|
Down on Me
Traditional Spiritual and Gospel;
ARTIST: Sung by Dock Reed at Livingston, Alabama, 1940
SHEET MUSIC:
YOUTUBE:
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: early 1900s; 1930 recording Eddie Head and His Family
RECORDING INFO: Down on Me
Work, John W. / American Negro Songs and Spirituals, Dover, Bk (1998/1940), p115b
Odetta. My Eyes Have Seen, Vanguard VRS-9059, LP (1960), trk# B.02
Pinckney, Mary. Carawan, Guy & Candie / Sing for Freedom, Sing Out, sof (1990), p235 [1965]
Pinckney, Mary. Carawan, Guy & Candie (eds.) / Ain't You Got A Right to the Tree of Life, Univ. of Georgia, Sof (1989/1966), p137 [1963-65]
Von Schmidt, Eric. Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt, Prestige 7717, LP (1963), trk# B.06
OTHER NAMES: French Blues
RELATED TO: Keep Your Hand on the Plow, Hold On; French Blues
SOURCES: Folk Index; Mudcat; Songsters and Saints: Vocal traditions on Race Records, Volume 2 By Paul Oliver
NOTES: "Down on Me" is a traditional spiritual. This version is from Dock Reed at Livingston, Alabama in 1940. Perhaps the best known version was recorded by Janis Joplin. There is a 1930 recording of 'Down on Me', (vocal, guitar and tambourine) by obscure gospel group, Eddie Head and His Family, on the wonderful compilation CD: 'American Primitive Vol 1: Raw Pre-war Gospel' Revenant 206, the late John Fahey's label.
Another field recording (sung by Mary Pickney and Janie Hunter) is on Been in the Storm So Long: A Collection of Spirituals, Folk Tales and Children's Games from Johns Island, SC (Smithsonian Folkways 40031); the transcription of words & music is in Sing for Freedom (p. 235). Other sound recordings are by the Golden Harps (on V.A., Soul of Chicago)and Edna G. Cooke. Variants are also in Work, American Negro Songs (p. 115); Solomon, Honey in the Rock (Mercer University Press, p. 112); and Peters, Lyrics of the Afro-American Spiritual (p. 10).
DOWN ON ME (Sung by Dock Reed at Livingston, Alabama, 1940) Various Artists, Negro Religious Songs and Services (Rounder CD 1514). The "down on me" stanza was also used in "French Blues," performed by Frank Evans, recorded by John A. Lomax at Parchman Penitentiary, 1936 (on Various Artists, Deep River of Song: Mississippi Saints & Sinners, Rounder CD 11661-1824-2).
CHORUS: Oh, down on me,
Down on me,
Looks like everybody in this world round down on me.
1. One of these mornings, bright and fair,
Hitch on my wings and try the air.
Looks like everybody in this world round down on me.
2. Mary and Martha, Luke and John,
All God's prophets dead and gone.
Looks like everybody in this world round down on me.
3. Ain't been to heaven, but I been told
Gates is pearl and the streets is gold.
Looks like everybody in this world round down on me.
4. God is God, God is God, rain is rain,
God's a man don't never change.
Looks like everybody in this world round down on me.
|