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
Pick a Bale of Cotton
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Great God Almighty gonna pick a bale a day
Great God Almighty gonna pick a bale of cotton
Great God Almighty gonna pick a bale a day
Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
You got to jump down, turn around and pick a bale of cotton
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale a day
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale of cotton
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Me and my wife can pick a bale of cotton
Me and my wife gonna pick a bale a day
Me and my wife can pick a bale of cotton
Me and my wife can pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Oh me and my gal gonna pick a bale of cotton
Well me and my gal gonna pick a bale a day
Well me and my gal gonna pick a bale of cotton
Me and my gal gonna pick a bale a day
Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Oh me and my buddy can pick a bale of cotton
Me and my buddy can pick a bale a day
Me and my buddy can pick a bale of cotton
Me and my buddy can pick a bale a day
Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Me and my partner can pick a bale of cotton
Well me and my partner can pick a bale a day
Well me and my partner can pick a bale of cotton
Me and my partner can pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale of cotton
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale a day
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale of cotton
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Great God Almighty, I can pick a bale of cotton
Great God Almighty, I can pick a bale a day
I can pick a pick a pick a pick a bale of cotton
I can pick a pick a pick a pick a bale a day
Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
The song "Pick a Bale of Cotton" by Leadbelly is a traditional African American song that was sung by slaves on Southern plantations in America. The song is a work song, which was sung to help keep the rhythm of the workers when they were picking cotton. The lyrics describe how workers have to work hard and pick as much cotton as they can every day. The repetition of the phrase "pick a bale a day" emphasizes the amount of work that needs to be done. The phrase "jump down, turn around" is believed to refer to a dance move that was done while picking cotton to make the task more enjoyable.
The song's lyrics are highly repetitive and reflect the repetitive nature of the work that was being done by the slaves. The phrase "oh Lordy" is used as an exclamation and emphasizes the hard work that needs to be done. The song's lyrics are also about teamwork, as it talks about how "me and my wife", "me and my gal", "me and my buddy", and "me and my partner" can "pick a bale of cotton".
Line by Line Meaning
Great God Almighty gonna pick a bale of cotton
With God's help, I will be able to pick a bale of cotton
Great God Almighty gonna pick a bale a day
With God's help, I will be able to pick a bale of cotton every day
Oh Lordy, pick a bale of cotton
Oh Lord, help me to pick a bale of cotton
Well oh Lordy, pick a bale a day
Oh Lord, help me to pick a bale of cotton every day
You got to jump down, turn around and pick a bale of cotton
You have to jump, turn and pick a bale of cotton as quickly as possible
You got to jump down and turn around and pick a bale a day
You have to jump, turn and pick a bale of cotton every day
Me and my wife can pick a bale of cotton
My wife and I are capable of picking a bale of cotton
Me and my wife gonna pick a bale a day
My wife and I will pick a bale of cotton every day
Oh me and my gal gonna pick a bale of cotton
My girlfriend and I will pick a bale of cotton
Me and my gal gonna pick a bale a day
My girlfriend and I will pick a bale of cotton every day
Oh me and my buddy can pick a bale of cotton
My friend and I are able to pick a bale of cotton
Me and my buddy can pick a bale a day
My friend and I will pick a bale of cotton every day
Me and my partner can pick a bale of cotton
My partner and I are capable of picking a bale of cotton
Me and my partner can pick a bale a day
My partner and I will pick a bale of cotton every day
Great God Almighty, I can pick a bale of cotton
With God's help, I am able to pick a bale of cotton
I can pick a pick a pick a pick a bale of cotton
I am capable of picking many bales of cotton
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@julieanncarter6797
@@catherinetihanyi6351
"oh Lordy = Lord = CHRIST
"pick a bale a day - BALE / Actor, CHRISTIAN BALE. (Mockery).
BALE / ABEL (Cain and Abel) "Cain slew Abel"
The Onedin Line S5E58 Dead Man's Cargo https://youtu.be/dbLX09e87YA
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series, which ran from 1971 to 1980.
The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin.
S1E12 Cry of the Blackbird
A parson offers to pay him to take 'lost souls' from Papua to a missionary school in Victoria. On the voyage there, they discover the parson is a drunk and his associates are 'salvaged' criminals and troublemakers. After the Papuans have been picked up it turns out that it is a case of blackbirding (slavery) for the sugar cane plantations.
S1E14 Blockade
James gets an offer to supply the southern states during the North American civil war. For this, he has to run a Yankee blockade, but the profits would be proportional. He decides to put all the company's money (£2500) into boots, blankets and firearms. On the return trip, he can make another huge profit on cotton, which is in very short supply in England and dirt cheap in the southern states, also due to the blockade.
S2E25 An Inch of Candle
James comes across the immaculate, extremely fast, but deserted ship the Maria da Gloria , and travels to Ireland, where it is to be the subject of a low-key auction, as it is a former slave ship.
Song from UK musical, 'Paint Your Wagon': "They call the Wind Maria" https://youtu.be/ByqYEzugleE
"Wind" = West Indies".
Religion was exported to West Indies as a control & subdue mechanism.
S2E16 The Hard Case
James charters the Star of Bethlehem for a voyage to the West Indies ...
S2E28 The Challenge
James travels to Zanzibar, where he meets Said Ben Salim, a sheikh who asks him to take some Islamic pilgrims to Mecca . However, it soon transpires that these are not pilgrims but slaves and James puts them ashore in Africa, enabling them to return home.
On his return to Liverpool, he issues an unusual challenge to Daniel Fogarty; to race each other to Foochow in China and back with a cargo of tea ,
A city built on cotton https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/cotton/traders/liverpool.aspx
Merseyside Maritime Museum
Liverpool has been shaped by the many people and places involved in the cotton trade.
@honeydiva9171
I was today yrs old when I learned this was a real song. I 1st heard this song on the old 70s movie The Jerk. I thought it was made up for the movie. R.I.P. Leadbelly! 🙏🏿
@blockmasterscott
I learned this in school, I'm old and I still sing it to this day. Our choir teacher said it was a masterpiece.
@Kliamovich
This seems like a song that would get white washed, let's hope not... it's culture and it's a part of our history we should never forget
@Uncultured_Barbarian465
I've sang this at work ... while a plant tour has walked by ...
@invest42morrow
😂😂😂
@TheGodinme88
Uncultured Barbarian 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@maris8396
🤣 smh
@bougie749
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@TheElewalker
I sing this song when my wife nags me. It's probably not the same though.
@SunBunz
Girl Interrupted brought me here.
Catchy as hell.