Diddie Wah Diddie
Blind Blake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a great big mystery
And it sure is worrying me
This Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
[Verse 2]
The little girl about four feet four
Of your Diddie Wa Diddie, your Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
[Verse 3]
I went out and walked around
Somebody yelled, said "Look who's in town"
Mister Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
[Verse 4]
Went to church, put my hat on the seat
Lady sat on it said, "Daddy, you sure is sweet"
Mister Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
[Verse 5]
I said, "Sister, I'll soon be gone
Just gimme that thing you sitting on"
My Diddie Wa Diddie, My Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
[Verse 6]
Then I got put out of church
'Cause I talk about Diddie Wa Diddie too much
Mister Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
Blind Blake's song "Diddie Wah Diddie" is a playful and humorous tune that centers around a mysterious phrase: "Diddie Wa Diddie." The singer expresses confusion and curiosity about the meaning of the phrase throughout the song, as it seems to be a topic of conversation wherever he goes. In the first verse, the singer describes the phrase as a "great big mystery" that is worrying him. In the second verse, he recounts a little girl asking her father for more "Diddie Wa Diddie," adding to his confusion. The third and fourth verses recount encounters with people using the phrase while the fifth verse sees the singer asking a lady sitting on something to give him his "Diddie Wa Diddie." The sixth verse sees him getting kicked out of church for talking about the phrase too much.
The song appears to be a playful nod to the African American oral tradition of using nonsense phrases and slang as a form of communication and entertainment. Blind Blake's use of the repeated phrase "Diddie Wa Diddie" is reminiscent of the call and response format often used in spirituals and blues songs. The song may also be interpreted as a critique of the pervasive use of meaningless language in American culture or a commentary on the power of language to create meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a great big mystery
There is something unknown and puzzling
And it sure is worrying me
It is causing me concern and anxiety
This Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
This thing called 'Diddie Wa Diddie', also known as 'Mister Diddie Wa Diddie'
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
I desire to know the definition or explanation of Diddie Wa Diddie
The little girl about four feet four
Referring to a young female who is approximately four feet and four inches tall
Come on papa and give me some more
The young female is asking her father for more of something
Of your Diddie Wa Diddie, your Diddie Wa Diddie
Specifically, she is asking for more of the thing called 'Diddie Wa Diddie', also known as 'Mister Diddie Wa Diddie'
I went out and walked around
I went outside and walked about
Somebody yelled, said "Look who's in town"
An individual shouted, announcing my arrival in the area
Mister Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
This announcement included references to Diddie Wa Diddie and Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
Despite this announcement, I still desire to know the meaning of Diddie Wa Diddie
Went to church, put my hat on the seat
I attended a church service and placed my hat on a seat
Lady sat on it said, "Daddy, you sure is sweet"
A woman sat on the seat where I had placed my hat and complimented me, calling me 'Daddy' and saying that I was nice
I said, "Sister, I'll soon be gone
I spoke to a woman and told her that I would be leaving soon
Just gimme that thing you sitting on"
I requested that she give me the item she was currently sitting on
My Diddie Wa Diddie, My Diddie Wa Diddie
Specifically, I asked for the thing called 'Diddie Wa Diddie', using possessive pronouns to denote ownership
Then I got put out of church
As a result of my request, I was asked to leave the church
'Cause I talk about Diddie Wa Diddie too much
The reason I was asked to leave was because I had been speaking about Diddie Wa Diddie excessively
Mister Diddie Wa Diddie, Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
Despite being removed from the church, I am still curious about the meaning of Diddie Wa Diddie and Mister Diddie Wa Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means
In fact, I still desire to receive an explanation of what Diddie Wa Diddie means
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ellas McDaniel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dino vidal
Lyrics
There's a great big mystery, and it sure is worrying me
This Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
The little girl about four feet
Four, come on papa and give me some more
Of your Diddie Wah Diddie
Your Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
I went out and walked around,
Somebody yelled, said "Look who's in town"
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Went to church, put my hand on the seat,
Lady sat on it said, "Daddy, you sure is sweet"
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
I said, "Sister, I'll soon be gone,
Just gimme that thing you sitting on"
My Diddie Wah Diddie
My Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Then I got put out of church,
'Cause I talk about Diddie Wah Diddie too much
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Source: Musixmatch
Mark Ritchie
Blind Blake - Diddie Wah Diddie
There's a great big mystery, and it sure is worrying me
This Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
The little girl about four feet
four, come on papa and give me some more
Of your Diddie Wah Diddie
Your Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
I went out and walked around,
somebody yelled, said "Look who's in town"
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Went to church, put my hand on the seat,
lady sat on it said, "Daddy, you sure is sweet"
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
I said, "Sister, I'll soon be gone,
just gimme that thing you sitting on"
My Diddie Wah Diddie
My Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Then I got put out of church,
'cause I talk about Diddie Wah Diddie too much
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
Mister Diddie Wah Diddie
I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wah Diddie means
Dusty Thorburn
This is some amazing guitar playing here. It's too easy to get distracted by the funny lyrics and not notice what mastery of the instrument we are hearing.
Jack Wright
It's really not that difficult -- just try it.
murrmac
It is not difficult ... it is impossible. Nobody ....like nobody has ever succeeded in duplicating Blake's picking on this song. Ari Esinger is the only player I could imagine getting close ... as for Kaukonen ... Cooder ... Grossman .... Redbone ... Mann et al ... forget it.
Jack Wright
murrmac That's funny because I used to play it just fine. It would take some work to get it back but maybe I'll consider it a challenge.
Raphaël C
It's very difficult... Did you play it from the original or from Grossman? Because it's not the same, Blind Blake had an incredible bass and an extraordinary feeling (2:26-2:40 for example). It's not just poum tchac poum tchac like MJH.
Ross Leaver
One of the trickiest songs I’ve ever tried to learn played like this. Never quite mastered it!
Susan Nunes
Arguably the greatest guitarist ever recorded. Mindbogglingly brilliant. Only Rev. Gary Davis belongs in this league.
LookSik
nah. but great indeed
Cam G
you are spot on
Valley of the Rogue
@LookSik He really was the best there ever was. None of the so-called guitar gods of rock could come close to that. Imagine any of them doing this blindfolded. None of them could.