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Motherless Child Blues

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Please tell me pretty mama, honey where you stay last night?/Tell me, pretty mama, Lord, honey where you stay last night?/You didn't come home 'til the sun was shining bright.
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I'm going to the river, get me a tangled rocking chair. /I'm going to the river, get me a tangled rocking chair. /If the blues overtake me, I'm gonna rock away from there.
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When you see two women, always running hand in hand. /When you see two women, always running hand in hand. /You can bet your bottom dollar, one's got the other one's man.
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The song recorded by Hicks in 1927 tells of the singer's lack of respect for women and disenchantment with them. The song begins with the lyrics that give it its name:
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I have to go so far, to get my hambones boiled./I have to go so far, gal, to get my hambones boiled./These Atlanta women, won't let my hambones boiled.
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I done done more for you, than your daddy ever done. /I did more for you gal, than you daddy ever done. /I give you my jelly, he ain't gives you none.
17: 50: 97: 326: 305: 116: 69: 76: 54: 424: 378: 419: 83: 65: 429: 371: 43: 414: 222: 90: 409: 404: 231: 21: 322: 301: 243: 234:" (also covered by Clapton), is a blues standard, versions of which have been recorded by 216: 355: 205: 398: 255: 239: 211: 146: 142: 214:
adapted the song, retitled "Motherless Child", and recorded it for his 1994 album
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songs. They are different melodically and lyrically. One was first popularized by
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in 1930 tells of a daughter not following her dead mother's advice:
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and in a drum-and-bass reworking by the Scottish electronic artist
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This article is about the blues song. For the Negro spiritual, see
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The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters
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I'm a motherless child and I don't know right from wrong.
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If I mistreat you gal, I sure don't mean you no harm.
57:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 298:Ramblin' on My Mind: New Perspectives on the Blues 273:Oh daughter, Oh daughter, please don't be like me, 200:This song has been performed by the jazz musician 220:. Released as a single, the song reached #23 on 379: 8: 172:The other verses in the Hicks version are: 137:") is the name of two distinct traditional 386: 372: 117:Learn how and when to remove this message 300:. University of Illinois Press. p. 134. 18:Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 289: 278:To fall in love with every man you see. 254:The song recorded by Elvie Thomas with 7: 340: 338: 263:Mother told me just before she died, 55:adding citations to reliable sources 14: 250:"Motherless Child Blues" (Thomas) 342: 153:"Motherless Child Blues" (Hicks) 31: 42:needs additional citations for 230:A song with a similar title, " 20:. For another blues song, see 1: 358:. You can help Knowledge by 143:Robert "Barbecue Bob" Hicks 446: 337: 15: 321:. Da Capo Press. p. 38. 227:s mainstream rock chart. 66:"Motherless Child Blues" 317:Sackheim, Eric (2003). 354:-related article is a 135:Motherless Chile Blues 131:Motherless Child Blues 296:Evans, David (2008). 425:Songs about children 133:" (or, in dialect, " 51:improve this article 420:Songs about mothers 232:Motherless Children 22:Motherless Children 367: 366: 127: 126: 119: 101: 437: 430:Blues song stubs 388: 381: 374: 346: 339: 329: 315: 309: 294: 244:Lucinda Williams 122: 115: 111: 108: 102: 100: 59: 35: 27: 445: 444: 440: 439: 438: 436: 435: 434: 395: 394: 393: 392: 335: 333: 332: 316: 312: 295: 291: 286: 252: 217:From the Cradle 155: 145:, the other by 123: 112: 106: 103: 60: 58: 48: 36: 25: 12: 11: 5: 443: 441: 433: 432: 427: 422: 417: 412: 407: 397: 396: 391: 390: 383: 376: 368: 365: 364: 347: 331: 330: 310: 288: 287: 285: 282: 281: 280: 275: 270: 265: 251: 248: 206:Colin Waterson 170: 169: 164: 154: 151: 125: 124: 39: 37: 30: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 442: 431: 428: 426: 423: 421: 418: 416: 413: 411: 408: 406: 403: 402: 400: 389: 384: 382: 377: 375: 370: 369: 363: 361: 357: 353: 348: 345: 341: 336: 328: 327:1-56025-567-6 324: 320: 314: 311: 307: 306:0-252-07448-3 303: 299: 293: 290: 283: 279: 276: 274: 271: 269: 266: 264: 261: 260: 259: 257: 256:Geeshie Wiley 249: 247: 245: 241: 240:Dave Van Ronk 237: 233: 228: 226: 224: 219: 218: 213: 209: 207: 203: 198: 197: 193: 192: 188: 187: 183: 182: 178: 177: 173: 168: 165: 163: 160: 159: 158: 152: 150: 148: 144: 140: 136: 132: 121: 118: 110: 107:November 2023 99: 96: 92: 89: 85: 82: 78: 75: 71: 68: –  67: 63: 62:Find sources: 56: 52: 46: 45: 40:This article 38: 34: 29: 28: 23: 19: 360:expanding it 349: 334: 318: 313: 297: 292: 277: 272: 267: 262: 253: 229: 221: 215: 212:Eric Clapton 210: 199: 195: 194: 190: 189: 185: 184: 180: 179: 175: 174: 171: 166: 161: 156: 147:Elvie Thomas 134: 130: 128: 113: 104: 94: 87: 80: 73: 61: 49:Please help 44:verification 41: 415:Blues songs 202:Jimmy Scott 410:1930 songs 405:1927 songs 399:Categories 352:blues song 284:References 77:newspapers 236:Bob Dylan 223:Billboard 91:scholar 325:  304:  93:  86:  79:  72:  64:  350:This 139:blues 98:JSTOR 84:books 356:stub 323:ISBN 302:ISBN 242:and 70:news 268:... 53:by 401:: 246:. 238:, 208:. 149:. 387:e 380:t 373:v 362:. 308:. 225:' 129:" 120:) 114:( 109:) 105:( 95:· 88:· 81:· 74:· 47:. 24:.

Index

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Motherless Children

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"Motherless Child Blues"
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blues
Robert "Barbecue Bob" Hicks
Elvie Thomas
Jimmy Scott
Colin Waterson
Eric Clapton
From the Cradle
Billboard
Motherless Children
Bob Dylan
Dave Van Ronk
Lucinda Williams
Geeshie Wiley
ISBN
0-252-07448-3
ISBN
1-56025-567-6

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