Born in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, his professional career started at age 35, when he was noticed by Victor Records, and went to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1927 to record several records. These records sold moderately well, and Victor decided to take Jordan to New York in 1929, for two more sessions. He recorded very few known tracks in his career, but a few remain intact.
He died in Lynchburg in June 1952. His song, "Church Bells Blues" was later recorded by Ralph Willis.
Recorded August 16, 1927, Charlotte, North Carolina:
39819-1. "Church Bells Blues." Victor unissued
39819-2. "Church Bells Blues." Vi 21076
39820-1. "Pick Poor Robin Clean." Victor unissued
39820-2. "Pick Poor Robin Clean." Vi 20957
39821-2. "Cocaine Blues." Vi 21076
39822-1. "Traveling Coon." Vi 20957
Recorded November 18, 1929, New York City:
57703-1. "My Gal's Done Quit Me." Vi V38564
57704-3. "Won't You Be Kind?" Vi V38564
[edit]Recorded November 19, 1929, New York City
57705- . "If I Call You Mama." Vi 23400
57706-2. "Look Up, Look Down." Victor unissued
57707- . "Tom Brown Sits in His Prison Cell." Vi 23400
57708-2. "That's A Plenty." Victor unissued
Cocaine Blues
Luke Jordan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not gonna quit you, pretty mama, whilst the weather's cool
Around your back door, says, honey, I'm gonna creep
As long's you make me those two and a half a week
Now I've got a girl, she works in the white folks yard
She brings me meal, I can swear, she brings me lard
She brings me meal, she brings me lard
Now, Barnum Bailey's Circus came to town
They had the dancers looking good and brown
They didn't know it was against the law
For the monk' to stop at a fine drug store
Just around the corner just a minute too late
Another one standin' at the big back gate
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore ain't gonna sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the furniture man came to my house
It was last Sunday morn
He asked me was my wife at home
And I told she had long gone
He backed his wagon up to my door
Took everything I had
He carried it back to the furniture store
And I swear I did feel sad
What in the world has anyone got
Dealin' with the furniture man?
If you got no dough
To stand up for show
He certainly will back you back
He will take everything from an ugly plant
From a skillet to a frying pan
If it ever was a devil born without any horns
It must have been the furniture man
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
Doctor swore ain't gonna sell her more
Sayin' coke for horses, not women or men
The doctor says it'll kill you but he didn't say when
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the babies in the cradle in New Orleans
They kept a-whiffin' 'til they got so mean
They kept a-whiffin' had to fix it so
The judge wouldn't 'low to sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore, "I ain't gonna sell her more"
Sayin' run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
The lyrics to Luke Jordan's "Cocaine Blues" are a melancholic reflection on the lure and addictive appeal of drugs. The first verse speaks directly to the singer's addiction, taking on a sexual connotation as he uses the metaphor of sneaking around his lover's door to keep using. The second verse talks about the singer's relationship with a woman who brings him everything she can steal from the white people's yard she works at. The third verse describes Barnum Bailey's Circus coming to town and the singer's addiction causing him to be arrested for attempting to buy drugs from a pharmacy after hours. The fourth verse speaks of the dangers of addiction, telling a story of the furniture man taking everything the singer owns as payment for his drug habit. The fifth and final verse speaks of children being introduced to drugs and the corrupting influence they have on them.
The use of sexual metaphors in the first verse shows the link between drugs and sex, highlighting how addiction can warp the mind and body. The second verse symbolizes the inequalities in society, where a woman has to steal to help a man who is addicted to drugs. The third verse reflects the presence of systemic racism, where the singer is judged for his purchase of cocaine while white people use drugs with impunity. The fourth verse shows the consequences of addiction, where someone addicted to drugs can lose everything. The final verse reflects how society often blames the victim of drug addiction instead of addressing the root causes of the problem.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, go on, gal, don't you take me for no fool
I am not gullible and won't let you think otherwise.
I'm not gonna quit you, pretty mama, whilst the weather's cool
I will not leave you until conditions get tough.
Around your back door, says, honey, I'm gonna creep
I will secretly approach you at the back door.
As long's you make me those two and a half a week
As long as you bring me the payment of two and a half dollars per week.
Now I've got a girl, she works in the white folks yard
I have a lover who works in a white family's garden.
She brings me meal, I can swear, she brings me lard
She brings me food items including meal and lard.
She brings me everything, I swear, that she can steal
She brings anything that she can manage to steal for me.
Now, Barnum Bailey's Circus came to town
A circus called Barnum Bailey came to the town.
They had the dancers looking good and brown
The circus had good-looking dancers who were having a dark complexion.
They didn't know it was against the law
The circus people didn't know it was illegal.
For the monk' to stop at a fine drug store
For the black man to stop at a high-end drug store.
Just around the corner just a minute too late
I almost got caught by the cops who were nearby and arrived just a minute later.
Another one standin' at the big back gate
Another cop was standing at the main entrance.
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
I'm deeply passionate about the high-quality cocaine I have.
I call my Cora, hey, hey
I call my lover named Cora.
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
She comes sniffing with a sore nose due to cocaine addiction.
The doctor swore ain't gonna sell no more
The doctor refused to sell her any more cocaine.
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
He yelled for the doctor to flee from the scene.
The women in the alley
The prostitutes in the alley.
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
They are extremely fond of my high-quality cocaine.
Now, the furniture man came to my house
A furniture salesman came to my house.
It was last Sunday morn
It happened early on a Sunday morning.
He asked me was my wife at home
He inquired if my wife was present.
And I told she had long gone
And I had to tell him that she had left me.
He backed his wagon up to my door
He put his wagon close to my door.
Took everything I had
He took all my belongings.
He carried it back to the furniture store
He took everything to his furniture store.
And I swear I did feel sad
I felt extremely disheartened about losing everything.
What in the world has anyone got
What does anyone have to do with this incident?
Dealin' with the furniture man?
What business does anybody have with the furniture salesman?
If you got no dough
If you have no money.
To stand up for show
To have a good public image.
He certainly will back you back
He will back you into a corner.
He will take everything from an ugly plant
He will take anything you own even if it is of no value.
From a skillet to a frying pan
From a large cooking vessel to a small one.
If it ever was a devil born without any horns
If there could have been a devil who was not intimidating or scary-looking.
It must have been the furniture man
It was the furniture salesman who was the devil-like character in this case.
The babies in the cradle in New Orleans
The young ones in the cradle in New Orleans.
They kept a-whiffin' 'til they got so mean
They kept sniffing cocaine until they became very hostile.
They kept a-whiffin' had to fix it so
They kept sniffing so much that it had to be stopped.
The judge wouldn't 'low to sell no more
The judge disallowed any further sales.
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The people present there urged the doctor to leave immediately.
The women in the alley
The prostitutes in the alley.
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
They are extremely fond of my high-quality cocaine.
Contributed by Madelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Royal Zavala
Cocaine Blues
Lyrics:
Now, go on, gal, don't you take me for no fool
I'm not gonna quit you, pretty mama, whilst the weather's cool
Around your back door, says, honey, I'm gonna creep
As long's you make me those two and a half a week
Now I've got a girl, she works in the white folks yard
She brings me meal, I can swear, she brings me lard
She brings me meal, she brings me lard
She brings me everything, I swear, that she can steal
Now, Barnum Bailey's Circus came to town
They had the dancers looking good and brown
They didn't know it was against the law
For the monk' to stop at a fine drug store
Just around the corner just a minute too late
Another one standin' at the big back gate
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore ain't gonna sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the furniture man came to my house
It was last Sunday morn
He asked me was my wife at home
And I told she had long gone
He backed his wagon up to my door
Took everything I had
He carried it back to the furniture store
And I swear I did feel sad
What in the world has anyone got
Dealin' with the furniture man?
If you got no dough
To stand up for show
He certainly will back you back
He will take everything from an ugly plant
From a skillet to a frying pan
If it ever was a devil born without any horns
It must have been the furniture man
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
Doctor swore ain't gonna sell her more
Sayin' coke for horses, not women or men
The doctor says it'll kill you but he didn't say when
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the babies in the cradle in New Orleans
They kept a-whiffin' 'til they got so mean
They kept a-whiffin' had to fix it so
The judge wouldn't 'low to sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore, "I ain't gonna sell her more"
Sayin' run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
Title: Cocaine Blues
Artist: Luke Jordan
Songwriter: Luke Jordan
Release Date: 1927
Label: Victor Records
6ick6ick6ity
Definitely ahead of his time him and blind blake are under appreciated
lobbyboi
RIP Luke Jordan. By the 1940's Luke lost his voice and became a heavy drinker. I wonder what could've became of him
Royal Zavala
Cocaine Blues
Lyrics:
Now, go on, gal, don't you take me for no fool
I'm not gonna quit you, pretty mama, whilst the weather's cool
Around your back door, says, honey, I'm gonna creep
As long's you make me those two and a half a week
Now I've got a girl, she works in the white folks yard
She brings me meal, I can swear, she brings me lard
She brings me meal, she brings me lard
She brings me everything, I swear, that she can steal
Now, Barnum Bailey's Circus came to town
They had the dancers looking good and brown
They didn't know it was against the law
For the monk' to stop at a fine drug store
Just around the corner just a minute too late
Another one standin' at the big back gate
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore ain't gonna sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the furniture man came to my house
It was last Sunday morn
He asked me was my wife at home
And I told she had long gone
He backed his wagon up to my door
Took everything I had
He carried it back to the furniture store
And I swear I did feel sad
What in the world has anyone got
Dealin' with the furniture man?
If you got no dough
To stand up for show
He certainly will back you back
He will take everything from an ugly plant
From a skillet to a frying pan
If it ever was a devil born without any horns
It must have been the furniture man
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
Doctor swore ain't gonna sell her more
Sayin' coke for horses, not women or men
The doctor says it'll kill you but he didn't say when
I'm simply wild about my good cocaine
Now, the babies in the cradle in New Orleans
They kept a-whiffin' 'til they got so mean
They kept a-whiffin' had to fix it so
The judge wouldn't 'low to sell no more
Sayin', run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
I call my Cora, hey, hey
She come on sniffin' with her nose all sore
The doctor swore, "I ain't gonna sell her more"
Sayin' run, doctor, ring the bell
The women in the alley
Am simply wild about my good cocaine
Title: Cocaine Blues
Artist: Luke Jordan
Songwriter: Luke Jordan
Release Date: 1927
Label: Victor Records
Okay
Play this at my funeral
pulpitudes
Very spooky scene. Well done!
Charles Cross
spooky indeed
IfTheseWallsCouldTalkTheyProbalyStillIgnoreMe
It's by trevor hendersen i believe
stephanie bristol
Probably couldn't make this one today. It's good though as well as Dick Justice's version a year later in 1928.
Károlyné Szépvölgyi
Tetszett a videó film.
Köszönettel.
Hat Knuckles
Who is the artist that drew this picture? I cant seem to find it anywhere else