cocaine habit blues


sorabji.com: What song or tune is going through your head right now?: cocaine habit blues
By droopy on Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 08:28 pm:

    this is an old traditional song that has been done by, among others, woody guthrie and leadbelly. i just heard a great hand-clappin' version from the 30's by the memphis jug band. it's also known as "take a whiff on me."

    Walked up Ellum and I come down Main
    Tryin' to bum a nickle, just to buy cocaine
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho:
    Take a whiff on me, take a whiff on me
    And everybody, take a whiff on me.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    Went to Mr. Lehman's on a lope
    Sign in the window said: "No more coke".
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    Goin' up State Street, commin' down Main
    Lookin' for the woman that uses cocaine.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    I'se got a nickle, you'se got a dime...
    You buy the coke and I'll buy the wine.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
    Takes a brown-skin woman, for my particular use.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    I chew my tobacco, and I spit my juice
    I love my baby 'till it aint no use
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    Cocaine's for horses and not for men
    Doctors say t'will kill you but they don't say when.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.

    cho

    Whiff-a-ree and whiff-a-rye
    Gonna keep on a whiffin', boys, 'till I die.
    Ho, ho, ho...honey take a whiff on me.


By Nelly on Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 11:59 pm:

    but, who does the one that has the furniture man in it...


By Hal on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 02:14 pm:

    Captian Jack.


By droopy on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 04:11 pm:

    fuck billy joel.

    i know of a "furniture man" by lil mclintlock(sp?) and "furniture man blues" by lonnie johnson and victoria spivey.

    i've worked out a chord structure for "cocaine habit blues". it's my new favorite song


By Hal on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 04:13 pm:

    I'm to tired to fucking argue right now...

    Just no spirit...

    The season drained me, and lack of sex is causing my mind to have 4-5 minute delusions.


By droop on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 04:26 pm:

    who wants to argue? i'm just sayin' that you need some foot-stompin', knee-slappin', coke-sniffin', knee-growin', down-home jug band music.


By Hal on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 04:34 pm:

    TOOL.

    That Should do for me right about now.


By Nelly on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 08:34 pm:

    the version I'm thinking about was sung by David Bromberg, but I don't know who he got it from. Could be a guy named Luke Jordan. I just sent of for a country blues cd with that on it. a former pen pal of mine who was one of the weirdest people i went to school with used to sing and pick it around the schoolyard.

    Captain Jack?


By Nelly on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 08:40 pm:

    i know, it isn't the right cocaine song, but now i can't stop thinking about it

    "she brings me meat, honey, she brings me lard, she brings me everything that she can steal..."

    "he backed his truck up to my house, took everything I own, well if there ever was a devil without any horns, it must've been the furniture man, I hear you mama, amen, ain't gonna leave you little mama til the weather gets cool... round your backdoor, honey I'm gonna creep, just as long as you bring me 2 1/2 a week"

    "run, doctor, ring the bell, there's women in the alley... i'm just wild about my good cocaine"

    is about all I can remember


By semillama on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 10:19 pm:

    Hal.

    Take this quote to heart, by James Joyce:

    Ah, Masturbation! The amazing availability of it!


By droopy on Friday, December 28, 2001 - 12:43 am:

    i have a compilation tape somewhere with a david bromberg tune on it. it's a live version of "will not be your fool" where he drags out the end - "before i be your fool i'll see the career of marble mausoleum crumble to ashes under the wind that batters the cemetery, before i be your fool i'll...." the tune was written by the same guy who wrote that "train they call the city of new orleans" song arlo guthrie made famous. rocky somebody?

    whatever version of the cocaine song bromberg is doing, i'm sure it's gleaned from several sources. that's how it usually works with old songs that already have hundreds of different versions. that's how i do it - pick your favorite lines and favorite style and toss it all together.