I been out east, I been out west
I believe I like Alabama the best
etc.

I don't know but I been told
Susie got a jelly roll
etc,

But I especially point to: "Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison," down the page. It has its own link but you want to see the whole front page. This is actual footage of Lomax' 1960's prison tour - not the 40's one. "Unfortunately" as Lomax notes, the singing quality - intensity - of the songs had much deteriorated. It is suggested this may be due to significantly humanized working conditions. A shame.

This was a good find for me - the Ancient Spouse has been suffering some hair loss recently - I hasten to add that now that A.S. stopped following doctor's orders and medication the problem seems much alleviated - But _naturally_ I started singing,

"I don't no bald-headed woman
She too mean, Lord, lordy
She too mean."

There was a minimalization of enjoyment of my humor here but that's never stopped me before. Anyway, I still haven't been able to unpack my books and records and get the full text and especially, my old head has that it's 1) a chopping song and also 2) the chop sounds much too fast to be possible even in a chain gang.

There's a good version by Belafonte on the web and finally I found a brief clip at Rounder. It's Southern Journey, not Lib. of Congress. The timing (and, no surprise, Belafonte has it right but dozens of terribly Mondegeened rock versions are silly wrong). It's very fast. So I began thinking it must be a hoeing song. I took a text from Belafonte for the time being.

Back to www.folkstreams.net and the streamed "Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison." They don't do this song but do show just how chopping worked. Clearly, "Bald-headed" (actually called "Black Woman" in the original) is a chopping song and the film shows how the pace works - it's alternate strokes from different choppers on the same tree. Great!

The site also posts (see "titles") "Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound" Martha King, Rob Roberts & Grace; 2005. This is done locally here (NC) a fine, fine follow-up of Sharp's/Campbell's work and what was fictionalized in "Song Catcher." They still ballad-sing. And good, too.

I wish the Mystic Seaport chanteymen would offer a demo film of the work and especially the timing of a set of differently used chanteys. They do the demos in situ but I'm not aware it's been filmed. It's hard to reckon where the stresses go without such. A few books put in marks but it's not the same.

Just thought I'd share this. Please forgive the reiterations.