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.
Down In The Alley
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, baby, let's go down in the alley
Take me down in the alley
Take me down in the alley
Take me down in the alley
I can get any business fixed all right
I met another man, asked me for a dollar
Might have heard that mother fucker holler
Let's go down in the alley
Let's go down in the alley
You can get your business fixed all right
Let's go
When he got me in the alley, he called me a name
What I put on him was a crying shame
Down in this alley
Down in this alley
Down in this alley
Where I got my business fixed all right
You got me in the alley, but don't get rough
I ain't gonna put up with that doggone stuff
Way down in the alley
Way down in the alley
Way down in the alley
Lord, my business fixed all right
Woo, it's dark
Can't see no light
Got to feel my way out this alley
I'm gonna stop, boys, walking late at night)
You took me in the alley, you knocked me down
Now I'm gonna call every copper in this town
You got me down in the alley
You got me down in the alley
You got me down in the alley
Now you got your business fixed all right
Boys, I'm sure gonna stop walking,
Walking late at night
The song "Down in the Alley" by Memphis Minnie has a raw and gritty blues sound that captures the essence of her experiences in the alleyways of pre-World War II Memphis. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who encounters two men while walking down an alley, both offering to help her with her "business." The first man asks her if she wants to "pally" (meaning to have sex), and she agrees to go down in the alley with him. However, the second man asks her for a dollar, and when she gives it to him, he tries to take advantage of her. She fights back, and the song ends with a warning to any men who might try to harm her in the future.
The lyrics of "Down in the Alley" are a powerful commentary on the dangers that women faced in the alleyways of Memphis during this time period. The song's narrator is a strong and resilient woman who refuses to be victimized by men who try to take advantage of her. The repetition of the phrase "Take me down in the alley" serves as a reminder of the many women who did find themselves in vulnerable situations in these dark and secluded areas of the city.
Overall, "Down in the Alley" is a powerful expression of Memphis Minnie's experiences and her ability to confront the harsh realities of her world. The song remains a testament to her unique voice and her contributions to the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a man, asked me did I want to pally
A man approached me and asked if I would like to go with him.
Yes, baby, let's go down in the alley
I accepted and agreed to go with him down to the alley.
Take me down in the alley
I am asking him to lead me down to the alley.
Take me down in the alley
I am asking him again to take me down to the alley.
Take me down in the alley
I am pleading with him to take me down to the alley.
I can get any business fixed all right
I am confident that I can take care of any business that needs to be taken care of in the alley.
I met another man, asked me for a dollar
Another man approached me and asked for money.
Might have heard that mother fucker holler
He may have been yelling or complaining about something.
Let's go down in the alley
I am suggesting that we go down to the alley.
Let's go down in the alley
I am urging him to take me down to the alley.
Let's go down in the alley
I am insisting that we go down to the alley.
You can get your business fixed all right
I am letting him know that any business he needs to take care of can be done in the alley.
Let's go
I am once again urging him to take me down to the alley.
When he got me in the alley, he called me a name
Once we got to the alley, he insulted me by calling me a name.
What I put on him was a crying shame
In response to his insult, I did something that made him ashamed and upset.
Down in this alley
I am referring to the location where these events happened.
Down in this alley
I am referencing the same location again.
Down in this alley
Once again, I am emphasizing the location where everything took place.
Where I got my business fixed all right
This is where I was able to take care of any business that needed to be handled.
You got me in the alley, but don't get rough
Although he was able to get me into the alley, I warn him not to get aggressive with me.
I ain't gonna put up with that doggone stuff
I won't tolerate his violent or negative behavior towards me any longer.
Way down in the alley
I am referencing the location once again.
Way down in the alley
I am emphasizing how far down the alley we went.
Way down in the alley
Once again, I am emphasizing the location where everything took place.
Lord, my business fixed all right
I was able to take care of any business that needed to be handled.
Woo, it's dark
I am commenting on how dark it is in the alley.
Can't see no light
There is no visible source of light in the alley.
Got to feel my way out this alley
I have to rely on touch to find my way out of the alley.
I'm gonna stop, boys, walking late at night
I won't be walking alone at night again.
You took me in the alley, you knocked me down
He was able to get me into the alley and then physically assaulted me.
Now I'm gonna call every copper in this town
I am going to report what happened to the police.
You got me down in the alley
I am referencing the location where I was assaulted.
You got me down in the alley
I am referencing the location where the assault took place.
You got me down in the alley
Once again, I am referencing the location where the assault happened.
Now you got your business fixed all right
If his intention was to cause me harm, then he succeeded in doing so.
Boys, I'm sure gonna stop walking,
I won't be walking alone at night anymore.
Walking late at night
I am referring to my previous behavior of walking alone at night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jesse Stone, The Clovers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mili aka Elfodhia
Una expresión fascinante del potencial de un artista... Totalmente inspirador y energizante
Ralph Rotten
Minnie was awesome!
leitros
This swings like the last few recordings of Bessie Smith from 1933.
Rick Bruner
Memphis Minnie was great, but as for her being the "only" blues artists to match male contemporaries, I'd urge anyone interested to check out first and foremost Sister Rosetta Tharpe, not to mention Elizabeth Cotten and Beverly Watkins, among several others.
Kevy Nova
Rick Bruner absolutely!
Marcia Ewell
And Etta Baker who came later!
2300 skiddoo
Tharpe was not a blues artist, and Cotten and Watkins were not contemporaries, at least in terms of performing and recording. There were dozens of great female blues vocalists at the time but very few were notable instrumentalists.
Broonzied
No messin here. One of my favourite Minnie tunes.
Slimster
❤❤
Celia Pearce
The only thing to dislike is that it's a picture of Josephine Baker, NOT Memphis Minnie!