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Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor
Old-Time, Blues Tune; Widely known
ARTIST: Lyrics from a variety of Artists including Joe Parrish, Mississippi John Hurt and Hoyt Axton. From an on-line source.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Early 1900’s; 1923 by W.C. Handy
RECORDING INFO: An early recording is Leake County Revelers in 1928 on Columbia 15264-D; Bogtrotters (Bog Trotters). Original Bogtrotters, Biograph RC 6003, LP (196?), cut# 3; Brady, Rafe. Cherokee Rose, Heritage (Galax) 032, LP (1981), cut# 13; Cannon, Gus. Walk Right In, Stax SCD-8603-2, CD (1999), cut#11; Daniels, Charlotte; and Pat Webb. Charlotte Daniels and Pat Webb, Prestige International INT 13037, LP (196?), cut#B.04; Denny, Sandy. Sandy Denny, Saga 13153, LP (1979), cut# 7; Grossman, Stefan. Country Blues Guitar, Kicking Mule KM 145, LP (1977), cut#A.02 (Pallet on Your Floor); Guthrie, Woody. Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs, Vol. 2, Folkways FA 2484, LP (1964), cut#B.06; Hurt, Mississippi John. Best of Mississippi John Hurt, Vanguard VMS 73103, LP (1974), cut# 9; Hurt, Mississippi John. Mississippi John Hurt, Vol. 3. Sacred and Secular, Heritage (England) HT320, LP (1988), cut# 1; Hurt, Mississippi John. Mississippi John Hurt Today, Vanguard VSD 79220, LP (1966), cut# 4; Kweskin, Jim. Relax Your Mind, Vanguard VSD-79188, LP (1965), cut#B.03; Lucinda. Lucinda. Ramblin' on My Mind, Folkways FTS 31066, LP (1979), cut# 10; Post, Jim. Jim Post & Friends, Flying Fish FF70 409, CD (1987/1993), cut# 1 (Pallet on the Floor); Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Five String Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 108, LP (1974), cut# 15; Rucker, Sparky (James). Cold and Lonesome on a Train, June Appal JA 0017, LP (1977), cut#B.05 (Pallet on the Floor); Rush, Tom. Tom Rush, Fantasy 24709, LP (1972), cut# 18 (Pallet on the Floor); Seeger, Mike; and Paul Brown. Way Down in North Carolina, Rounder 0383, CD (1996), cut# 8; Watson, Doc. Doc Watson's Favorites, Liberty LN-10201, LP (1983), cut#A.02; Weavers. Travelling on with the Weavers, Vanguard VSD-2022, LP (195?), cut# 8 (You Made Me a Pallet on the Floor);
RELATED TO: "Chilly Winds" (floating lyrics); “Pallet On the Floor” (Rag); “Never Drive a Stranger from Your Door” (Blues); “Ain't No Tellin';” “Lucky Me;”
OTHER NAMES: “Atlanta Blues;” “Make Me One Pallet on Your Floor;” “Make Me a Bed on Your Floor;” “Pallet on the Floor;”
SOURCES: Journal of American Folklore XXIV 278; Handy/Silverman-Blues, pp. 190-192, "Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet on Your Floor)" (1 text, 1 tune, loosely based on this song); Darling-NAS, pp. 292-294, "Lovin' Babe" (1 text, composite of floating verses including this one); Blues: An Anthology, edited by W.C. Handy (1926; 1946; Macmillan, 1972, p. 190-192; with music) Library of Congress by Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers;
NOTES: The title was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's. The copyright for this song under the title, “Atlanta Blues” in 1923 is by W. C. Handy with lyrics by Dave Elman.
A pallet is a straw-filled tick or mattress or a small, hard, or temporary bed.
“Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” has floating verses, possibly about life in the south (often Atlanta) and the singer's desire to return there. Held together by a chorus like, "Make me a pallet on your floor (x2), Make it soft, make it low, so my good gal won't know Make me a pallet..."
The song is referenced in the Journal of American Folklore XXIV 278 in 1911. A favorite amongst blues players, it was remembered as one of the Bolden Band's specialties. W. C. Handy used it as a strain in his 1917 recording "Sweet Child", and it was copywritten in 1923 as "Atlanta Blues".
Blues/Jazz pianist Junior Mance said in his on-stage intro about Atlanta Blues: "Now I'd to play a tune that's written by WC Handy. It's a tune that has two titles -- it's known as Atlanta Blues and the other title is, Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor. I don't understand the correlation of the two, but anyway, here it is. I'll call it, Atlanta Blues."
“Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” appears in variety of settings. Mississippi John Hurt recorded an unusual version entitled “Ain’t No telling.” Gus Cannon recorded it on “Walk Right In” in 1963 at the age of 73. Many of the white string bands that recorded it in the 20’s and early 30’s and 40’s called it, “Make Me a Bed on Your Floor.”
Here are the lyrics to “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” by several performers:
Make me a pallet on your floor
Make me a pallet on your floor
Make it soft, make it low, so my good gal won't know
Make me a pallet on your floor.
(Verses attributed to Joe Parrish)
I know that I'd be satisfied,
If I could hop that train and ride
If I make Atlanta with no place to go,
Make me a pallet on your floor
cho: Make me a pallet on your floor,
Make it right down to the door,
Make it long, make it low, so my good gal won't ever know,
Make me a pallet on your floor
Give everybody my regards,
I'm goin' if I have to ride the rods,
And if I make Atlanta with no place to go,
Make me a pallet on your floor
I'm tired and I cant work no more (2x)
Well Im tired, lonesome, weary and I cant work no more,
Pretty baby now, make me a pallet on your floor
(additional verses contributed by several folks)
Come all you good time friends of mine,
Come all you good time friends of mine.
You're all around me now, well, now I'm doing fine,
But where were you when I only had a dime.
Where are all them good-time friends of mine? (repeat)
When I had a dollar bill they treated me jus' fine;
Where are they no I don't have a dime?
I'm goin' where the water tastes like wine-- (2x)
This New York water tastes like turpentine--
I'm goin' where the water taste like wine.
I'm goin' where them chilly winds don't blow; (2x)
When I get to Mussel Shoals, without no place to go,
Make me a pallet on your floor.
Honey make me down a pallet on your floor (x2)
Honey make it down make it soft and low
Then maybe my good gal she wouldn't know
I'm goin' up the country through the sleet and snow (x3)
Ain't no tellin' just how far I'll go
I get my breakfast here and my dinner in Tennessee (x3)
I told you I's a comin' so you better look for me
Honey I can't lay down 'cross your bed
No I can't lay down 'cross your bed
No you know I can't lay down cross your pretty bed
'Cause my good gal she might kill me dead
(from *Mississippi John Hurt)
Make me down a pallet on your floor, (2x)
Make me a pallet down soft and low,
Make me a pallet on your floor.
Up the country, where there's cold, sleet and snow
Up the country where there's cold, sleet and snow,
I'm goin' up the country where there's cold, sleet and snow,
No tellin' how much further I may go.
Way of sleepin', my back and shoulders' tired,
Way of sleepin', my back and shoulders' tired
This way of sleepin', my back and shoulders' tired
Goin' turn over and try it on the side.
Don't you let my good girl catch you here
Please don't let my good girl catch you here
Or she might shoot you, might cut and stab you, too,
No tellin' what she might do.
(and some more verses)
Worried blues are everywhere I see
These worried blues are everywhere I see
These blues are all around me, they're everywhere I go
Make me a pallet on your floor.
I'd be more than satisfied
If I could take that train and ride
When I reach Atlanta, with no place to go
You can make me a pallet on your floor.
(from Hoyt Axton)
If I could hop that freight and ride (2x)
I'd ride through the night 'till I came you your door
Make me a pallet on the floor.
Soft talk don' do a gal no good (3x)
If it could I surely would,
*Usually titled “Ain’t No Tellin’”
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