Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mary Johnson: Key To The Mountain Blues













Here's my transcription of the lyrics to another song composed by Signifying Mary Johnson -- "Key To The Mountain Blues" (1929), with Johnson on vocals, Ike Rodgers on trombone and Henry Brown on piano; recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, circa November 1929. Reminds me a little of the Pied Piper, among other folktales (the magic mountain). If anyone's got suggestions, please let me know.  Cheers!

"Key to the Mountain Blues" by Mary Johnson

My man's in the mountain
And I've got the mountain key
My man’s in the mountain
And I’ve got the mountain key
If you want to see my man
You’ve got to come to me.

Mmmmh he was my man
Before you women ever knew his name
Mmmmh he was my man
Before you women ever knew his name
And you know by that
You’ve got to see me just the same.

Mmmmmmmh, ohhhhh
Play it a long time, Daddy*
Play it for your freakiest Mama
Oh it feels so good
Ahhhhhhhh, Holy-Holy!
Hold it a l-l-long time . . .

If you women wants a good man
Find one of your own
If you women wants a good man
Find one of your own
For this man is my man
I want you women to leave my man alone.

Now I have no place
For you women you see
Now I have no place
For you women you see
For my man's in the mountain
And I've got the mountain key.

* [Call and response with trombone-player and pianist].

Today's Rune: Movement.

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

call and response is a strange art form to me. I like it but when I first saw it I didn't understand what was happening.