Hammer Blues
by Charley Patton recording of 1929-1934 from Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020) Gonna buy me a hammock , carry it underneath through the tree Gonna buy myself a hammock, carry it underneath through the tree So when the wind blow, the leaves may fall on me Go on, baby, you can have your way Ball on, baby, you can have your way Sister, every dog sure must have his day Got me shackled, I'm wearin' a ball and... They've got me shackled, I'm wearin' my ball and chain An' they got me ready for that Parchman train I went to the depot, I looked up at the board I went to the depot, I looked up at the board If this train has left, well, it's tearin' off up the road Clothes I buy, baby, honey you gonna 'pre, ... You're gonna appreciate, honey, all clothes I'll buy I will give you all my lovin', baby, till the day I die I went way up Red River, crawlin' on the... I went up Red River, crawlin', on a log I think I heard the Bob Lee boat when she moaned __________ Note 1: as the first verse indicates, this song was mis-titled when it was issued by Paramount Records, it should have been titled "Hammock Blues"; Note 2: the state prison in Parchman , Mississippi, whose escapees often wandered into Patton's native Dockery , a Delta plantation town. Parchman was a complex of 15 labor camps covering a large area in Mississippi, a closed society of black men who were offered as "contract" labor to farms, railroads and industries of many sorts, passed around to do labor for the financial benefit of both the contractor and the state who sold them; Note 3: Bob Lee was the name of one of the steamships operated by the Lee Line of Memphis Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Created by: Bluesman Harry Page last updated on: May 28 2000
