Went Down To St. James Infirmary
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics


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I went down to the St James Infirmary
Saw my baby there
She stretched out on a long white table
So sweet, so cold, so fair

Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can look this wide world over
But she'll never find a sweet man like me

When I die want you to dress me in straight lace shoes
I wanna a box back coat and a Stetson hat




Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So the boys'll know that I died standing pat

Overall Meaning

The melancholic tune 'Went Down to St James Infirmary' is a classic American folk blues song that has been frequently covered over the years, though the song was originally known as a jazz standard by as early as the 1920s. One of the standout versions is of the song is Cassandra Wilson's deep, soulful rendition. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer went to the St James Infirmary to see his lover, where he found her laying on a long white table, lifeless. The singer pleads with his lover to leave earth in peace and blesses her. He also tells her that even if she looks the world over, she will never find another sweet man like him. The final verse is his desire for a specific attire for his funeral: he wants to be dressed in straight lace shoes, a box back coat, and a Stetson hat. Additionally, he wants a twenty-dollar gold piece on his watch chain as a symbol of his unwavering integrity.


Line by Line Meaning

I went down to the St James Infirmary
I journeyed to St. James Infirmary


Saw my baby there
I observed my lover's corpse there


She stretched out on a long white table
She lay motionless on a lengthy, white tabletop


So sweet, so cold, so fair
Her corpse appeared sweet, Lifeless, and attractive


Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Let her rest in peace, God bless her soul


Wherever she may be
Regardless of her location in the afterlife


She can look this wide world over
She can search the whole world extensively


But she'll never find a sweet man like me
However, she will not find a righteous gentleman such as I


When I die want you to dress me in straight lace shoes
Upon my demise, I request to be clothed with flat lace-up shoes


I wanna box back coat and a Stetson hat
Additionally, I desire a coat with the sleeves stitched to the back, and a cowboy hat


Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
Fasten a gold coin worth twenty dollars to my watch chain


So the boys'll know that I died standing pat
Therefore, the males will acknowledge that I died with a strong hand in life




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOE PRIMROSE, IRVING MILLS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Alessandro Filippini

Stunning. I love Cassandra!

Dimitris Kiklis

One of my favourite blues tunes, in an axceptional funky jazz version...!!!!!!!Thumbs up!!!!!

Juliet Bravo

Great interpretation of this old blues traditional. Cassandra turned it into a new piece of music! (Compare to the same title e.g. from Louis Armstrong, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Eric Claption...)

bouzoukiHOLLAND

We have'' live''Jazz festival, in Holland, too. Very nice music. These people are born to make music.

arttassos

great music..!!!!! thank you for sharing..:))

Marcus Alexander

great!

Cat Daddy

Mississippi home girl has got her a great band!

artanis2alatariel

@proustifique I'm glad you like her so much my friend, I think the same way also, I think I have more, I'll have to search first and if we're lucky I'll upload some more. Thanks for the warm feedback!

Un coeur

Does anyone know the name of the pianist?

Greg Lake

You need to start clicking on the SEE MORE option / Musicians:
CASSANDRA WILSON - vocals
MARVIN SEWELL - guitar
JONATHAN BAPTISTE - piano, keyboards
REGINALD VEAL - double bass
LEKAN BABALOLA - percussion
HERLIN RILEY - drums

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