Lizzie Douglas was born on June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana. She was the eldest from her 13 other siblings. Her parents Abe and Gertrude Douglas nicknamed her the Kid during her early childhood. At the age of 7 she and her family moved to Walls, Mississippi, which was just south of Memphis. The following year after she moved, she received her first guitar for Christmas. She began to practice and learn how to play both the banjo and the guitar and it was seen that she had a great talent as a musician. When she first began performing she did not use her first name Lizzie, but played under the name Kid Douglas. When she was 13 years old she ran away from her home to live on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. She would play on street corners for most of her teenage years and would eventually go home when she ran out of money. She began to get noticed singing and playing guitar on the street corners. This brought an opportunity for her to tour, travel, and play with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Eventually she came back to Beale Street and got consumed in the blues scene. At the time, women, whiskey, and cocaine were high in demand with the people and places she would be around. She made her money by playing guitar, singing, and prostitution, which was not uncommon at the time. Most of the female performers were prostitutes because of financial desperation. It was said “She received $12 for her services-an outrageous fee for the time.” (Memphis Minnie Biography,1). She was known as a woman that was very strong and that could take care of herself.
She had been married three times in her life; first with Will Weldon sometime in the 1920s, then Joe McCoy (1929–1934), and finally to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe), in 1939. She and McCoy would perform together during their marriage. During this time, a talent scout from Columbia Records discovered her. When she and McCoy went to record in New York, she decided to change her name to Memphis Minnie. During the next few years she and McCoy released many singles and duets. She released the song “Bumble Bee” in 1930, which ended up being one of her favorite songs, and led her to a recording contract with the label Vocalion. Under this label, they continued to produce recording for two years, one of them being “I’m Talking About You”, which was one of her more popular songs. They soon decided to leave Vocalion and move to Chicago. She and McCoy introduced country blues to the urban environment and became very well known.
Memphis Minnie continued to have success throughout the years recording under many different labels like Decca Records and Chess Records. Some believe her fame was the reason for her divorce with McCoy due to jealousy and resentment towards her. She remarried after to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe) and began recording material with him. She became very well known in the blues industry and ended up being one of the most famous blues performers of all time, competing with both men and women.
She continued to record throughout the 50’s, but her health began to become a problem for her. She retired from her musical career and ended up going back to Memphis. “Periodically, she would appear on Memphis radio stations to encourage young blues musicians. As the Garons wrote in Women With Guitar, 'She never laid her guitar down, until she could literally no longer pick it up.'” She suffered a stroke in 1960, which caused her to be bound by wheelchair. The following year her husband, Earnest “Little Son Joe” Lawlars died. She had another stroke a short while after and eventually ended up in the Jell Nursing Home. She could no longer survive on her social security income so magazines wrote about her and readers sent her money for assistance. On August 6, 1973 she died of a stroke. She was buried in an unmarked grave at the New Hope Cemetery in Memphis. A headstone paid for by Bonnie Raitt was erected by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund on October 13, 1996 with 35 family members in attendance including her sister, numerous nieces (including Laverne Baker) and nephews. Her headstone is marked:
Lizzie "Kid" Douglas Lawlers
aka Memphis Minnie
The inscription on the back of her gravestone reads:
"The hundreds of sides Minnie recorded are the perfect material to teach us about the blues. For the blues are at once general, and particular, speaking for millions, but in a highly singular, individual voice. Listening to Minnie's songs we hear her fantasies, her dreams, her desires, but we will hear them as if they were our own."
After her death some of her old work began to surface and some of her songs were featured on blues compilations. She was one of the first 20 blues artists that were inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.
'frisco Town
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That old 'Frisco train makes a mile a minute
Well, in that old coach, I'm gonna sit right in it
I'm on my way, to 'Frisco town
You can toot your whistle, you can ring your bell
You can toot your whistle, you can ring your bell
But I know you been wanting it by the way you smell
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
There's a boa constrictor and a lemon stick
There's a boa constrictor and a lemon stick
I don't mind being with you but my mama's sick
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
I would tell you what's the matter, but I done got scared
I would tell you what's the matter, but I done got scared
You got to wait now, until we go to bed
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
If you was sick, I wouldn't worry you
If you was sick, I wouldn't worry you
I wouldn't want you to do something that you couldn't do
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
Well, if you want it, you can get it, and I ain't mad
Well, if you want it, you can get it, and I ain't mad
If you tell me this is something that you ain't never had
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
Look-a here, you get mad everytime I call your name
Look-a here, you get mad everytime I call your name
I ain't never told you that you couldn't get that thing
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
I woke up this morning about half past five
I woke up this morning about half past five
My baby turned over, cried just like a child
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
I got something to tell you, I don't want to make you mad
I got something to tell you, I don't want to make you mad
I got something for you, make you feel glad
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
Look-a here, look-a here, what you want me to do
Look-a here, look-a here, what you want me to do
Give you my jelly when die for you
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
I got something to tell you, gonna break your heart
I got something to tell you, gonna break your heart
We been together so far, we gotta get apart
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
In “Frisco Town," Memphis Minnie sings about her journey to San Francisco, specifically through a train ride that she’s looking forward to. She questions the purpose of a man who checks her often on this train trip and questions his motives. She clarifies that although she doesn't mind being with him, she needs to go to San Francisco to see her sick mother. She also mentions that there are certain things that she would like to discuss with him, but she feels uncomfortable and scared to do so.
Minnie paints a beautiful picture of the train journey to San Francisco in the first few lines of the song. She notes how fast the train is and how excited she is to finally go to “Frisco town." She demonstrates her independence by saying that she is going to make her own way to San Francisco without any assistance from the man sitting beside her. However, there is a playful, flirtatious undertone to the lyrics, and it seems like she is willing to share some intimate moments with the man accompanying her.
As the song progresses, the lyrics take on a more perplexing and complicated note. The man accompanying her seems to be bothering her, and she is uncomfortable sharing her thoughts with him. However, there is a melancholic quality to her words, and it seems like she is trying to tell the man that they need to part ways, as their relationship is not working. She even mentions a “jelly” that she would give to him when she dies. Overall, “Frisco Town” is a soulful and thought-provoking song that highlights the complexities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
That old 'Frisco train makes a mile a minute
The train to San Francisco is traveling at an impressive speed
Well, in that old coach, I'm gonna sit right in it
I plan to catch this train and sit in the coach section
You can toot your whistle, you can ring your bell
You can announce your presence however you want, but I can already smell you coming from a mile away
But I know you been wanting it by the way you smell
I can tell you want something from me based on the scent you emit
There's a boa constrictor and a lemon stick
There are peculiar and perhaps dangerous things around, but my concern is my sick mother
I don't mind being with you but my mama's sick
I don't object to your company, but I need to focus on my mother, who is unwell
I would tell you what's the matter, but I done got scared
I fear sharing what's troubling me with you
You got to wait now, until we go to bed
I'll only feel safe enough to confide in you later tonight when we're alone
If you was sick, I wouldn't worry you
I wouldn't want to burden you if you were the one feeling unwell
I wouldn't want you to do something that you couldn't do
I wouldn't want to ask you to do something beyond your capacity
Well, if you want it, you can get it, and I ain't mad
If you want something from me, I won't be angry if you ask for it
If you tell me this is something that you ain't never had
If you promise me that what you're asking for is new to you, I may be more inclined to give it to you
Look-a here, you get mad everytime I call your name
You seem to get easily irritated when I mention your name
I ain't never told you that you couldn't get that thing
I've never said you couldn't have what you desire
I woke up this morning about half past five
I woke up early this morning
My baby turned over, cried just like a child
My lover reacted emotionally to something
I got something to tell you, I don't want to make you mad
I have something to tell you, but I hope it doesn't upset you
I got something for you, make you feel glad
I have something for you that I think will please you
Look-a here, look-a here, what you want me to do
What should I do for you?
Give you my jelly when die for you
I'm willing to sacrifice for you
I got something to tell you, gonna break your heart
I have bad news that will hurt you
We been together so far, we gotta get apart
Despite our time together, it's time for us to move on from each other
I'm on my way to 'Frisco town
Regardless of what's happening in my personal life, I'm still heading to San Francisco
Contributed by Levi E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-lo8el2nj6c
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@sfgiantpoet
lets be real minnie. its in texas.