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
The Gallis Pole
Leadbelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think I see my friends coming, Riding a many mile.
Friends, did you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my dear friends, To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
I couldn't get no silver, I couldn't get no gold,
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my brother coming, riding a many mile.
Brother, did you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother, to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
Brother, I brought you some silver,
I brought a little gold, I brought a little of everything
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Yes, I brought you to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
I think I see my sister coming, riding a many mile, mile, mile.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
Take him to some shady bower, save me from the wrath of this man,
Please take him, save me from the wrath of this man, man.
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
Pray tell me that I'm free to ride,
Ride for many mile, mile, mile.
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister, She warmed my blood from cold,
Brought my blood to boiling hot To keep you from the Gallows Pole,
Your brother brought me silver, Your sister warmed my soul,
But now I laugh and pull so hard And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole!
The song The Gallis Pole is a traditional folk song that has been recorded by many artists over the years. In Leadbelly's version, the song tells the story of a man who is about to be hanged on the gallows pole but is hoping his friends and family will bring him the money he needs to bribe the hangman and save his life. The man first calls out to his friends, asking if they were able to get any silver or gold to keep him from the gallows pole. However, they admit they weren't able to get anything to help him.
The man then turns to his brother, who appears to have been more successful in getting him the bribe money. His brother brings him silver, gold, and everything he needs to keep him from the gallows pole. Later, the man sees his sister coming and implores her to take him away and save him from the hangman's wrath.
Despite the efforts of his family to save his life, the song takes a dark turn in the final verse. The hangman reveals that he had relations with the man's sister and was warmed by her, which led him to pull the rope harder and see the man swinging on the gallows pole. The song ends with the haunting refrain of "swinging on the gallows pole."
Line by Line Meaning
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
The condemned man asks the executioner for a brief moment of mercy.
Think I see my friends coming, Riding a many mile.
The man sees his friends coming from a distance and hopes they have brought something that will help him avoid execution.
Friends, did you get some silver?
The man asks his friends if they were able to get any money that could be used to bribe the executioner.
Did you get a little gold?
The man asks if his friends were also able to get any valuable items that could be used to help him.
What did you bring me, my dear friends, To keep me from the Gallows Pole?
The man asks his friends to reveal what they have brought him to help him avoid being hanged.
I couldn't get no silver, I couldn't get no gold,
The friends tell the man that they were unable to get any money or valuable items to help him.
You know that we're too damn poor to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
The friends explain that they are too poor to help the man and prevent his execution.
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
The man again asks the executioner for a brief moment of mercy.
I think I see my brother coming, riding a many mile.
The man sees his brother approaching in the distance and hopes that he has brought something that can help him.
Brother, did you get me some silver?
The man asks his brother if he was able to get any money that could be used to bribe the executioner.
Did you get a little gold?
The man asks his brother if he was also able to get any valuable items that could be used to help him.
What did you bring me, my brother, to keep me from the Gallows Pole?
The man asks his brother to reveal what he has brought him to help him avoid being executed.
Brother, I brought you some silver,
The man's brother tells him that he was able to get some money that can be used to bribe the executioner.
I brought a little gold, I brought a little of everything
The brother tells the man that he was also able to get some valuable items in addition to the money.
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
The brother reveals that he brought everything to help the man avoid being hanged.
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
The man asks the executioner to look away for a moment so his sister can approach him.
I think I see my sister coming, riding a many mile, mile, mile.
The man's sister is approaching from a distance and he hopes that she can help him.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
The man asks his sister to take him by the hand and lead him away to safety.
Take him to some shady bower, save me from the wrath of this man,
The man asks his sister to take him to a safe place where he can hide and avoid being executed.
Please take him, save me from the wrath of this man, man.
The man begs his sister to save him from the wrath of the executioner.
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
The man is asking the executioner if he is happy since he believes that his friends, brother, and sister have been able to help him avoid being executed.
Pray tell me that I'm free to ride,
The man asks the executioner to tell him that he is free to leave and ride away from the gallows.
Ride for many mile, mile, mile.
The man plans to ride away and escape after being saved from execution.
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister,
The executioner sarcastically compliments the man's sister.
She warmed my blood from cold,
The executioner is suggesting that the man's sister was able to excite him.
Brought my blood to boiling hot
The executioner suggests that the woman aroused him sexually.
To keep you from the Gallows Pole,
The executioner was paid off with money, items, and possibly sex to help the man avoid being executed.
Your brother brought me silver,
The executioner received money from the man's brother.
Your sister warmed my soul,
The executioner suggests that the man's sister was able to excite him emotionally as well.
But now I laugh and pull so hard
The executioner is now pulling on the rope to hang the man, despite the efforts of his friends and family to save him.
And see you swinging on the Gallows Pole
The man's execution is now complete and he is swinging from the gallows.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kenjikent
1 million views! Thank you guys for the comments, lets keep the real music alive!
Craig EBANEZ-GEORGE
kenjikent damn right brother
Sean Powers
Thank you for posting this treasure.
kenjikent
Thank you.
Juega con iaia
Hi! Im from rio gallegos, argentina. Leadbelly is a great of the blues history. thanks for posting
Beth
Thank you!
Glue Sticks
Zeppelin, The Animals, Nirvana... Damn Lead Belly was influential. I am very thankful for this man.
Terry Murphy
+Jordan koetje You know he didn't write this , he did record it first , don't think anyone knows who did many covered it including Led Zeppelin and Neil Young .
clemo plukyas
"The Maid Freed from the Gallows" is one of many titles of a centuries-old folk song about a condemned maiden pleading for someone to buy her freedom from the executioner. In the collection of ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late 19th century, it is indexed as Child Ballad number 95; 11 variants, some fragmentary, are indexed as 95A to 95K.[1] In the Roud Folk Song Index it is number 144. The ballad exists in a number of folkloric variants, from many different countries, and has been remade in a variety of formats. For example, it was recorded in 1939 as "The Gallis Pole" by folk singer Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, and - the most famous version - in 1970 as "Gallows Pole", an arrangement of the Fred Gerlach version by English rock band Led Zeppelin, on the album Led Zeppelin III.
Plutarch Heavensbee
+Terry Murphy everyone always says that. Yes. Most of the old folk songs were traded around. Leadbelly is one of the only ones that continuously makes me feel like this.
I would bet money he made them feel it too.