Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton, December 11, 1926, Ariton, AL - Jul… Read Full Bio ↴Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton, December 11, 1926, Ariton, AL - July 25, 1984, Los Angeles, CA) was an American blues musician.

Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.

She joined Sammy Green's "Hot Harlem Revue" and toured throughout the South in the 1940's, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state's growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter's energy onto record.

Her big hit came, not from Robey's capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was "Hound Dog," which she recorded in 1952 with the Johnny Otis band and released in February 1953. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama's growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.

Thornton continued to tour the "chitlin' circuit" as fans began to favour newer R&B sounds over blues. For some years, Big Mama suffered in obscurity like most of her fellow bluesmen. Her name gained wider prominence and her career enjoyed a significant resurgence as her song "Ball and Chain" was covered by Janis Joplin, making it a regular number in her repertoire. From that point onward, Thornton would remain a headliner at blues festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the country and even in Europe. She began recording again, and released albums for the Arhoolie, Mercury, and Vanguard labels. Years of hard drinking and living began to take their toll, however, and by the late 1970s her health (and her trademark girth) had declined greatly. She nevertheless performed until her death at the age of 57 on July 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, where she was found dead from natural causes in the boarding house room in which she had been living. Johnny Otis conducted her funeral services, and she was laid to rest in Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Swing It on Home
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wished I was an Elf
Hanging from a tree
Now! All the sweet little men
preaching out to me

Now I'm swingin' on home
Mama's swingin' on home
Big Mama swung on home

Big Mama- is gonna marry you someday

Listen everybody!
What I got to say!
Hope that when you hear this record
I’ll be in your home someday

Now I'm swingin' on home
Mama's swingin' on home
Big Mama swinging on home
Big Mama- is gonna marry you someday

Last year you bought a horse
This year you knew it
Told me that it was going home
to get married to Jude

Now I'm swingin' on home
Mama's swingin' on home
Big Mama swinging on home
Big Mama- is gonna marry you someday

We don't pick no cotton!
Not even tomatoes!

All that we plant in my hometown
is candy and potatoes!

Overall Meaning

The song "Swing It on Home" by Big Mama Thornton is full of lively sentiments, rooted in the swing and blues sound style. The song opens with the line, "I wished I was an elf hanging from a tree. Now! All the sweet little men preaching to me." This imaginary opening line conjures thoughts of wanting to escape, perhaps from the hardships of life. Thornton then transitions into the chorus, which is, "Now, I'm swingin' on home. Mama's swingin' on home. Big Mama swung on home. Big Mama is gonna marry you someday." This phrase reinforces the power of home and family as a sanctuary from the existential stressors of everyday life.

Thornton's lyrics seem to be celebrating her own musical abilities while assuring the listener that good things are coming their way. She sings, "Listen everybody! What I got to say! Hope that when you hear this record, I'll be in your home someday." This line is an excellent example of the spirit of optimism that permeated the culture among blues and swing singers in the 1940s and 50s. The last three stanzas of the song presents strange images, from buying horses that have the ability to give an explanation of their actions to not picking cotton or even tomatoes. However, the use of candy and potatoes signifies that it is possible to live a sweet and fulfilling life in a place that is often perceived as devoid of opportunity.

Line by Line Meaning

I wished I was an Elf
I wish I were in a different form or place.

Hanging from a tree
Dangling from a tree branch or being in a precarious position.

Now! All the sweet little men preaching out to me
Now, all the charming men who are trying to win me over are talking to me.

Now I'm swingin' on home
Now I'm heading back home.

Mama's swingin' on home
My mother is also coming home with me.

Big Mama swung on home
I’m the big mama that made it home.

Big Mama- is gonna marry you someday
I'll eventually find the right partner and get married someday.

Listen everybody!
Hey, everyone, pay attention!

What I got to say!
This is what I have to say!

Hope that when you hear this record I'll be in your home someday
I hope to be welcomed in your home through the music that I created someday.

Last year you bought a horse
Last year you made a purchase.