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.
When The Saints Go Marching Home
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, when the saints go marching home
Good Lord, I wants to be in that number
Oh, when the saints go marching home
And when the sun refuse to shine
And when the sun refuse to shine
Oh Lord, I wants to be in that number
Oh, when the sun refuse to shine
And when the moon run down in blood
And when the moon run down in blood
Oh Lord, I wants to be in that number
When the moon drips away in blood
When the saints go marching home
Oh, when the saints go marching home
Lord, I wants to be in that number
Oh, when the saints go marching home
Oh when the road is cold up yonder
Oh when the road is cold up yonder
Lord, I wants to be in that number
When the road is cold up yonder
And when the saints go marching home
When the saints go marching home
Lord, I wants to be in that number
When the saints go marching home
And when the saints go marching home
When the saints go marching home
Lord, I wants to be in that number
When the saints go marching home
Memphis Minnie's song "When The Saints Go Marching Home" is a gospel blues classic with lyrics that are both spiritual and uplifting. The lyrics depict a desire to be part of the number of righteous ones when they ascend to heaven on judgment day. The song refers to the biblical Book of Revelations, where it describes the moon turning to blood, and the sun refusing to shine, which are signs of the end times. The song suggests that it is crucial to be part of that number when that day comes so that one can be saved.
The first verse of the song states, "When the saints go marching home, Good Lord, I wants to be in that number," expressing a strong desire to be part of the group of righteous ones who ascend to heaven. The following verse goes on to say, "And when the sun refuses to shine," which refers to the day of judgment as described in the Bible's Book of Revelation. The song stresses the importance of being part of that number during these extraordinary times when the moon turns to blood and the sun refuses to shine.
In conclusion, this classic gospel blues song is a heartfelt expression of an individual's desire to be saved and part of the group of righteous ones when the day of judgment comes. It touches upon the apocalyptic themes of the end times and the importance of faith and salvation. The lyrics are powerful, and the music is soulful and emotional, making it a timeless masterpiece of the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
When the saints go marching home
I long to be included among the chosen ones when they go to their eternal home.
Oh, when the saints go marching home
I am filled with joy and anticipation at the thought of the saints finally and triumphantly making their way home.
Good Lord, I wants to be in that number
I humbly ask the Lord to include me among the saints who will march home in glory and righteousness.
And when the sun refuse to shine
Even when the natural world is in darkness and chaos, my desire to be part of the saints does not waver.
Oh Lord, I wants to be in that number
I continue to plead with the Lord to allow me to participate in the saint's homecoming, despite any adversity or hardship.
And when the moon run down in blood
Even if the world is struck by a catastrophic and apocalyptic event, I maintain my hope and faith in joining the saints when they go marching home.
When the moon drips away in blood
My heart still yearns to be included among the saints, even in the bleakest and most terrifying of times.
Oh when the road is cold up yonder
My desire to join the saints remains strong even if the journey towards their home is difficult, lonely, and foreboding.
And when the saints go marching home
I am ever hopeful and determined to be among the chosen ones when they ultimately march home.
Lord, I wants to be in that number
Rest assured, I pray and yearn for the opportunity to march among the triumphant saints to their eternal home.
Writer(s): Memphis Minnie
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.