Signify This: Levee Camp Moan, 1965 Long Version

Even with the internet, it's hard to find a lot of things, which means sometimes you've (still) got to do it for yourself. Here's my quick and dirty transcription of Son House, "Levee Camp Moan," from the long version on Father Of The Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions.

Notes: "Levee Camp Moan" brings together elements from Son House's earlier renditions (1941-1942 sessions) of "Levee Camp Blues" and "Government Fleet Blues" -- you can hear that immediately, simply by playing them one after the other.  So far as I know, Son House was married five times, and was in his sixties at the time of performing the long version.

Hughes, Arkansas, is a part of the Mississippi Delta region, ten miles from the river and thirty from Memphis, Tennessee. It has been flooded more than once over the years. I'm supposing this Hughes is where the singer's "good looking woman" lived; it had fairly quick access to the landings where levee workers came in after shoring the lines up and down the Mississippi, sometimes (as in 1927) under the guns of the National Guard.

Levee Camp Moan (1965)

You know I had a job on the levee
I had a good looking woman who lived in Hughes
I had a job on the levee
I had a good looking woman she lived in Hughes
You know that pretty little thing
She kept me with the government fleet blues

You know on every pay day
She'd be standing around the landing crying
On every pay day
She'd be standing around the landing crying
She be saying why don't that big boat hurry and
Bring home that man of mine?

You know on every pay day
She could, she could hear the big boat when she blow
Well on every pay day
She could hear the big boat when she blow
But when I done not get the check
She told me she couldn't use me no more

But I said that's all right big girl
Honey, that's all right for you
Yeah - hooooo -- little girl that's all right for you
I say you treat me low down and dirty
See, baby, that's the way you's do

I packed up all my clothes
Left her settin' in the back door crying
Aye yeah I left her settin' in the back door crying
You know that done run the poor girl crazy
I believe she gonna lose her mind

You know don't come here honey
Throwing up your doggone hands
Don't come here baby
I said throwing up your doggone hands

You know I, I been your dog
Ever since that I been your man

But I said baby when you get lonesome
Set right down and write to me
Yeah -- yeah -- set right down you can write to me
You know I can read your little writing baby
Don't care where in this world I'll be

You know love . . . make you do things you don't want to do
You know love . . . make you do things you don't want to do
You know from love sometime
Will leave you feeling so sad and so blue

Oh, Listen here honey
Think about poor me some time
Yeah -- hooooo -- think about poor me some time
You know I feel so bad
When you roll across my mind

You know if you never no more see me
You'll forever be on my mind
If I never no more see you
Yeah, you'll forever be on my mind
You know every time I think about you honey
I just can't keep from crying

Oh it's so hard
To love when they don't love you
Ah, yeah -- yeah, when they don't love you
You can't do nothing baby when they do not want you

But I tell 'em look it here, baby
Your little trouble is coming home some day
Yeah just like I tell you
Your little trouble is coming home some day
I said you gonna be sorry
That you treated poor me this way

Today's Rune: Flow.  (Photo credit, 1927 levee workers: Janet Neusome).