Although Lead Belly most commonly played the twelve-string, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and accordion. In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad "John Hardy", he performs on the accordion instead of the guitar. In other recordings he just sings while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.
The topics of Lead Belly's music covered a wide range of subjects, including gospel songs; blues songs about women, liquor, prison life, and racism; and folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, the Scottsboro Boys, and Howard Hughes.
In 2008, Lead Belly was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Though many of his posthumous releases list him as "Leadbelly," he himself spelled it "Lead Belly." This is also the usage on most of his original records, tombstone, as well as of the Lead Belly Foundation.
Leadbelly was born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, and spent time in and out of prison most of his life. In 1933, serving a sentence for attempted murder, musicologists John and Alan Lomax "discovered" him on a field recording tour sponsored by the Library of Congress. That summer, he was pardoned by the governor of Lousiana after recording his plea for pardon on a record, together with "Good Night Irene". Leadbelly went on to make hundreds of recordings of all sorts of different songs: country, blues, spirituals, reels, and work chants.
His songs have been covered by Mark Lanegan, The Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nirvana, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, British Sea Power, Ram Jam, Ry Cooder, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Half Man Half Biscuit, Tom Waits, Shocking Blue, The White Stripes, Long John Baldry.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Biography: Lead Belly Biography
BIO Biography: Lead Belly Biography
Lead Belly Foundation: Lead Belly Foundation.org
Lead Belly is also on Last.fm as Lead Belly
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My girl, my girl, don't you lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My husband, was a hard working man
Killed a mile and a half from here
His head was found in a driving wheel
And his body hasn't ever been found
My girl, my girl, don't you lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
Leadbelly's song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is a haunting and melancholic exploration of love, loss, and suspicion. The primary focus of the song is on a lover's inquiry into where their partner has been sleeping. Each verse sees the lover pleading with their partner to tell them the truth about where they have been spending their nights, all while emphasizing the cold and desolate setting in which the partner claims to have been sleeping: "in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine."
As the song progresses, the tone shifts from one of desperate curiosity to one of ominous foreboding. The final verse reveals that the singer's husband has been killed, his head found in a driving wheel, while his body remains missing. Suddenly, the song takes on new meaning; the lover's questioning becomes increasingly urgent, as they realize that their somewhat cold and guarded partner may have been involved in the husband's disappearance.
The song's vivid imagery and evocative language make it a powerful and memorable work of art that has resonated with listeners for years. Its portrayal of love, loss, and betrayal speaks to universal human experiences and continues to captivate new generations of music lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
The singer is telling his significant other that he wants the truth.
Tell me where did you sleep last night
The singer is asking his significant other where she slept the previous night.
In the pines, in the pines
The significant other responds with the location where she slept the night before.
Where the sun don't ever shine
The location is in a place where the sun does not reach.
I would shiver the whole night through
The artist would be cold if he were to sleep in such a place.
My girl, my girl, where will you go
The singer is asking where his significant other will be going.
I'm going where the cold wind blows
His significant other responds with a location where it is cold and windy.
My husband, was a hard working man
The artist is introducing his late husband, stating that he was a hardworking man.
Killed a mile and a half from here
The husband was killed near the location where the artist and his significant other are currently.
His head was found in a driving wheel
The husband was involved in a fatal accident where his head was found in the wheel of the vehicle.
And his body hasn't ever been found
The husband's body was never found after the accident.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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