High Water Everywhere (Part 1)
by 
Charley Patton 
recording of 1929-1934 
from 
Charley Patton: Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo L-1020) 
Well, backwater done rose all around 
Sumner 
now, 
drove me down the line 
Backwater done rose at Sumner, 
drove poor Charley down the line 
Lord, I'll tell the world the water, 
done crept through this town 
Lord, the whole round country, 
Lord, river has overflowed 
Lord, the whole round country, 
man, is overflowed 
You know I can't stay here, 
I'll go where it's high, boy 
I would goto the hilly country, 
but, they got me barred 
Now, look-a here now at 
Leland 
river was risin' high 
Look-a here boys around Leland tell me, 
river was raisin' high 
Boy, it's risin' over there, yeah 
I'm gonna move to 
Greenville 
fore I leave, goodbye 
Look-a here the water now, Lordy, 
Levee 
broke, rose most everywhere 
The water at Greenville and Leland, 
Lord, it done rose everywhere 
Boy, you can't never stay here 
I would go down to 
Rosedale 
but, they tell me there's water there 
Now, the water now, mama, 
done took Charley's town 
Well, they tell me the water, 
done took Charley's town 
Boy, I'm goin' to 
Vicksburg 
Well, I'm goin' to Vicksburg, 
for that high of mine 
I am goin' up that water, 
where lands don't never flow 
Well, I'm goin' over the hill where, 
water, oh don't ever flow 
Boy, hit Sharkey County and everything was down in Stovall 
But, that whole county was leavin', 
over that 
Tallahatchie 
shore 
Boy, went to Tallahatchie and got it over there 
Lord, the water done rushed all over, 
down old Jackson road 
Lord, the water done raised, 
over the Jackson road 
Boy, it starched my clothes 
I'm goin' back to the hilly country, 
won't be worried no more 
__________ 
Note: this song tells the story of the great Mississippi flood of 1927. The two-part song is long, it covers both sides of a 78 rpm. The music of part one is very similar to Willie Brown's "Future Blues" and Son House's "Jinx Blues"; 
Note 1: origin: from the old French word levée, act of raising, from lever to raise. An embankment for preventing flooding, or a river landing place, also, a continuous dike or ridge (as of earth) for confining the irrigation areas of land to be flooded. A levee camp therefore is a work camp for building or improving dikes to prevent rivers from flooding the land, primarily in the 
Mississippi Delta 
area.