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Hesitation Blues
Traditional Old-Time Blues Song; Widely Spread US
ARTIST: From Doc Watson- Down South, Sugar Hill SH-3742, LP (1984), cut# 5;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Early 1900’s
RECORDING INFO: Buddy Boy Hawkins-1930, "Voice Throwing Blues" (on TimesAint01); Bookbinder, Roy. Ragtime Millionaire, Blue Goose 2023, LP (1977), cut#B.05; Kaleidoscope. Side Trips, Epic BN 26304, LP (196?), cut# 3; Van Ronk, Dave. Dave Van Ronk Sings, Vol. 2, Folkways FA 2383, LP (1961), cut#A.06; Brown, Milton; & his (Musical) Brownies. Western Swing. Vol. 2 Historic Recordings, Old-Timey LP 116, LP (1975), cut#A.04; Famous Pyle Brothers. Up on Pyle Mountain, Pyle, Cas (1989), cut#B.02; Garcia, Jerry; and David Grisman. Shady Grove, Acoustic Disc ACD 21, CD (1996), cut#13b; Hall, Kenny; and the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band, Vol.II, Bay 103, LP (197?), cut# 13; Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Prestige PR 7720, LP (1964), cut# 6; Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, LP (1972), cut#3.06; Laketown Buskers. Dance Around in Your Bones, Marimac 4006, Cas (1991), cut#B.03; Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. Folk Songs of America. The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection., Library of Congress AFS L68, LP (1978), cut# 3b; Poole, Charlie; and the North Carolina Ramblers. Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers. Vol Two, County 509, LP (196?), cut# 1 (If the River Was Whiskey); Poole, Charlie; and the North Carolina Ramblers. Southern Dance Music, Vol. 1, Old-Timey LP 100, LP (196?), cut# 3 (If the River Was Whiskey); Poole, Charlie; and the North Carolina Ramblers. White Country Blues, 1928-36 - A Lighter Shade of Blue. Vol. 1, Columbia Legacy CT47920, Cas (1993), cut# 4 (If the River Was Whiskey); Rag Daddy. On the Road Again, Voyager VRLP 201-S, LP (197?), A.02; Shootin' Creek String Band. Young Fogies, Vol. II, Rounder 0369, CD (1995), cut#16 (If the River Was Whiskey); Stringbean (David Ackerman). Stringbean and His Banjo. A Salute to Uncle Dave Macon, Starday SLP 215, LP (196?), cut# 5; Watson, Doc and Merle. Down South, Sugar Hill SH-3742, LP (1984), cut# 5; Old Crowe Medicine Show, Eutaw; McTell, Ralph. Eight Frames a Second, Capitol ST-24O, LP (196?), cut#
OTHER NAMES: If the River Was Whiskey (Poole); The Hesitating Blues (W.C. Handy); Tom Watson Special (Fiddlin' John Carson); Voice Throwin' Blues (Walter Hopkins); Hill Billie Blues (Uncle Dave Macon) I've got the Mourning Blues (Uncle Dave Macon) Curley-Headed Woman (Rutherford and Burnett); How Long? (Cofer brothers); Georgia's Three Dollar Tag (Fiddlin' John Carson/ Moonshine Kate); Can I Get You Now (Allen Brothers); Must I hesitate (Bill Boyd and his Cowboy Ramblers); Mama, You're a Mess (Walter Smith); Voice Throwing Blues (Buddy Boy Hawkins-1930)
RELATED TO: I’ve Got the Morning Blues; Yodeling Blues;
SOURCES: Silber-FSWB, p. 75, "Hesitation Blues;" Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p154 (Drinking Song- Davis Version);
NOTES: Form AB. There are many different sources and versions of this blues song. The main versions are: WC Handy’s “Hesitating Blues”; Charlie Poole’s “If the River Was Whiskey”; Rev. Gary Davis "Hesitation Blues;" There are some great fiddle solos and fiddling on the old-time jug band versions including newer bands like the Old Crowe Medicine Show’s “Hesitation Blues” from their CD, Eutaw. Most jug band versions are upbeat similar to Poole’s version.
The Library of Congress has a version of Hesitating Blues by Jelly Roll Morton, piano, vocal, with an introduction by Alan Lomax. Arkansas oldtime group Reaves White County Ramblers recorded a version under the 'Hesitation Blues' title with the delightful couplet: I went down to the river to jump in an' drown/I thought of my honey and I couldn't go down.
The lyrics from ‘Hesitation Blues are generally floaters from other songs, especially the “Rye Whiskey/Jack O’Diamonds” group.
W.C. HANDY: W. C. Handy produced a song, "The Hesitating Blues" (copyright 1915; see Handy/Silverman-Blues, pp. 100-103) which uses this key line, but it is much more elaborate and with a different plot; I suspect they are separate songs, with one inspiring the other.
This piece was originally titled Hesitating Blues. It's very old, and several artists give credit to W.C. Handy for writing it in 1915. Billboard's edition of August 1915 called it "A hesitation novelty with ginger and go." The earliest recording I have found is by Esther Bigeau, who recorded a slow sensual version on March 28, 1923; From Philadelphia Jug Band - liner notes
ART GILLHAM: In California he had a group known as Art Gillham’s Society Syncopaters. Art met his long time song writing partner in St. Louis. Billy Smythe and and Billy's cousin, Scott Middleton appear to have gone with Art to California. By 1915 they returned to the midwest and in Louisville, Kentucky published their first composition, Hesitation Blues. The same year, W.C. Handy published a similar song, Hesitating Blues. Both appear to have been based on a folk song. W.C. Handy acknowledged the two songs were independently composed. The Smythe-Middleton-Gillham team wrote a large number of lyrics to go with the song. One of the phrases Art wrote was "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, show me a man a woman can trust." Art, Billy and Scott went to New York as song pluggers. In New York Art studied music with Ernest E. Brambach. In 1925 Gillham did an acoustic session for Columbia 140390-2 Hesitation Blues (electric microphone) (2 takes) recording his version.
Thomas "Hop" Hopson: According to David Evans in his book, "Ramblin' on my Mind" Handy stole his Hesitating Blues from Louisville pianist Thomas "Hop" Hopson. Evean states that, "according to oral history the song was written by Hopson." Clearly Handy's version is a rewrite based on an earlier song. Perhaps Gillham's song was taken from Hopson since they were both in Louisville in 1915.
CHARLIE POOLE: Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "If the River Was Whiskey" Columbia 15545-D, 1930; on CPoole02; Charlie Poole's lively breakneck speed version was copied by the Holy Modal Rounders, which is similar to the Philadelphia Jug Band version.
REV. GARY DAVIS: The Davis version has been copied by Hot Tuna, Von Ronk and others. The version is usually played fingerstyle and has an Am/E vamp in the verse.
Here's a 1919 version fron the Brown Collection "I Got de Hezotation Stockings and de Hezotation Shoes"
White ANFS 391 identifies a shorter text (without music) as a variety of the "hesitating blues" and cites W. F. Handy and Dorothy Scarborough for further examples of the type and discussions of its history.
From Blake B. Harrison, Trinity College student, December 5, 1919, with music.
1 My daddy drives a street car and my brother drives a hack ;
My mammy takes in washin' while I bawl de Jack.
Refrain:Oh, honey, how long will I have to wait?
Kin I git you now or must I hezotate?
2 I got de hezotation stockings and de hezotation shoes.
I believe to my soul I got de hezotation bhies.
Here are the lyrics from Doc Watson:
(break)
She throws my hat out the window and my clothes out the door,
I will get another mama, I don't want her anymore.
Spent my money to the last long dime,
Just a-cussin' and a-fussin' and a-fightin' all the time.
Won't you tell me how long, will I have to wait,
Can I get away now or must I hesitate?
They throwed me in the jail with my back to the wall
And a long tall mama was the course of it all
I will sleep in the woods in a hollow log
For a stay with you and let you treat me like a dog
Won't you tell me how long will I have to wait
Can I get away now or must I hesitate?
(break)
I'm a-going down the road with my hat in my hand
a-lookin' for a woman that's a-lookin' for a man
I'm not the doctor just the doctor's son
But I can ease your pain until the doctor come
Won't you tell me how long will I have to wait
Can I get you now or must I hesitate?
(break)
Come hear mama, payin' a rose on me
There's a sweet little woman that I'm a-gonna see
A hesitatin' papa with a hesitatin' blues
Found a hesitatin' mama that he can't afford to lose
Won't you tell me how long will I have to wait
Can I get you now or must I hesitate?
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