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.
In My Girlish Days
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through my window, out stepped a man
I didn't know no better
Oh boys
In my girlish days
My mama cried, papa did, too
Oh, daughter, look what a shame on you
I didn't know no better
Oh boys
In my girlish days
I flagged a train, didn't have a dime
Trying to run away from that home of mine
I didn't know no better
Oh boys
In my girlish days
I hit the highway, caught me a truck
Nineteen and seventeen, when the winter was tough
I didn't know no better
Oh boys
In my girlish days
Lord, play it for me now
All of my playmates is not surprised,
I had to travel 'fore I got wise
I found out better
And I still got my girlish ways
Memphis Minnie's song "In My Girlish Days" is a blues tune that tells the story of a young woman who has grown into a strong and experienced traveler. The opening line suggests the song is taking place late at night, with the singer trying to play her hand (presumably at gambling or perhaps at life in general). Then, a man she doesn't know steps out of her window, and she finds herself reflecting on her past: "In my girlish days / My mama cried, papa did, too / Oh, daughter, look what a shame on you / I didn't know no better." These lines hint at the fact that she has made some mistakes in her youth, to her parents' dismay.
The next verse talks about her attempt to escape her home life by flagging a train with no money: "I flagged a train, didn't have a dime / Trying to run away from that home of mine." She then hit the highway and caught a truck during a tough winter in 1917 when she was nineteen. Despite all of the trials she faced, she had no regrets about her decisions: "And I still got my girlish ways." In fact, she is proud of the lessons and experiences she has gained through her journeys, which have made her the strong and wise woman she is today.
Overall, "In My Girlish Days" is a testament to the strength and resilience of a young woman who has faced many struggles and come out the other side with maturity and insight. It speaks to the universal human experience of making mistakes, learning from them, and growing as individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Late hours at night, trying to play my hand
Late at night, I was trying to make my way in the world
Through my window, out stepped a man
A man appeared through my window unexpectedly
I didn't know no better
I was young and naive and didn't have experience
Oh boys
Expressing a strong emotion or feeling
In my girlish days
Back when I was young and inexperienced
My mama cried, papa did, too
My parents were disappointed in me
Oh, daughter, look what a shame on you
My parents were ashamed of my actions
I flagged a train, didn't have a dime
I hitchhiked because I was broke
Trying to run away from that home of mine
I was trying to escape from my unhappy home life
I hit the highway, caught me a truck
I left town by hitching a ride on a truck
Nineteen and seventeen, when the winter was tough
I was 19 or 17 years old, during a harsh winter
Lord, play it for me now
A plea for music to be played to lift spirits
All of my playmates is not surprised,
My friends were not shocked by my actions
I had to travel 'fore I got wise
My experiences while traveling taught me valuable life lessons
I found out better
I gained knowledge and experience over time
And I still got my girlish ways
I still have a youthful spirit despite my experiences
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERNEST LAWLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SmokeOrPoke
this girl is amazing
Shantianita
Can anyone share the chords/tabs to this beautiful blues song
2300 skiddoo
And here some of us thought that Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Victoria Spivey, Ida Cox, Clara Smith and Chippie Hill (to name but a few) were matches as singers for any male blues performers.
Custer Ranch
@Jim Yates
Very important distinction there. Plenty of women can belt out the Blues, but to hold her own as a guitarist in those days was really sayin something!
Jim Yates
+2300 skiddoo I don't think anyone, including Machinegunhalligan, who posted this clip would argue with you about that, but you'll notice that he posted, "both a singer AND an instrumentalist."
bardamu
Memphis Minnie , je t adore
esotopio
great great stuff!! thanx for uploading!!!
Shantianita
Didn't no no better....oh boy, in my girlish days!
BlindLemonMeringue
play it gal, play it
Yassine Dlk
Rock the Casbah !