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
Stewball
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he held a high head
And the mane on his foretop
Was fine as silk thread
I rode him in England
And I rode him in Spain
And I never did lose, boys
So come all you gamblers
From near and from far
Don't bet your gold dollar
On that little grey mare
Most likely she will stumble
Most likely she'll fall
But you never will lose
On my noble Stewball
Sit tight on your saddle
Let slack on your rein
And you never will lose boys,
You always will gain
As they were a-riding
'Bout halfway 'round
That grey mare she stumbled
And fell to the ground
And 'way out yonder
Ahead of them all
Came dancin' and prancin'
My noble Stewball
Stewball was a good horse
And he held a high head
And the mane on his foretop
Was fine as silk thread
I rode him in England
And I rode him in Spain
And I never did lose, boys
I always did gain
Leadbelly's "Stewball" is a song about a magnificent racehorse, Stewball, who is unlike any other. The song describes how Stewball held his head high, and his silky mane made him shine above other horses. The singer of the song boasts that he has ridden Stewball in England and in Spain and has never lost a race. It is said that Stewball is so good that gamblers should not bet on the little grey mare because she's most likely to stumble and fall. However, they will never lose their bets on Stewball, who will always come out on top.
The song takes an exciting turn when they're about halfway through the race. The grey mare trips and falls to the ground, but out of nowhere, Stewball comes flying past them, prancing and dancing victoriously. The song emphasizes the greatness of Stewball as a legendary horse that could never lose, no matter what the odds were.
The song is unique because it's from the perspective of the horse's rider instead of the horse. Furthermore, the ballad has several verses that reflect the horse's reputation, grace, and style, which makes it a perfect representation of the notable racehorses of that time.
Line by Line Meaning
Stewball was a good horse
Stewball was an excellent horse worthy of admiration
And he held a high head
Stewball held his head up high with pride and confidence
And the mane on his foretop was fine as silk thread
Stewball had a mane on his forehead as soft as silk
I rode him in England
I rode Stewball when I was in England
And I rode him in Spain
I also rode Stewball in Spain
And I never did lose, boys
Stewball was such an unbeatable horse that I never lost a bet when I rode him
I always did gain
Whenever I rode Stewball in a race, I always ended up as the winner
So come all you gamblers
To all the gamblers out there
From near and from far
Whether you're near or far
Don't bet your gold dollar
Don't bet your precious gold dollar
On that little grey mare
On that small and weak grey mare
Most likely she will stumble
Chances are she'll stumble and fail
Most likely she'll fall
She'll most likely fall to the ground
But you never will lose
However, if you bet on Stewball, you'll never lose
On my noble Stewball
Because Stewball is a noble and unbeatable horse
Sit tight on your saddle
Hold on tight to your saddle
Let slack on your rein
But let some slack on your rein
And you never will lose, boys
If you follow this advice, you'll never lose a bet
You always will gain
In fact, you'll always win
As they were a-riding
While they were riding
'Bout halfway 'round
About halfway around the track
That grey mare she stumbled
The grey mare stumbled and fell
And fell to the ground
Landing on the ground
'Way out yonder
Far out in the distance
Ahead of them all
In front of all the other horses
Came dancin' and prancin'
Stewball appeared dancing and prancing
My noble Stewball
It was my noble Stewball who won the race again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sciexp
One of the not so well known blues man, but one of the greatest in his own way..
@RATLordGeno
I've listened to so much Leadbelly that I feel like him and I are buddies. It's always weird to me when someone hears him for the first time and can't understand anything he says...But we were all there once! What an amazing guy.
@jeanisdancing
I can understand but I grew up in the South, near Nashville.
@aleksandardjukic6476
The God of blues
@thebrazilianatlantis165
The person who taught Leadbelly this song was reportedly Alan Lomax.
@rudmanpaul2812
This is a stone cold banger
@OldPatsy3010
timeless brilliance.