Blind Lemon Jefferson certainly has a different sound than we are listening to today. But in hearing this song it immediately becomes clear that it is in classic 12 bar blues form. The AAB form of both the lyrics and the music jumps right out. The vocals are a barely contained wail about the challenges that he faces on a regular basis - he is blind and parentless, obviously poor by not having a home capable of keeping out the snakes, he has to deal with bedbugs, etc. This is almost a caricature of the blues - everything that could go wrong has done so!
I note that Blind Lemon is considered the first country blues star. What I kept thinking of in listening to this was the regular routine on "Hee Haw" of the song "Gloom, despair, and agony on me..." with its pentultimate line of "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all"!
No comments:
Post a Comment