Although Lead Belly most commonly played the twelve-string, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and accordion. In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad "John Hardy", he performs on the accordion instead of the guitar. In other recordings he just sings while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.
The topics of Lead Belly's music covered a wide range of subjects, including gospel songs; blues songs about women, liquor, prison life, and racism; and folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, the Scottsboro Boys, and Howard Hughes.
In 2008, Lead Belly was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
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.
Leadbelly 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". Leadbelly 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, Shocking Blue, The White Stripes, Long John Baldry.
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 Lead Belly
Frankie and Albert
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As everybody knows,
She did all the work around the house
And pressed her Albert's clothes.
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
Albert was a yeller man,
Coal-black curly hair.
Thought he was a millionaire--
He was my son, and the only one.
Miss Frankie went to the barroom,
Called for a bottle of beer,
Says to the bartender:
"Has Mister Albert been here?
He is my man, and he's doin' me wrong."
Frankie and Albert were lovers,
Oh, my God how they did love!
Just like sisters and brothers,
The whore and her turtle dove,
For he was her man, but she shot him down.
The bartender says to Miss Frankie:
"I cannot tell a lie;
Mister Albert was here about a minute ago
With a gal name Alkali,
He is your man, but he's doin' you wrong."
Little Frankie went down the Broadway
With her razor in her hand,
Says "Stand aside, you chippie.
I'm lookin' for my man,
He's a gamblin' man, won't treat me right."
Miss Frankie went up the stairway,
She didn't go for fun;
Underneath the ruffles of her petticoat,
She had a young Gatlin' gun.
He was her man an' he was doin' her wrong.
Miss Frankie opened the winder,
The gun she fired twice;
The second shot she fired,
She took Mister Albert's life--
He was her man, but he was doin' her wrong.
Well, when Frankie shot Albert,
First, he fell to his knees,
Then he looked up in her face,
Says, "Frankie, please don't shoot me no mo',
Please, babe, don't shoot me no mo'."
She shot three bullets in him,
He staggered to the door,
He gasped, "Oh, Frankie, you can't play 'round,
'Round this hop joint any more.
I was your man, but I done you wrong.
"Turn me over, Frankie,
Turn me over slow,
Turn me over easy on my left side
So my heart won't overflow
And kill me dead, and kill me dead."
Took po' Albert to the graveyard,
Stuck him in the ground,
Frankie, she was singin',
"I shot the sucker down--
He was my man, but he done me wrong."
The people says to Frankie,
"Little Frankie, why don't you run?
Yonder comes the Chief Police
With a smokeless 44 gun.
You killed your man, wouldn't treat you right."
"Well," says Miss Frankie,
I don't care if I die,
Take and hang me to a telegraph pole,
Hang me good and high--
He was my man but he done me wrong."
Little Frankie went down Broadway
As far as she could see,
And all she could hear was a two-string bow,
Playing, "Nearer, My God To Thee"--
All over the town, little Albert's dead.
Frankie went to Albert's mother,
Fell across her knees,
Said: "I'm sorry I killed your son,
Won't you excuse me please?
He was my man, but he done me wrong."
"I will forgive you, Frankie,
I will forgive you not.
You sho' shot Albert,
He's the only son I got,
He was my son, and the only one."
Frankie says to the sheriff,
"Well, what do you think it'll be?"
The sheriff said: "It looks like a case
Of murder in the first degree;
He was your man, but you shot him down."
It was not murder in the first degree,
It was not murder in the third,
A woman simply dropped her man
Like a hunter drops a bird.
He was her man, but she shot him down.
Frankie said to the sheriff,
"Oh, what do you think they'll do?"
"Strap you in the 'lectric chair,
'N' send thirty thousand volts through you.
Albert was your man, but you shot him down."
Passin' through the jail house,
Went by Frankie's cell,
Asked her how she was feelin',
She said, "Go to Hell."
He was her man, but she shot him down.
Once more I saw Frankie,
She was sittin' in her chair,
Waitin' for to go an' meet her God,
With the sweat drippin' out her hair.
Albert was her man, but she shot him down.
Took Frankie to the graveyard
And stuck her in the ground,
Now all that's left of Frankie
Is a wooden cross and mound.
He was her man- both dead and gone.
Two little pieces of crape,
Hangin' on the door,
Show that lovin' Albert
Ain't lovin' Albert no more.
Frankie shot her man, who was doin' her wrong.
The song Frankie and Albert is a ballad that tells the story of a woman, Frankie, who kills her lover, Albert, because he was unfaithful to her. The lyrics describe in detail how Frankie, who was known as a good woman, had been mistreated by Albert despite her commitment and devotion to him. The first verse, in particular, sets the tone for the rest of the song as it explains how Frankie did all the work around the house and pressed Albert's clothes, showing her love and care for him. The lyrics go on to describe how the couple’s love was once pure, but Albert's infidelity ultimately destroyed it. Frankie goes in search of Albert and eventually finds him with another woman. In a fit of rage, she takes out a razor and shoots him, killing him instantly. Frankie realizes the gravity of what she has just done, and when the people ask her to run, she refuses, saying, "He was my man, but he done me wrong." Frankie is later arrested and taken to jail, where she awaits her punishment.
Line by Line Meaning
Frankie was a good woman,
As everybody knows,
She did all the work around the house
And pressed her Albert's clothes.
Frankie was an industrious and faithful woman, as everyone knew. She took care of all the domestic chores, including laundry for her partner, Albert.
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
Although Albert was Frankie's partner, he betrayed her.
Albert was a yeller man,
Coal-black curly hair.
Everybody up in St. Louis
Thought he was a millionaire--
He was my son, and the only one.
Albert had striking features like his black curly hair, which earned him admiration from people in St. Louis. However, his mother's knowledge of him was limited; he was her only son.
Miss Frankie went to the barroom,
Called for a bottle of beer,
Says to the bartender:
"Has Mister Albert been here?
He is my man, and he's doin' me wrong."
Frankie went to the bar and inquired about Albert from the bartender, hoping to confront him over his cheating.
Frankie and Albert were lovers,
Oh, my God how they did love!
Just like sisters and brothers,
The whore and her turtle dove,
For he was her man, but she shot him down.
Frankie and Albert had a deep romantic relationship, akin to siblings. Though Albert was unfaithful, they still shared a close bond. In the end, however, Frankie shot him dead.
The bartender says to Miss Frankie:
"I cannot tell a lie;
Mister Albert was here about a minute ago
With a gal name Alkali,
He is your man, but he's doin' you wrong."
The bartender informed Frankie about Albert's presence at the bar with another woman. He knew Albert was her man but nevertheless cheated on her.
Little Frankie went down the Broadway
With her razor in her hand,
Says "Stand aside, you chippie.
I'm lookin' for my man,
He's a gamblin' man, won't treat me right."
Frankie carried a razor with her as she searched in Broadway for Albert, a gambling man who treated her wrongly.
Miss Frankie went up the stairway,
She didn't go for fun;
Underneath the ruffles of her petticoat,
She had a young Gatlin' gun.
He was her man an' he was doin' her wrong.
Frankie was serious about confronting Albert, carrying a concealed Gatlin' gun up the stairs in her petticoat. Despite him doing her wrong, he was still her man.
Miss Frankie opened the winder,
The gun she fired twice;
The second shot she fired,
She took Mister Albert's life--
He was her man, but he was doin' her wrong.
Frankie shot Albert when he appeared by her window. He was doing her wrong, but he was still her man. She killed him with two shots from her concealed gun.
Well, when Frankie shot Albert,
First, he fell to his knees,
Then he looked up in her face,
Says, "Frankie, please don't shoot me no mo',
Please, babe, don't shoot me no mo'."
After Frankie shot him, Albert dropped to his knees and begged for his life. He plead with her to stop shooting him.
She shot three bullets in him,
He staggered to the door,
He gasped, "Oh, Frankie, you can't play 'round,
'Round this hop joint any more.
I was your man, but I done you wrong.
Frankie continued shooting, firing three times as Albert stumbled towards the door. He told her she could no longer hang around the bar because of what she did. Though he was her man, he had done her wrong.
"Turn me over, Frankie,
Turn me over slow,
Turn me over easy on my left side
So my heart won't overflow
And kill me dead, and kill me dead."
Albert, who was dying, asked Frankie to turn him over so that he would not drown in his blood. He asked her to do it gently to avoid quickening his death.
Took po' Albert to the graveyard,
Stuck him in the ground,
Frankie, she was singin',
"I shot the sucker down--
He was my man, but he done me wrong."
After killing him, Frankie had Albert's remains buried in a graveyard. She sang aloud that she killed him since she was his woman, but he had betrayed her trust.
The people says to Frankie,
"Little Frankie, why don't you run?
Yonder comes the Chief Police
With a smokeless 44 gun.
You killed your man, wouldn't treat you right."
People advised Frankie to run away since the Chief of Police was coming to arrest her using a smokeless 44 gun. They knew she killed her man since he treated her wrongly.
"Well," says Miss Frankie,
I don't care if I die,
Take and hang me to a telegraph pole,
Hang me good and high--
He was my man but he done me wrong."
Frankie accepted her fate even if she would die for what she did to Albert. She asked to be hung high from a telegraph pole since Albert had been her man, and still, he betrayed her.
Once more I saw Frankie,
She was sittin' in her chair,
Waitin' for to go an' meet her God,
With the sweat drippin' out her hair.
Albert was her man, but she shot him down.
Frankie had another apparition soon before her death. She was in her chair while sweating, waiting for death to approach and meet her maker. Albert had been her man, but she killed him by shooting him down.
Took Frankie to the graveyard
And stuck her in the ground,
Now all that's left of Frankie
Is a wooden cross and mound.
He was her man- both dead and gone.
Frankie was buried in a graveyard, and all that remained of her was a wooden cross and heap of dirt. She was gone, and so was her man.
Two little pieces of crape,
Hangin' on the door,
Show that lovin' Albert
Ain't lovin' Albert no more.
Frankie shot her man, who was doin' her wrong.
Two small crepe pieces draped on the door indicate that no one loves Albert. Frankie killed him because he was doing her wrong.
Frankie went to Albert's mother,
Fell across her knees,
Said: "I'm sorry I killed your son,
Won't you excuse me please?
He was my man, but he done me wrong."
Frankie humbly apologized to Albert's mother for killing her son. She wanted his mother to find it in her heart to forgive her. Albert was her man, but he did her wrong by cheating on her.
"I will forgive you, Frankie,
I will forgive you not.
You sho' shot Albert,
He's the only son I got,
He was my son, and the only one."
Albert's mother had no answer about whether to forgive Frankie or not. She was devastated since Frankie shot her only son, the apple of her eye.
Frankie says to the sheriff,
"Well, what do you think it'll be?"
The sheriff said: "It looks like a case
Of murder in the first degree;
He was your man, but you shot him down."
Frankie sought the sheriff's opinion on her possible fate after the shooting, but he concluded that it seemed like first-degree murder is the charge. He told her that she killed her man.
It was not murder in the first degree,
It was not murder in the third,
A woman simply dropped her man
Like a hunter drops a bird.
He was her man, but she shot him down.
Frankie's death penalty sentence was not justifiable since Albert had treated her wrongly, and she killed him like a hunter drops a bird.
Frankie said to the sheriff,
"Oh, what do you think they'll do?"
"Strap you in the 'lectric chair,
'N' send thirty thousand volts through you.
Albert was your man, but you shot him down."
Frankie became anxious and hoped to know what her verdict would be. The sheriff further explained that they would strap her to an electric chair and send 30,000 volts through her as her punishment. Albert was her man, but she killed him.
Passin' through the jailhouse,
Went by Frankie's cell,
Asked her how she was feelin',
She said, "Go to Hell."
He was her man, but she shot him down.
As someone passed through the jail, they passed the cell where Frankie was held. They inquired about how she was feeling, and she rudely told the person to go to hell since Albert, her man, was now dead due to her actions.
Contributed by Jacob W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
I Hear Banjos
I don’t know if this is a Huddie original or not, and Lead Belly has been in my top 5 for a while now.
But this tune just bumped him to #1.
The way the melody and lyrics blend in his music is so unique.
And the ability to tell a story blows my mind.
We’re not only hearing about a woman killing her husband over jealousy, and feeling her pain and grief, but you can see it through the mothers eyes as well.
He ads clear perspective and makes you feel like you’re witnessing the entire event first hand.
Damn shame he’s not around anymore.
We could use more music like this.
Launchpad McQuack
Frankie was a woman
Everybody knew
Made a hundred dollars
My man shouldn't go
What a man
But he done me wrong
Frankie went a walking
Did not go for fun
Wearing her apron
And a 41
Kill my man
Cause he done me wrong
Frankie went to the saloon
Called for a bottle of beer
Asked the lovin bartender
(Has) a loving man been here?
Hes my man
Cause hes done me wrong
Frankie went by house
Didn't not get no loan
He's my man
Cause he done me wrong
I aint gonna tell you no story
I ain't gonna tell you no lie
Albert left here (an) hour ago
(With a) woman named alekai
Hes your man
Cause he done you wrong
Frankie she shot albert
Bullet in his knee
Crying out to your mother
Ma' your son is shot
Im your son
And the only one
Frankie she shot albert
Fell upon his knees
Crying to policeman
Dont let that woman kill me
Im her man
And i done her wrong
Jimbo
this recording is one of the true masterpieces of modern music.
viktorvaldemar
This track by Leadbelly is just amazing. His singing is just so expressive.
Vincent Gleeson
This is such a sublime song, I'm frankly surprised that it's not praised as one of Leadbelly's greatest songs and how it's not compared to the likes of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" and "Goodnight Irene." Leadbelly is among one of the most important delta blues muscians of all time and even if he had a bit of malevolence, he still distributed astounding music...rest in peace my sweet Leadbelly, you shall be missed.
franco alejandro moreno chacon
Que maravilla de voz una epoca maravillosamente bonita,...
LindsayCurran
Amazing to me to discover this super posting of the immortal Leadbelly singing Frankie and Albert! Great pics! Thank you!
Scott Rowland
Big influence on Dylan. He knew this song well and he loved Ledbelly's songs.
nobody
Used the song as the basis of a short play I wrote years ago. Good to hear it again.
Cora Visser
Amazing and this is so pure honest blues what a storie.
Ирина С
Голос из прошлого, очень чувственно и красиво поет.
steve jaubert
Хотелось бы, чтобы было больше похоже на него сегодня, но много черных мужчин считают, выполняя блюз является устаревшим.