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.
Titanic Man Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna tell you 'bout that man o' mine
It's your last time Titanic, fare thee well
Now you've always had a good time
Drinkin' your high-priced wine
But it's the last time, Titanic, fare thee well
Rig you up like a ship at sea
It's the last time Titanic, fare thee well
It's a hard an' a bitter pill
But I got somebody else that will
It's the last time Titanic, fare thee well
Now, I won't worry when you are gone
Another Brown has got your water on
It's the last time Titanic, fare thee well
Now I'm leavin' you, there's no doubt
Yes, yo' mamma's goin' to put you out
It's the last time Titanic, fare thee well
Ma Rainey's "Titanic Man Blues" is a song about a woman who is fed up with her man's cheating and has decided to leave him for good. The song uses the metaphor of the Titanic ship sinking to describe the man's downfall. The chorus, "It's your last time Titanic, fare thee well," is a goodbye message to the unfaithful man.
The woman describes the man's past behavior, enjoying his expensive wine and living life like a ship at sea, before revealing that he has made a fool of her. She then declares that she has found someone else who will treat her better, a bitter pill for the Titanic man to swallow. The song ends with the woman confidently asserting that she is moving on and that the man's mother will have to deal with him now that she is leaving.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody fall in line
Everyone pay attention
Gonna tell you 'bout that man o' mine
I'm going to talk about my man
It's your last time Titanic, fare thee well
I'm leaving you, this is goodbye
Now you've always had a good time
You've always enjoyed yourself
Drinkin' your high-priced wine
Drinking expensive wine
But it's the last time, Titanic, fare thee well
This is the last time we'll be together
Rig you up like a ship at sea
I dressed you up like a ship at sea
But you sunk an' made a fool of me
You disappointed me
It's a hard an' a bitter pill
It's difficult and unpleasant
But I got somebody else that will
But I have someone else who can please me
Now, I won't worry when you are gone
I won't be worried when you're not around
Another Brown has got your water on
Another man has replaced you
Now I'm leavin' you, there's no doubt
I'm definitely leaving you
Yes, yo' mamma's goin' to put you out
You'll be kicked out of your mother's house
It's the last time Titanic, fare thee well
This is the final goodbye
Contributed by Leo E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
max
one of my emoto's favourite songs.
2300skiddoo
Supposed to be the earliest reference to the Titanic in any blues, even though it's really just by way of comparison: Rig you up like a ship at sea, But you sunk an’ made a fool of me.
Mike J.D. Roberts Music
Does anyone know who wrote the song??