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.).
When You Are Gone
Blind Boy Fuller Lyrics
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Well, this war is raging, what is you men going to do?
If Uncle Sam call you in the war, and there's no use of feelin' blue
Hey, Uncle Sam'll call you, be by one and two and three
Yeah, when Uncle Sam call you, be by one, two and three
Hey, you no use of worryin', because these women back here worryin' me
Yeah, when you gone, no use to weep and moan
Well, when you gone, no use to weep and moan
Yeah, you ain't no use of worryin', for this good work be carried on
Yeah, when you're fighting, blood running in your face
Well, when you're fighting, blood running in your face
Ain't no use to worryin', you know this world is a funny old place
The lyrics of Blind Boy Fuller's song "When You Are Gone" are reflective of the societal and geopolitical context of the time, referring to the war and the call for military enlistment. The first stanza portrays the raging war, in which the singer queries what the men would do if enlisted by Uncle Sam. The lyrics resonate with a sense of patriotism, as the singer seems to encourage the men to be prepared to serve their country without worry. In the second stanza, the singer affirms Uncle Sam's expected call and reassures the women at home not to worry, indicating that they should be supportive of their men.
The subject matter changes in the third stanza, as the singer proclaims that there is "no use to weep and moan" when someone is gone, as their good work will carry on. It sounds like the singer is reassuring someone that even though they may leave, the fruits of their labor will continue to be appreciated or that life isn't perfect so it has no use in grieving. The final stanza seems to reflect the grim realities of war, with blood running down faces during battle, implying danger and sacrifice. The singer reminds the listener that this world is a funny old place, noting that worrying isn't necessary.
Overall, the lyrics of "When You Are Gone" demonstrate a strong sense of patriotism, resilience, and a recognition of the harsh realities of life during times of war.
Line by Line Meaning
This war is raging, what are you men going to do?
The war is happening. What will you do? If you are drafted to fight, don't be sad.
Hey, Uncle Sam'll call you, be by one and two and three
If you're drafted, it could happen quickly. There's no use worrying when the women left behind are already worrying.
Yeah, when you gone, no use to weep and moan
When you go off to war, there's no need to cry about it. The work you've done will continue without you.
Yeah, you ain't no use of worryin', for this good work be carried on
Don't worry about the work you'll be leaving behind because others will carry it on while you're gone.
Well, when you're fighting, blood running in your face
While you're fighting and seeing the harsh realities of war, things might be difficult.
Ain't no use to worryin', you know this world is a funny old place
There's no use worrying about the world because it's strange and unpredictable.
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.