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.
Let Me Ride
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a martyr (oh, let me ride)
I'm a martyr (oh, let me ride)
Oh Lord, on your chariot let me ride
I'm a beggar (oh, let me ride)
I'm a beggar (oh, let me ride)
I'm a beggar (oh, let me ride)
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
Oh Lord, on your chariot let me ride
I'm a sinner (oh, let me ride)
I'm a sinner (oh, let me ride)
I'm a sinner (oh, let me ride)
Oh Lord, on your chariot let me ride
"Spoken:"
Yes all, let us ride
God ___ the sinners
Who believe in God (yes, sir)
Shall be saved
___ ___ this morning
I see you creeping out your room
With your shoes in your hand
On your way to your playing ground
___ ___ ___
I heard you when you fell on your knees
I heard you this morning
Oh Lord, Lord have mercy on me
This morning (oh, let me ride)
This morning (oh, let me ride)
This morning (oh, let me ride)
Oh Lord, on your chariot let me ride
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
Oh Lord, on your chariot let me ride
The song "Let Me Ride" by Memphis Minnie is a gospel blues song that embraces the idea of riding to heaven on the chariot of the Lord. The repeated phrases "I'm a martyr," "I'm a beggar," "I'm so glad," and "I'm a sinner" all demonstrate the idea of the singer's faith in God while simultaneously acknowledging their humility and flaws. The majority of the song is repetitive and could be perceived as a repetitive prayer to God, expressing a devoted plea to be saved and allowed to travel to heaven.
The narrative begins with the invocation of the singer's identity as a martyr "let me ride," before progressing to their life as a beggar, and eventually reaching a state of happiness. However, despite the surface level joy presented, the song's message is one of hope and an appeal to the Lord to accept the singer's flaws, foibles, and ultimately, their soul. The final verse, "This morning, oh let me ride," highlights the yearning of the singer to be saved and taken to heaven, indicating a deep fear and wonder of what comes after this life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a martyr (oh, let me ride)
I am willing to suffer and die for my beliefs, let me ride on your chariot, Lord
I'm a beggar (oh, let me ride)
I am poor and homeless, let me ride on your chariot, Lord
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I am filled with happiness and gratitude, let me ride on your chariot, Lord
I'm a sinner (oh, let me ride)
I have done wrong in my life and seek forgiveness, let me ride on your chariot, Lord
"Spoken:"
Yes all, let us ride
God ___ the sinners
Who believe in God (yes, sir)
Shall be saved
___ ___ this morning
I see you creeping out your room
With your shoes in your hand
On your way to your playing ground
___ ___ ___
I heard you when you fell on your knees
Let us all ride together on the chariot of the Lord. God loves sinners who believe in Him and they will be saved. This morning, I saw you sneaking out of your room to go play. I heard you praying when you fell to your knees.
I heard you this morning
Oh Lord, Lord have mercy on me
This morning I heard your prayers for mercy, Lord, have mercy on me
This morning (oh, let me ride)
Let me ride on your chariot this morning, Lord
I'm so glad (oh, let me ride)
I am filled with happiness and gratitude, let me ride on your chariot, Lord
Writer(s): traditional
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Evans
...love this song-