In 1936, the Harlem Hamfats released a record with the song "The Weed Smoker's Dream" on it. McCoy later refined the tune, changed the lyrics and titled the new song "Why Don't You Do Right?" for Lil Green, who recorded it in 1941. It was covered a year later by both Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee, becoming Lee's first hit single. "Why Don't You Do Right?" remains a jazz standard and is McCoy's most enduring composition.
At the outbreak of World War II Charlie McCoy entered the military, but a heart condition kept Joe McCoy from service. Out on his own, he created a band known as "Big Joe and his Rhythm" that performed together throughout most of the 1940s. The band again included his brother Charlie on mandolin and Robert Nighthawk on harmonica.[3] In 1950, at the age of 44, McCoy died of heart disease in Chicago, only a few months before his brother Charlie. They are both buried in Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.
Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant took his and Memphis Minnie's recording of "When the Levee Breaks," which was in his personal collection, and presented it to guitarist Jimmy Page, who revamped it and slightly altered it lyrically, and help record it on Led Zeppelin's 1971 album, Led Zeppelin IV.
In addition to those mentioned earlier, McCoy's songs have also been covered by Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, The Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Ann Kelly, Cleo Laine and A Perfect Circle.
Memphis Minnie McCoy-Lawler (born Lizzie Douglas, June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana; died August 6, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee) was an American Blues guitarist, vocalist, and composer.
Born Lizzie Douglas in Algiers, Louisiana, Minnie was one of the most influential and pioneering female blues musicians and guitarists of all time. She recorded for forty years, almost unheard of for any woman in show business at the time and possibly unique among female blues artists. A flamboyant character who wore bracelets made of silver dollars, she was the biggest female blues singer from the early Depression years through World War II. One of the first blues artists to take up the electric guitar, in 1942, she combined her Louisiana-country roots with Memphis blues to produce her own unique country-blues sound; along with Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red, she took country blues into electric urban blues, paving the way for giants like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers to travel from the small towns of the south to the big cities of the north. She was married three times, and each husband was an accomplished blues guitarist: Kansas Joe McCoy (a.k.a. "Kansas Joe") later of the Harlem Hamfats, Casey Bill Weldon of the Memphis Jug Band, and Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlers.[1] Paul and Beth Garon's 1992 biography on Memphis Minnie, Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues, makes no mention of a marriage to Weldon, but only says that she recorded two sides with him, in November 1935, for Bluebird Records. It does describe the relationships and marriages to McCoy and Lawlers.[2]
After learning to play guitar and banjo as a child, she ran away from home at the age of thirteen. She travelled to Memphis, Tennessee, playing guitar in nightclubs and on the street as Lizzie "Kid" Douglas. The next year, she joined the Ringling Brothers circus. Her marriage and recording debut came in 1929, to and with Kansas Joe McCoy, when a Columbia Records talent scout heard them playing in a Beale Street barbershop in their distinctive "Memphis style," and their song "Bumble Bee" became a hit.[3] In the 1930s she moved to Chicago, Illinois with Joe. She and McCoy broke up in 1935, and by 1939 she was with Little Son Joe Lawlers, with whom she recorded nearly 200 records. In the 1940s she formed a touring Vaudeville company. From the 1950s on, however, public interest in her music declined, and in 1957 she and Lawlers returned to Memphis. Lawlers died in 1961.
Can I Do It for You Part 2
Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do anything in this world I can, I want to do something to you
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
Naw, you can't do nothing to me, naw, you can't do nothing to me
I don't care what in the world you do, you can't do nothing for me
Hear me saying, you can't do nothing for me
Buy you a watch and chain, I want to do something to you
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
I don't want no watch and chain, I don't want no watch and chain
I don't want nothing in the world you got, and you can't do nothing for me
Hear me saying, you can't do nothing for me
Buy you a house and home, buy you a house and home
Buy you a house and home, I want to do something to you
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
I don't want no house and home, I don't want no house and home
I don't want nothing in the world you got, and you can't do nothing to me
Hear me saying, you can't do nothing to me
Buy you a strip of land, buy you a strip of land
Buy you a strip of land, I want to do something to you
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
I don't want no strip of land, I don't want no strip of land
I don't want nothing in the world you got, and you can't do nothing to me
Hear me saying, you can't do nothing to me
Buy you a diamond ring, buy you a diamond ring
Buy you a diamond ring, I want to do something to you
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
I don't want no diamond ring, I don't want no diamond ring
I don't want nothing in the world you got, and you can't do nothing for me
Hear me saying, you can't do nothing for me
Can I do it to you, can I do it to you?
Do anything in this world I can, I want to do it to you
Hear me saying, I want to do do it to you
No you can't do it to me, no you can't do it to me
I don't care what in the world you do, but you can't do it to me
Hear me saying, you can't do it to me
The lyrics to Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie's song "Can I Do It for You Part 2" depict a conversation between two individuals where one person, possibly a suitor or lover, expresses their desire to do something for the other person. The lyrics repeatedly emphasize this desire, with the person stating that they are willing to do anything in the world for the other person. However, the response from the other person is dismissive and assertive, stating that the first person cannot do anything for them. This rejection is reaffirmed throughout the song, with the other person declaring that they do not want any material possessions or gestures that the first person is offering, and asserting that the first person cannot do anything for them.
The song's lyrics explore themes of power dynamics, rejection, and a deeper lack of connection between the two individuals. Despite one person's persistent desire to do something for the other, the other person remains adamant in their refusal, suggesting a lack of interest or emotional investment. The repetition of the phrase "I want to do something to you" and the subsequent response of "you can't do nothing for me" creates a poignant contrast between the two individuals' desires and expectations, shining a light on their incompatible desires and motivations.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to do something to you, I want to do something to you
I have a strong desire to have an impact on your life, to make a difference in your world
Do anything in this world I can, I want to do something to you
I am willing to go to great lengths and do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of impacting your life
Hear me saying, I want to do something to you
Listen carefully to my words, as I am expressing my sincere intention to make a positive change in your life
Naw, you can't do nothing to me, naw, you can't do nothing to me
No, you are incapable of having any influence or effect on me, no matter what you try
I don't care what in the world you do, you can't do nothing for me
I am completely indifferent to your actions or offerings because they hold no value or significance for me
Buy you a watch and chain, buy you a watch and chain
I am willing to purchase material possessions like a watch and chain for you, with the hope of impressing or pleasing you
I don't want no watch and chain, I don't want no watch and chain
I have no interest or desire for material possessions such as a watch and chain, as they hold no importance or appeal to me
Buy you a house and home, buy you a house and home
I am ready to provide you with a place to live, a house and home, as a gesture of my willingness to fulfill your needs
I don't want no house and home, I don't want no house and home
I have no desire or inclination to have a house and home provided by you, as it does not hold any significance or value in my life
Buy you a strip of land, buy you a strip of land
I am prepared to acquire a piece of land for you, a strip of land, as a means of demonstrating my commitment and dedication to your well-being
I don't want no strip of land, I don't want no strip of land
I have no interest or need for a strip of land, as it does not hold any relevance or importance to me
Buy you a diamond ring, buy you a diamond ring
I am willing to purchase a precious diamond ring for you, as a representation of my desire to make you happy and bring you joy
I don't want no diamond ring, I don't want no diamond ring
A diamond ring holds no appeal or value to me, and I have no desire to possess one, as it does not contribute to my happiness or fulfillment
Can I do it to you, can I do it to you?
May I have the opportunity to have an impact on your life, to make a difference in your world?
Do anything in this world I can, I want to do it to you
I am willing to exert maximum effort and commit myself wholeheartedly to doing anything I can to positively influence your life
Hear me saying, I want to do do it to you
Pay close attention to my words, as I am emphasizing my genuine desire to have a constructive impact on your life
No you can't do it to me, no you can't do it to me
You are unable to affect or change my life in any way, regardless of your attempts or actions
I don't care what in the world you do, but you can't do it to me
Your actions or offerings hold no significance or consequence to me, as they have no power to influence or affect my life
Hear me saying, you can't do it to me
Listen attentively to my words, as I am reinforcing the fact that you cannot have any impact or influence on my life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LAWLERS, MINNIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind