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
In the Pines
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, In the pines, Where the sun never shine
I shivered the whole night through.
Black girl, black girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, In the pines, Where the sun never shine
Black girl, black Girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, In the pines, Where the sun never shine
I shivered the whole night through.
My Husband was a Railroad man
Killed a mile and a half from here
His head, was found, In a drivers wheel
And his body hasn't never been found.
Black girl, black girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
You called me weak, and you called me the most
You called rita, bring me back home.
Leadbelly's song "In the Pines" is a haunting and melancholic tune that tells the story of a man questioning his lover about where she slept the night before. The repeated verses of "Black girl, black girl, don't lie to me" emphasize his desperation for the truth, and the refrain "In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines, I shivered the whole night through" adds to the forlorn atmosphere. Furthermore, the significance of the pines is not clear, but it is possible that they represent death, as the man's husband was killed nearby.
As the song progresses, the man reveals that his husband was a railroad worker who died under mysterious circumstances, with his head found in a driver's wheel and his body never recovered. This adds a layer of tragedy to the already somber tune, highlighting the man's grief and the woman's potential guilt.
The final verse, which features the woman's response, is somewhat ambiguous. It could be interpreted as her admitting to infidelity, or it could be read as her wanting to leave their troubled relationship and go where the winds of fate take her. The addition of the name Rita at the end only adds to the enigma of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Black girl, black Girl, don't lie to me
Leadbelly pleads with a black girl to tell the truth.
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
Leadbelly asks the black girl where she spent the night.
In the pines, In the pines, Where the sun never shine
The black girl answers that she slept in the dark, dimly-lit pines.
I shivered the whole night through.
The black girl recounts her unpleasant, harsh night in the cold woods.
Black girl, black girl, where will you go
Leadbelly questions the black girl about her future plan.
I'm going where the cold wind blows
The black girl replies that she is heading towards cold and bitter places.
My Husband was a Railroad man
Leadbelly mentions how the husband of the black girl used to work for the railroad.
Killed a mile and a half from here
Leadbelly reveals that the black girl's husband met his demise less than two miles away.
His head, was found, In a drivers wheel
Leadbelly tells the tragic story of how the husband's head got caught in a driver's wheel.
And his body hasn't never been found.
Leadbelly confirms that the husband's body was never discovered.
You called me weak, and you called me the most
The black girl highlights how Leadbelly insulted her by calling her weak and the lowest.
You called rita, bring me back home.
The black girl mentions that Leadbelly had the audacity to summon someone named Rita to take him home.
Writer(s): H. Ledbetter
Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@angiesimon2000
Love this song. It haunts me.
@mountainair
Likewise. If there was ever such a thing, this is it.
@grimeypipes2765
Had to FINALLY come hear the original. Respect! ✊
@musicsavant1079
Tribute to Leadbelly brought me here, Robert & Alison, 2004!
@derrickwest2576
Led Belly here song stays on mind so much I got to learn this song on my guitar.
@alexcika9906
The REAL influences to Rock n Roll as we know it today FACT !!!!!
@jeffpsttinson8263
Folk & Blues
@alexcika9906
@@jeffpsttinson8263 yes sir
@moragmckay3779
"... in a driver wheel"; "driving wheel"creates a hilarious image! Love this song, though.
@bonosbones
You're right! As far as I understand it, it had something to do with the driving wheel of a steam train. It is not always easy as this song is from a completely different era.