Born in the town of Thomson, Georgia, McTell learned how to play guitar in his early teens. He soon became a street performer around several Georgia cities including Atlanta and Augusta, and first recorded in 1927 for Victor Records. Although he never produced a major hit record, McTell's recording career was prolific, recording for different labels under different names throughout the 1920s and 30s. In 1940, he was recorded by folklorist John A. Lomax and Ruby Terrill Lomax for the Library of Congress's folk song archive. He would remain active throughout the 1940s and 50s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime associate, Curley Weaver. Twice more he recorded professionally. McTell's last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by an Atlanta record store owner in 1956. McTell would die three years later after suffering for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his mainly failed releases, McTell was one of the few archaic blues musicians that would actively play and record during the 1940s and 50s. However, McTell never lived to be "rediscovered" during the imminent American folk music revival, as many other bluesmen would.
McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including The Allman Brothers Band, who famously covered McTell's "Statesboro Blues", and Bob Dylan, who paid tribute to McTell in his 1983 song "Blind Willie McTell"; the refrain of which is, "And I know no one can sing the blues, like Blind Willie McTell". Other artists influenced by McTell include Taj Mahal, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Ralph McTell, Chris Smither and The White Stripes.
Born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia, blind in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for the blind in the states of Georgia, New York and Michigan and showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing harmonica and accordion, learning to read and write music in Braille, and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. His family background was rich in music, both of his parents and an uncle played guitar; he is also a relation of bluesman and gospel pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey. His father left the family when McTell was still young, and, when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering musician, or "songster". He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta.
McTell married Ruth Kate Williams, now better known as Kate McTell, in 1934. She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent apart, with her living in Fort Gordon near Augusta and him working around Atlanta.
In the years before World War II, McTell traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under many different names, including Blind Willie McTell (Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (Columbia), Georgia Bill (Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (Victor), Blind Willie (Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (Regal). The "Pig 'n Whistle" appellation was a reference to a chain of Atlanta barbecue restaurants, one of which was located on the south side of East Ponce de Leon between Boulevard and Moreland Avenue, which later became a Krispy Kreme. McTell would frequently played for tips in the parking lot of this location. He was also known to play behind the nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. Like his fellow songster Lead Belly, who began his career as a street artist, McTell favored the somewhat unwieldy and unusual twelve-string guitar, whose greater volume made it suitable for outdoor playing.
In 1940 John A. Lomax and his wife, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, interviewed and recorded McTell for the Library of Congress's Folk Song Archive in a two-hour session held in their hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. These recordings document McTell's distinctive musical style, which bridges the gap between the raw country blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more conventionally melodious, Ragtime-influenced East-Coast Piedmont blues sound. Mr. and Mrs. Lomax also elicited from the singer a number of traditional songs (such as "The Boll Weevil" and "John Henry") as well as spirituals (such as "Amazing Grace"), which were not part of his usual commercial repertoire. In the interview, John A. Lomax is heard asking if McTell knows any "complaining" songs (an earlier term for protest songs), to which the singer replies somewhat uncomfortably and evasively that he does not. The Library of Congress paid McTell $10, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011, for this two-hour session. The material from this 1940 session was issued in 1960 in LP and later in CD form, under the somewhat misleading title of "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings", notwithstanding the fact that it was in fact truncated, in that it omitted some of John A. Lomax's interactions with the singer and cut out entirely the contributions of Ruby Terrill Lomax.
Postwar, McTell recorded for Atlantic Records and Regal Records in 1949, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform around Atlanta, but his career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes and alcoholism. In 1956, an Atlanta record store manager, Edward Rhodes, discovered McTell playing in the street for quarters and enticed him with a bottle of corn liquor into his store, where he captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These were released posthumously on Prestige/Bluesville Records as Last Session. Beginning in 1957, McTell occupied himself as a preacher at Atlanta's Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia, of a stroke in 1959. He was buried at Jones Grove Church, near Thomson, Georgia, his birthplace. A fan paid to have a gravestone erected on his resting place. The name given on his gravestone is Eddie McTier. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1981, and into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
One of McTell's most famous songs, "Statesboro Blues," was frequently covered by The Allman Brothers Band and is considered one of their earliest signature songs. A short list of some of the artists who also perform it includes Taj Mahal, David Bromberg, The Devil Makes Three and Ralph McTell, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Ry Cooder covered McTell's "Married Man's a Fool" on his 1973 album, Paradise and Lunch.
Jack White of The White Stripes considers McTell an influence, as their 2000 album De Stijl was dedicated to him and featured a cover of his song "Southern Can Is Mine". The White Stripes also covered McTell's "Lord, Send Me an Angel", releasing it as a single in 2000.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.
Bob Dylan has paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions: Firstly, in his 1965 song "Highway 61 Revisited", the second verse begins with "Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose", referring to one of Blind Willie McTell's many recording names; later in his song "Blind Willie McTell", recorded in 1983 but released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3; then with covers of McTell's "Broke Down Engine" and "Delia" on his 1993 album, World Gone Wrong; also, in his song "Po' Boy", on 2001's "Love & Theft", which contains the lyric, "had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws", which comes from McTell's "Kill It Kid".
Also, Bath-based band "Kill It Kid" is named after that song.
A blues bar in Atlanta is named after McTell and regularly features blues musicians and bands. The Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival is held annually in Thomson, Georgia.
I Got The Cross The River Jordan
Blind Willie McTell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
And I got to meet my dear old my mother
I got to meet her for myself
Left nobody here can meet her for me
I got to stand my trial and my judgment
I got to stand that for myself
Left nobody here can stand that for me
So I got to stand that for myself
Jordan river is so hard to swim in
I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
I got to face my dear savior
I got to face him for myself
Says, nobody here can face him for me
Lord, I got to face him for myself
And I got to work soul salvation
Lord, I got to work that for myself
Left nobody here can work that for me
Says, I got to work out for myself
So I got to meet my mother and father
I got to meet them for myself
Says, nobody here can meet them for me
Lord, I got to meet them for myself
Ain't nobody here can stand that for me
Lord, I got to stand that for myself
So I got to lie so lonesome graveyard
I got to lie there for myself
Ain't nobody here can lie there for me
Lord, I got to lie there for myself
The lyrics of Blind Willie McTell's song "I Got to Cross the River Jordan" are about personal responsibility and individuality in the face of mortality and judgment. McTell sings about his need to cross the River Jordan, a biblical reference to death and the afterlife. He emphasizes that no one can do this journey for him, as he needs to face his judgment and his savior alone. This shows the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions during life, as they will ultimately determine the outcome of the afterlife.
McTell also expresses his desire to meet his mother and father, who have passed away. He recognizes that he, and only he, can meet them in the afterlife, just as he must face his judgment alone. This represents the personal connections that we have, which we take with us when we die. However, McTell understands that death is not easy, and the Jordan River is "so hard to swim in." Therefore, he emphasizes the need to work for his own salvation, rather than relying on others to do it for him.
Overall, the song touches on the themes of death, individuality, personal responsibility, and the importance of connections. It is a reminder that no one can do for us what we must ultimately do for ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I got to cross that river of Jordan
I must face death and judgment when my time comes
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
I cannot rely on someone else to face death and judgment for me
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
No one else can die and be judged in my place
And I got to meet my dear old my mother
I hope to have a reunion with my mother in the afterlife
I got to meet her for myself
I must experience this reunion on my own
Left nobody here can meet her for me
No one else can facilitate or experience this reunion for me
I got to stand my trial and my judgment
I must face the divine judgment and accept the consequences of my actions
I got to stand that for myself
I cannot rely on someone else to face divine judgment for me
Jordan river is so hard to swim in
It is challenging to accept the inevitability of death and prepare for the afterlife
And I got to face my dear savior
I hope to meet with Christ in the afterlife
Says, nobody here can face him for me
I cannot delegate this reunion to someone else
Lord, I got to face him for myself
I must experience this reunion on my own
And I got to work soul salvation
I must prepare my soul for the afterlife
Lord, I got to work that for myself
No one else can prepare my soul for the afterlife
Left nobody here can work that for me
I must take the initiative in preparing my soul for the afterlife
So I got to meet my mother and father
I hope to have a reunion with my parents in the afterlife
Ain't nobody here can stand that for me
No one else can prepare my soul for the afterlife
So I got to lie so lonesome graveyard
I must accept the inevitability of death and be prepared to face it alone
I got to lie there for myself
I must face death alone
Ain't nobody here can lie there for me
No one else can face death in my place
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIE MCTELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Transformed70
I got to cross that river of Jordan
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
And I got to meet my dear old my mother
I got to meet her for myself
Left nobody here can meet her for me
Lord, I got to meet her for myself
I got to stand my trial and my judgment
I got to stand that for myself
Left nobody here can stand that for me
So I got to stand that for myself
Jordan river is so hard to swim in
I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
I got to face my dear Saviour
I got to face him for myself
Says, nobody here can face him for me
Lord, I got to face him for myself
And I got to work soul salvation
Lord, I got to work that for myself
Left nobody here can work that for me
Says, I got to work out for myself
So I got to meet my mother and father
I got to meet them for myself
Says, nobody here can meet them for me
Lord, I got to meet them for myself
Ain't nobody here can stand that for me
Lord, I got to stand that for myself
So I got to lie so lonesome graveyard
I got to lie there for myself
Ain't nobody here can lie there for me
Lord, I got to lie there for myself
buzz ee
Slide on a twelve string. Amazing. And then he's also singing so soulfully. This man is my favourite.
Michael Emory
One of the most beautiful duets of two voices.
Transformed70
I got to cross that river of Jordan
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
And I got to meet my dear old my mother
I got to meet her for myself
Left nobody here can meet her for me
Lord, I got to meet her for myself
I got to stand my trial and my judgment
I got to stand that for myself
Left nobody here can stand that for me
So I got to stand that for myself
Jordan river is so hard to swim in
I got to cross that for myself
Says, nobody here can cross that for me
Lord, I got to cross that for myself
I got to face my dear Saviour
I got to face him for myself
Says, nobody here can face him for me
Lord, I got to face him for myself
And I got to work soul salvation
Lord, I got to work that for myself
Left nobody here can work that for me
Says, I got to work out for myself
So I got to meet my mother and father
I got to meet them for myself
Says, nobody here can meet them for me
Lord, I got to meet them for myself
Ain't nobody here can stand that for me
Lord, I got to stand that for myself
So I got to lie so lonesome graveyard
I got to lie there for myself
Ain't nobody here can lie there for me
Lord, I got to lie there for myself
Georgitte Singbiel
Yes, thank 💞 you
TOMMY TRAMP
THAT IS VERY COOL OF YOU TO PUT UP ALL THOSE LYRICS THANK YOU!!! this is such a beautiful song the guitar slide is haunting
Southwest77
Thankyou.
Paulo
Ola
Thanks u for thé script that's right ON ❤️❤️
Michael Jackson (ResultsPlus)
One of the first blues songs i ever learned to sing. Nobody could do that for me! Brilliant blues singer and guitar player. Always loved this song for the deliberate missing lyrics leaving one to fill in the blanks.
Daniel Royster
The tone of that first guitar slide is hard as hell. Straight to the bone.
G L Gauge
Makes the hairs on your neck stand up, beautiful played and sung ❤