Black Horse Blues
Blind Lemon Jefferson Lyrics


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Tell me what time do the trains come through your town
I wanna know what time do the trains come through your town
I wanna laugh and talk with a long-haired teasin' brown

One goes south at eight and it's one goes north at nine
One goes south at eight and one goes north at nine
I got a hour to talk with that long-haired brown of mine
Go and get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare
Go get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare
I'm goin' off to my good gal, she's in the world somewhere

I can't count the times that I stole aside and cried
I can't count the times that I stole aside and cried




Sugar, the blues ain't on me, but things ain't goin' on
right

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Blind Lemon Jefferson's song "Black Horse Blues" have a storytelling aspect to it. The song starts with the singer asking about train timings in the town. He wants to spend some time with someone he refers to as a "long-haired teasin' brown." The lyrics suggest that the singer is attracted to this person and wants to spend some quality time with them. The train timings are important to the singer, as they help him navigate and plan his time accordingly.


In the next verse, the singer mentions the timing of the trains again, indicating that one train goes south at 8 and the other north at 9. He mentions that he has an hour to talk to the "long-haired brown of mine." This suggests that he has limited time with her, and he wants to make the best of it. The singer wants to spend as much time with her as possible before the train passes by and takes her away.


The last verse of the song talks about the singer getting his black horse and grey mare ready to ride off to see his "good gal" who is somewhere in the world. The singer expresses his emotions and reveals how he has been stealing moments of solitude to cry. This indicates that though he is putting up a brave front, deep down he is struggling emotionally. The lyrics suggest that the singer is restless, and things are not going as planned. He feels the need to get out of his current situation and start anew.


Line by Line Meaning

Tell me what time do the trains come through your town
Inquire about the schedule of trains that pass through your town


I wanna know what time do the trains come through your town
Desire to have knowledge of the train schedule in the town


I wanna laugh and talk with a long-haired teasin' brown
Desire to spend time with a playful young woman with long hair


One goes south at eight and one goes north at nine
There are trains that go south at eight and north at nine


One goes south at eight and it's one goes north at nine
There is one train that goes south at eight and another that goes north at nine


I got a hour to talk with that long-haired brown of mine
There is enough time to converse with the aforementioned woman for an hour


Go and get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare
Retrieve the singer's black horse and prepare the singer's grey mare for travel


Go get my black horse and saddle up my Grey mare
Instruct someone to retrieve the artist's black horse and prepare the artist's grey mare for travel


I'm goin' off to my good gal, she's in the world somewhere
Departing to visit the artist's significant other who is located elsewhere


I can't count the times that I stole aside and cried
The artist has cried on multiple occasions


Sugar, the blues ain't on me, but things ain't goin' on right
The singer is not specifically feeling down, but things are not going well




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Kae Cake

He is a genius. I wish my generation would appreciate the roots of Rock n Roll ✨

Jean-Michel Dehalu

Tell me what time do the trains come through your town
I wanna know what time do the trains come through your town
I wanna laugh and talk with a long-haired teasin' brown

One goes south at eight and it's one goes north at nine
One goes south at eight and one goes north at nine
I got a hour to talk with that long-haired brown of mine

Go and get my black horse and saddle up my grey mare
Go get my black horse and saddle up my grey mare
I'm goin' off to my good gal, she's in the world somewhere

I can't count the times that I stole aside and cried
I can't count the times that I stole aside and cried
Sugar, the blues ain't on me, but things ain't goin' on right

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