Dry Well Blues
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020) Way down in Lula , hard livin' has done hit Way down in Lula, hard livin' has done hit Lord, your drought come an' caught us, an' parched up all the tree Aw, she stays over in Lula, bid that ol' town goodbye Stays in Lula, bidding you the town goodbye 'Fore I would come to know the day, oh, the Lula well was gone dry Lord, there're citizens around Lula, aw, was doin' very well Citizens around Lula, aw, was doin' very well Now they're in hard luck together, 'cause rain don't pour nowhere I ain't got no money and I sure ain't got no hope I ain't got no money and I sure ain't got no hope ...come in, furnished all the cotton and crops Boy, they tell me the country, Lord, it'll make you cry Lord, country, Lord, it'll make you cry Most anybody, Lord, hasn't any water in the bayou Lord, the Lula womens, Lord, puttin' Lula young mens down Lula men, oh, puttin' Lula men down Lord, you outta been there, Lord, the womens all leavin' town __________ Note 1: at the time he recorded this song, Patton lived in Lula, Mississippi; Note 2: this part of the song is so garbled that even an attempt at a phonetic transcription is doomed to fail, the poor sound quality of the recording doesn't help either; Note 3: if "bayou" is indeed the rhyme word of this verse, it's pronounced as "by"