Though many of his posthumous releases list him as "Leadbelly," he himself spelled it "Lead Belly." This is also the usage on most of his original records, tombstone, as well as of the Lead Belly Foundation.
Lead Belly was born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, and spent time in and out of prison most of his life. In 1933, serving a sentence for attempted murder, musicologists John and Alan Lomax "discovered" him on a field recording tour sponsored by the Library of Congress. That summer, he was pardoned by the governor of Lousiana after recording his plea for pardon on a record, together with "Good Night Irene". Lead Belly went on to make hundreds of recordings of all sorts of different songs: country, blues, spirituals, reels, and work chants.
His songs have been covered by Mark Lanegan, The Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nirvana, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, British Sea Power, Ram Jam, Ry Cooder, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Half Man Half Biscuit, Tom Waits and The White Stripes.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Biography: Lead Belly Biography
BIO Biography: Lead Belly Biography
Lead Belly Foundation: Lead Belly Foundation.org
Lead Belly is also on Last.fm as Leadbelly
Boll Weevil
Lead Belly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come from a-Mexico they say
Came all the way to Texas
Just a-lookin' for a place to stay
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
Well the first time that I seen the boll weevil
He was a-sittin' on the square
He had his a-family there
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
Well the farmer took the boll weevil
And he put him on the red hot sand
Well the weevil said this is a-mighty hot
But I take it like a man
This will be my home, this will be my home
Well the farmer took the boll weevil
And he put him on a keg of ice
Well the weevil said to the farmer
This is mighty cool and nice
This will be my home, this will be my home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
Well if anybody should ask you
Who it was who sang this song
Say a guitar picker from a-Oklahoma city
With a pair of blue jeans on
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
Lead Belly's "Boll Weevil" is a traditional blues song, one of the many variations of an old folk tale about a small, resilient insect that wreaks havoc on the crop of cotton. The song was likely based on the events of the early 1900s, when the boll weevil began to infiltrate the southern United States and cause major damage to the cotton industry. According to the lyrics, the little black bug and the boll weevil came all the way from Mexico to Texas in search of a place to stay. The song starts with the singer describing the boll weevil's journey and how it ended up in the South.
The lyrics then describe how the boll weevil settles in and even starts a family in the cotton fields. Despite the damage the boll weevil caused to farmers' livelihoods, the insect appears to have a certain charm to it, as evidenced in the farmer's conversation with it. The farmer tries to get rid of the weevil by putting it on red hot sand, but the boll weevil withstands the heat without complaint. Similarly, when the farmer puts the insect on a keg of ice, it remarks how nice and cool it feels. As the song concludes, the singer takes credit for singing the tune and identifies himself as a guitar picker from Oklahoma City.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the boll weevil and the little black bug
The boll weevil and the little black bug are two creatures.
Come from a-Mexico they say
They came from Mexico, as people say.
Came all the way to Texas
They traveled all the way to Texas.
Just a-lookin' for a place to stay
They were simply looking for a place to stay.
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
Both of these creatures were searching for a home.
Well the first time that I seen the boll weevil
The first time the singer saw the boll weevil was on the square.
He was a-sittin' on the square
The boll weevil was sitting on the square.
Well the next time that I seen him
The next time the singer saw the boll weevil.
He had his a-family there
The boll weevil had his family there.
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
The boll weevil and his family were still looking for a home.
Well the farmer took the boll weevil
The farmer took the boll weevil.
And he put him on the red hot sand
He put him on the red hot sand.
Well the weevil said this is a-mighty hot
The boll weevil said it was very hot.
But I take it like a man
The boll weevil claimed he could handle it.
This will be my home, this will be my home
The boll weevil claims that this red hot sand will be his home.
Well the farmer took the boll weevil
The farmer again took the boll weevil.
And he put him on a keg of ice
He put him on a keg of ice.
Well the weevil said to the farmer
The boll weevil spoke to the farmer.
This is mighty cool and nice
He really enjoyed the coolness of the keg of ice.
This will be my home, this will be my home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
The boll weevil counted the keg of ice as his home.
Well if anybody should ask you
If anyone should ask you.
Who it was who sang this song
Who sang this song.
Say a guitar picker from a-Oklahoma city
Tell them the singer is a guitar picker from Oklahoma City.
With a pair of blue jeans on
The singer was wearing a pair of blue jeans.
Just a-lookin' for a home, just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
The boll weevil and the little black bug are not the only ones looking for a home, even this singer is in search of a home.
Writer(s): LOMAX
Contributed by Brayden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Palhacinho
Lenda!!
LIL FUEGO
Leadbelly don’t get talked about enough,Sonhouse,Blind Willie just a few names I can name of the top, there music keeps me a going, they showed me the blues the truest blue can be 🙏🏽
Tactical Gaming Fool
Charlie Patton
LIL FUEGO
@Tactical Gaming Fool just recently got into his discography, he don’t get talked about enough either & I know there’s more legends that have been forgotten we all will be forgotten eventually but that’s ok it’s just how dings go I suppose fav songs of his are Stony Pony Blues, Shake It And Break It & Down The Dirt Road Blues
Tactical Gaming Fool
@lilfuego6613 love dirt road check out boll weevil by him too. Too other guys im loving who are probably under rated- Jack Owens (with Bud Spires) and Somny boy Nelson
LIL FUEGO
@Tactical Gaming Fool thanks sir I’ll definitely give those pioneers a hear, I’ll be back to probably ask for more music recommendations 😅
Tactical Gaming Fool
@lilfuego6613 too late youre getting it TOMMY FREAKING JOHNSON
Gerald Manuel
Great Tune TY
The Brazilian Atlantis
"blues" Twelve-bar non-blues ballad a la "Frankie And Albert," but as blues music became popular it was sometimes mixed with blues.
l2string
@2:42 he refers to himself as "U"-de Ledbetter rather than Huddie (hud-e) as I've always though his first name was pronounced.