Down In Mississippi

by Jimmy Reed recording of 1962, Chicago, Illinois from Jimmy Reed (Archive Of Folk And Jazz 234), Down in Mississippi where cotton grow tall, get arrested for trouble you got to call the hound dog Oh uh, down in Mississippi, whoa yeah, where the cotton grow tall Yes, and on the other hand, baby, boll weevil wearing overalls Go to work in the morning, you know, 'bout 4 o'clock Uh, if the mule don't holler, yeah, I don't know when to stop Down in Mississippi, baby, uh whoa yeah, where the cotton grow tall Well, and on the other hand, baby, boll weevil wearing overalls I go to church in the morning, baby, you know, down the railroad track Late over in the evening they bring, bring the preacher back He eat up all the chicken now but uh right to the neck Look over at my baby and he eat up all the rest 'cause he was uh down in Mississippi Uh oh yeah, where the cotton grow tall Well now, and on the other hand, baby, boll weevil wearing overalls __________ Note: originally issued as Vee-Jay 616 Note 1: boll weevil wearing overalls, personification of the cotton pest. The bo or boll weevil or weavil is a grayish weevil, super-family of beetles, that infests the cotton plant and feeds on the squares and bolls. drawing Note 2: Late over in the evening, around 5 p.m.

 

Buy the Book!

I cleaned up my tab for Sonny Boy's Help Me and made it into a short book. There's a Kindle version for 99 cents, and if you buy the paperback you get the Kindle free.

Playing "Help-Me" In the Style of Sonny Boy Williamson II: A step by step, note for note analysis of some of Sonny Boy's Signature Riffs