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.
Stinging Snake Blues
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This house is full of stinging snakes, crawling all in my bed
I can't rest at night from them crawling all under my head
I got up this morning, one stung me on my leg
I got up this morning, one stung me on my leg
I can't sleep at night because they keeps me awake
Hmmmmmm, wonder where my stinging snake gone?
I can't see no peace since my stinging snake left me home< BR>
I got a stinging snake, I love sometimes better than I do myself
I got a stinging snake, I love sometimes better than I do myself
If the Lord has to take him, I won't be stung by nobody else
Hmmmmmm, where's my stinging snake now?
Hmmmmmm, where's my stinging snake now?
I believe to my soul, that my stinging snake's trying to put me down
"Stinging Snake Blues" is a powerful and evocative song by the blues legend Memphis Minnie. The song speaks to the chaos that can take hold in a person's life when they can't seem to shake off the people or things that cause them pain. Specifically, the lyrics are a metaphor for a relationship that is both dangerous and irresistible. The stinging snakes are a symbol for the lover that can't be tamed but is still needed, despite the danger they pose.
Throughout the song, Memphis Minnie uses her voice and guitar to paint a vivid picture of her pain and struggle. The song is hauntingly beautiful, with Minnie's voice dripping with emotion as she asks, "Where's my stinging snake now?" The song is a testament to the power and resilience of the human spirit, even in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
This house is full of stinging snakes, crawling all in my bed
My life is filled with problems and troubles that constantly bother and disturb me
I can't rest at night from them crawling all under my head
I can't find peace and rest because my problems are constantly in my mind and bothering me
I got up this morning, one stung me on my leg
Every day, I have to face new problems and difficulties that make my life even harder
I can't sleep at night because they keeps me awake
My problems and worries keep me up at night, making it difficult for me to find rest
Hmmmmmm, wonder where my stinging snake gone?
I'm feeling lost and alone without my problems because they have become such a big part of my life
I can't see no peace since my stinging snake left me home
Without my problems, I feel like I am missing a big part of my life and I can't find any peace or happiness
I got a stinging snake, I love sometimes better than I do myself
Even though my problems are difficult, they have become a part of my life and I can't imagine living without them
If the Lord has to take him, I won't be stung by nobody else
I am willing to accept my problems and face them alone, without anyone else's help
I believe to my soul, that my stinging snake's trying to put me down
My problems and difficulties are causing me to feel overwhelmed and defeated, but I won't let them get the best of me
Contributed by James R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.