She first appeared on stage in Columbus in "A Bunch of Blackberries" at the age of 14. She then joined a traveling vaudeville troupe, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. After hearing a blues song at a theater in St. Louis sung by a local girl in 1902, she started performing in a blues style. She claimed at that time that she was the one who coined the name "blues" for the style that she specialized in. Musicians and singers who had sang and played in the style said there were no such origins and that the blues had always been. A pioneer in the style, Bunk Johnson said that in the 1880s the blues had already been developed.
She married fellow vaudeville singer William 'Pa' Rainey in 1904, changing her name to Ma Rainey. The pair toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels as Rainey & Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues, singing a mix of blues and popular songs. In 1912, she took the young Bessie Smith into the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, trained her, and worked with her until Smith left in 1915.
Also known, though less discussed, is the fact that she was bisexual. Rainey never shied away from her feelings in her music, as is apparent in the lyrics of "Prove It On Me":
"Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,
They must have been women, 'cause I don't like no men.
Wear my clothes just like a fan, Talk to gals just like any old man
'Cause they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me, Sure got to prove it on me."
Rainey was outspoken on women's issues and a role model for future women entertainers who took control of their own careers.
Ma Rainey was already a veteran performer with decades of touring with African-American shows in the U.S. Southern States when she made her first recordings in 1923. Rainey signed with Paramount Records and, between 1923 and 1928, she recorded 100 songs, sometimes accompanied such jazz notables as Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Fletcher Henderson and others. Rainey was extremely popular among southern blacks in the 1920s, but the Great Depression and changing tastes ended her career by 1933, when she retired.
Rainey died of a heart attack in 1939.
The 1982 August Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was based on her.
Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Charlie: Hello, Ma
Ma: Charlie, where's that big banjo you had?
Charlie: Ma, that big banjo's been pawned
Ma: Been pawned?
Charlie: Yes, Ma'am
Ma: Too bad, Jim
Charlie: Hello, Ma
Charlie: What's become of that great big bus you had?
Ma: Ahsomebody stole that bus
Charlie: Stole it?
Ma: Yeah!
Charlie: Mmmmmm!
Ma: Charlie, you know I'm broke?
Charlie: Ma, don't you know I'm broke too?
Ma: I tell you what let's do
Charlie: What we gonna do?
Ma: Let's both go to the poorhouse together
Charlie: All right, let's go together
"Sung:"
Ma: Too bad, too bad, too bad, too bad, too bad, (2)
I lost all my money, lost everything I had
Charlie: Ma, being broke's all right,
When you know you got some more money comin' in, (2)
But when you lose your money, that's where friendship ends
Ma: Ohhere I'm on my knees, (2)
Charlie (speaks): Don't worry Ma,
I'll soon be down on my knees with you
Ma: I want the whole world to know, Mama's broke and can't be pleased
Charlie (sings): When you have lots of money, you have plenty friends
Ma: Lord lost all my money, that was my end, Oh ain't got no money now
Both: We better go to the poorhouse, and try to live anyhow
Ma: Oh, Charlie (speaks): Ah, moan it, Ma!
Oh, Charlie (speaks): Hear me talking to you, doggone you!
Both: We better go to the poorhouse, and try to live anyhow
In Ma Rainey's song "Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues," two friends, Ma and Charlie, commiserate over their lack of money and possessions. They reminisce about the banjo and bus that they no longer have, with Charlie admitting that his banjo has been pawned and Ma revealing that her bus was stolen. Both Ma and Charlie acknowledge that they are broke, but decide to make the best of their situation by going to the poorhouse together. Ma sings about how she's lost everything she had, emphasizing her distress by repeating the phrase "too bad" multiple times. Charlie tries to comfort her by saying that being broke is okay as long as there's more money coming in, but Ma is vocal about her dissatisfaction with her current state.
The lyrics of "Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues" paint a picture of poverty and the desperation that comes with it. Ma and Charlie are down on their luck, and the loss of their possessions is a symbol of their financial struggles. The repeated phrase "too bad" underscores the sense of defeat that they feel, while Ma's declaration that she can't be pleased highlights the emotional toll of poverty. Overall, the song portrays the harsh realities of being broke and the need to rely on the kindness of others when times are tough.
Line by Line Meaning
Ma: Hello there, Charlie
Ma Rainey greets Charlie
Charlie: Hello, Ma
Charlie greets Ma Rainey
Ma: Charlie, where's that big banjo you had?
Ma Rainey inquires about Charlie's big banjo
Charlie: Ma, that big banjo's been pawned
Charlie informs Ma Rainey that the big banjo has been pawned
Ma: Been pawned?
Ma Rainey confirms with Charlie that the banjo has been pawned
Charlie: Yes, Ma'am
Charlie confirms to Ma Rainey that the banjo has been pawned
Ma: Too bad, Jim
Ma Rainey laments the loss of her banjo
Charlie: Hello, Ma
Charlie greets Ma Rainey again
Ma: All right, Charlie
Ma Rainey acknowledges Charlie's greeting
Charlie: What's become of that great big bus you had?
Charlie asks Ma Rainey about the location of her big bus
Ma: Ahsomebody stole that bus
Ma Rainey informs Charlie that her bus has been stolen
Charlie: Stole it?
Charlie expresses surprise at the news of Ma Rainey's stolen bus
Ma: Yeah!
Ma Rainey confirms that her bus has been stolen
Charlie: Mmmmmm!
Charlie expresses sympathy at the bad news
Ma: Charlie, you know I'm broke?
Ma Rainey tells Charlie about her financial condition
Charlie: Ma, don't you know I'm broke too?
Charlie informs Ma Rainey that he is also broke
Ma: I tell you what let's do
Ma Rainey suggests to Charlie about their next course of action
Charlie: What we gonna do?
Charlie asks Ma Rainey about their plan
Ma: Let's both go to the poorhouse together
Ma Rainey proposes to Charlie that they both go to the poorhouse together
Charlie: All right, let's go together
Charlie agrees to Ma Rainey's proposal
Ma: Too bad, too bad, too bad, too bad, too bad, (2)
Ma Rainey repeats the phrase 'too bad' multiple times in a melancholic tone
I lost all my money, lost everything I had
Ma Rainey laments losing all her money and possessions
Ma: Ohhere I'm on my knees, (2)
Ma Rainey expresses a feeling of desperation
Charlie (speaks): Don't worry Ma,
I'll soon be down on my knees with you
Charlie assures Ma Rainey he will support her in her difficult times
Ma: I want the whole world to know, Mama's broke and can't be pleased
Ma Rainey expresses her helplessness in the face of her financial troubles
Charlie (sings): When you have lots of money, you have plenty friends
Charlie sings about how money can attract friends
Ma: Lord lost all my money, that was my end, Oh ain't got no money now
Ma Rainey expresses the direness of her situation
Both: We better go to the poorhouse, and try to live anyhow
Both Ma Rainey and Charlie decide to head to the poorhouse to seek help
Ma: Oh, Charlie (speaks): Ah, moan it, Ma!
Oh, Charlie (speaks): Hear me talking to you, doggone you!
Ma Rainey addresses Charlie with a heartfelt plea
Both: We better go to the poorhouse, and try to live anyhow
Both Ma Rainey and Charlie reiterate their decision to go to the poorhouse
Contributed by Joshua N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.