As a boy Fuller learned to play the guitar and also learned from older singers the field hollers, country rags, and traditional songs and blues popular in poor, rural areas. It is reported that around 1926 he suffered from ulcerated eyes and became partially blind. His vision continued to deteriorate until 1928, when he was completely blind.
He started playing at informal gatherings and as he grew older, the opportunities for a blind black man being limited, he turned to getting what employment he could as a singer and entertainer at dives, street corners, house parties, and dances for pay.
He became well known enough that in 1935 he received an offer to record. Over a period of five years, Fuller made over 120 sides and his recordings appeared on several labels.
His style of singing was rough and direct, and his lyrics explicit and uninhibited as he drew from from every aspect of his experience as an underpriviledged person on the streets -- pawnshops, jailhouses, sickness, death -- with an honesty that lacked sentimentality. Although he was not sophisticated, his artistry as a folk singer lay in the honesty and integrity of his self-expression. His songs contained desire, love, jealousy, disappointment, menace and humor.[1]
Blind Boy Fuller was one of the most popular of the Piedmont blues artists that counted Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Willie McTell and Blind Blake amongst its number. He was so popular that when he died, his protégé Brownie McGhee reluctantly began a short lived career as Blind Boy Fuller No. 2 so that Columbia Records could cash in on his popularity. His song, 'Trucking My Blues Away', also gave America the famous saying 'Keep On Trucking'. He was often accompanied on harmonica by Sonny Terry.
Blind Boy Fuller died from a severe bladder infection in 1942, when he was only 33 years old. Blind Boy Fuller was an expressive vocalist and a masterful guitar player, best remembered for his uptempo ragtime hits "Rag Mama Rag," "Trucking My Blues Away," and "Step It Up and Go." At the same time he was capable of deeper material, and his versions of "Lost Lover Blues", "Rattlesnakin' Daddy" and "Mamie" are as deep as most Delta blues. Because of his popularity, he may have been overexposed on records, yet most of his songs remained close to tradition and much of his repertoire and style is kept alive by North Carolina and Virginia artists today.
The location of the final resting place of Blind Boy Fuller is Grove Hill Cemetery, located on private property in Durham, North Carolina. State records indicate that this was once an official cemetery, and Fuller's interment is recorded. The only remaining headstone is that of Mary Caston Langey.
Blind Boy Fuller has been recognized on two different plaques in the City of Durham. The North Carolina Division of Archives and History plaque is located a few miles north of Fuller's gravesite, along Fayetteville St. in Durham. The City of Durham officially recognized Fuller on July 16, 2001, and the commemorating plaque is located along the American Tobacco Trail, adjacent to the property where Fuller's unmarked grave is located (several hundred feet east of Fayetteville St.).
Meat Shakin' Woman
Blind Boy Fuller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say, hey, hey, meat shakin' on her bone
An' every time she shakes some man done left his home
If when you boys see my woman you can't keep her long
I say hey, hey, you can't keep her long
I got a new way to keep her down, you "monkey men" can't catch on
I say hey, hey, I want ham and eggs
And for my supper, mama, 1 want to feel your legs
Now you let me feel your legs, and they felt so strong
I say hey, hey, and they felt so strong
Baby, if you know what it's gonna be, baby, please don't let me know
Blind Boy Fuller's "Meat Shakin' Woman" is a blues song that talks about his experience with a large and curvy woman, whom he calls his "meat shakin' woman". Throughout the song, Fuller talks about how irresistible this woman is to men, and how every time she shakes her hips or moves her body, some man gets tempted and ends up leaving his home to be with her.
In the second verse, Fuller warns other men not to try and steal his woman, as he has a new way of keeping her around that the "monkey men" wouldn't be able to catch on to. This can be interpreted as Fuller being possessive over his woman and not wanting anyone else to have her.
In the last verse, Fuller mentions his desire for ham and eggs for dinner and wanting to feel his woman's legs for supper. He then goes on to say that he enjoyed touching her legs, but doesn't want to know what's going to happen next, implying that there may be consequences to his actions.
Overall, "Meat Shakin' Woman" is a fun and lighthearted blues song that celebrates Fuller's love for a big and beautiful woman, while also warning other men not to mess with her. The lyrics are playful and suggestive, but also showcase Fuller's clever songwriting and storytelling abilities.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a big fat woman, grease shakin' on her bone
I have a woman who is large with ample flesh jiggling on her frame.
I say, hey, hey, meat shakin' on her bone
I exclaim with enthusiasm on seeing the woman's ample flesh shaking on her frame.
An' every time she shakes some man done left his home
The woman's body has an irresistible pull that attracts and tempts men to leave their homes and come to her.
If when you boys see my woman you can't keep her long
If any man who sees my woman can't resist her for long,
I say hey, hey, you can't keep her long
then I mockingly declare that they cannot keep her for very long.
I got a new way to keep her down, you "monkey men" can't catch on
I have found a way to control her and since it is a secret which other men cannot comprehend, I refer to them as 'monkey men'.
Baby, for my dinner, I want ham and eggs
I request ham and eggs as my choice of food for dinner, my dear.
I say hey, hey, I want ham and eggs
I repeat my choice of dinner, emphasizing my desires.
And for my supper, mama, 1 want to feel your legs
And for my evening meal, my sweetie, I desire to caress your legs sensually.
Now you let me feel your legs, and they felt so strong
When you allowed me to touch your legs, I could feel their firmness and strength.
I say hey, hey, and they felt so strong
I express my amazement at the strength and firmness of your legs.
Baby, if you know what it's gonna be, baby, please don't let me know
Honey, if you know my true intentions, please do not reveal them to me.
Contributed by Jordyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.