Cox was born in February, 1896 as Ida Prather in Toccoa, Habersham County, Georgia, United States (Toccoa was in Habersham County, not yet Stephens County at the time), the daughter of Lamax and Susie (Knight) Prather, and grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, singing in the local African Methodist Church choir. She left home to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often appearing in blackface into the 1910s; she married fellow minstrel performer Adler Cox.
By 1920, she was appearing as a headline act at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; another headliner at that time was Jelly Roll Morton.
After the success of Mamie Smith's pioneering 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues", record labels realized there was a demand for recordings of race music. The classic female blues era had begun, and would extend through the 1920s. From 1923 through to 1929, Cox made numerous recordings for Paramount Records, and headlined touring companies, sometimes billed as the "Sepia Mae West", continuing into the 1930s. During the 1920s, she also managed Ida Cox and Her Raisin' Cain Company, her own vaudeville troupe. At some point in her career, she played alongside Ibrahim Khalil, a Native American and one of the several jazz musicians of that era who belonged from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
In the early 1930s "Baby Earl Palmer" entered show business as a tap dancer in Cox's Darktown Scandals Review.
In 1939 she appeared at Café Society Downtown, in New York's Greenwich Village, and participated in the historic Carnegie Hall concert, From Spirituals to Swing. That year, she also resumed her recording career with a series of sessions for Vocalion Records and, in 1940, Okeh Records, with groups that at various times included guitarist Charlie Christian, trumpeters Hot Lips Page and Henry "Red" Allen, trombonist J. C. Higginbotham, and Lionel Hampton.
She had spent several years in retirement by 1960, when record producer Chris Albertson persuaded her to make one final recording, an album for Riverside titled Blues For Rampart Street. Her accompanying group comprised Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, pianist Sammy Price, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Jo Jones. The album featured her revisiting songs from her old repertoire, including "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues", which found a new audience, including such singers as Nancy Harrow and Barbara Dane, who recorded their own versions. Cox referred to the album as her "final statement," and, indeed, it was. She returned to live with her daughter in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she died of cancer in 1967.
Wild Women Don't Have The Blues
Ida Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
monkey men
About their trifling
husbands and their no good friends
These poor women sit around all day and moan
Wondering why their wandering papa's don't come home
But wild women don't worry, wild women don't have no blues
Now when you've got a man, don't never be on the square
I never was known to treat no one man right
I keep 'em working hard both day and night
'Cause wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
I've got a disposition and a way of my own
When my man starts kicking I let him find another home
I get full of good liquor, walk the streets all night
Go home and put my man out if he don't act right
Wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
You never get nothing by being an angel child
You better change your ways and get real wild
I wanna tell you something, I wouldn't tell you a lie
Wild women are the only kind that really get by
'Cause wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
The lyrics of Ida Cox's "Wild Women Don't Have The Blues" is a song about women who have learned to be independent, assertive and powerful in their relationships, rather than letting their men control them or bring them down. The song is a celebration of women who refuse to be subjected to the traditional gender roles of society, and instead choose to embrace their wildness, their strength and their freedom. Ida Cox sings of the struggles of women who are constantly worrying and complaining about their monkey men, trifling husbands, and no-good friends. These women are stuck in situations that they can't seem to change, and their lives are filled with sadness and despair.
In contrast, the wild women of the song are not worried about their relationships or their status in society. They are carefree and confident, knowing that they can handle anything that comes their way. These women are not afraid to have a drink, to walk the streets at night, or to put their men out if they don't act right. Wild women are the only ones who really get by, because they have the strength and the courage to carve out their own paths in life.
Overall, "Wild Women Don't Have The Blues" is a powerful and empowering song that celebrates the strength and resilience of women who refuse to be held back by societal expectations. It is a testament to the power of independence, self-reliance and self-respect, and a reminder that women have the ability to take control of their own lives and live on their own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear these women raving 'bout their monkey men
I overhear these women talking about their partners who are unfaithful and don't treat them right
About their trifling husbands and their no good friends
They complain about their worthless spouses and useless friends
These poor women sit around all day and moan
These unfortunate women spend their days sitting and moaning
Wondering why their wandering papa's don't come home
They are left wondering why their disloyal partners never return home
But wild women don't worry, wild women don't have no blues
However, independent women who live life on their own terms have no worries or sadness
Now when you've got a man, don't never be on the square
If you have a partner, don't be too honest with them
'Cause if you do he'll have a woman everywhere
Because if you are truthful, he will have relationships everywhere without any guilt
I never was known to treat no one man right
I have never been known to treat any man in the right way
I keep 'em working hard both day and night
I keep them on their toes, working hard day and night
'Cause wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
Because wild women live carefree lives, they never experience sadness
I've got a disposition and a way of my own
I have my own personality and unique way of living
When my man starts kicking I let him find another home
When my partner becomes troublesome, I let him find another place to live
I get full of good liquor, walk the streets all night
I indulge in alcohol and walk the streets all night
Go home and put my man out if he don't act right
I go home and throw out my partner if he doesn't behave properly
Wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
Because wild women live independently and boldly, they never feel sad or blue
You never get nothing by being an angel child
Being too good will not get you anything in life
You better change your ways and get real wild
It's better to change your ways and live your life boldly and independently
I wanna tell you something, I wouldn't tell you a lie
I want to share a piece of truthful advice with you
Wild women are the only kind that really get by
Independent women are the only ones who truly succeed in life
'Cause wild women don't worry, wild women don't have their blues
Because wild women are fearless and empowered, they never feel sad or blue
Contributed by Samuel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.