His parents, who were farmers, died when McDowell was a youth. He started playing guitar at the age of 14 and played at dances around Rossville. Wanting a change from ploughing fields, he moved to Memphis in 1926 where he worked in a number of jobs and played music for tips. He settled in Como, Mississippi, about 40 miles south of Memphis, in 1940 or 1941, and worked steadily as a farmer, continuing to perform music at dances, and picnics. Initially he played slide guitar using a pocket knife and then a slide made from a beef rib bone, later switching to a glass slide for its clearer sound. He played with the slide on his ring finger.
A pure hill country blues musician, he played "just the straight, natural blues," and he "do not play no rock and roll." McDowell initially played the recognizable resonator guitar but, during tours and recordings beginning in the 1960s, he adopted the use of electric guitar and was probably the first original delta- or country blues musician to do so. McDowell's style is distinctive and recognizable; perhaps the dirtiest sounding guitarist ever and one of the most influential. The slide guitar styles of Bonnie Raitt as well as Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, as well as Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys are all heavily influenced by McDowell's technique.
McDowell died of cancer in 1972 and is buried at Hammond Hill M.B. Church, between Como and Senatobia. On August 6, 1993 a memorial was placed on the gravesite of Mississippi Fred McDowell at the Hammond Hill Baptist Church cemetery by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund.
Everybody
Mississippi Fred McDowell Lyrics
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Fred McDowell
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Recorded Sept. 25, 1959, Como Mississippi
(previously unreleased)
Fred McDowell - guitar & vocal
Album: Portraits The First Recordings
Rounder CD 1718
Fred spoken: 'Singin' to what there'
Song:
Lord, you done told ev'rybody
Baby, in your neighborhood
Lord, you done told ev'rybody
Baby, in yo' neighborhood
You done told ev'rybody
In yo' neighborhood
You was a dirty mistreater
Lord, you didn't mean me no good
'Nice trick'
I wouldn't hate it so badly
But you broke my diamond ring
Lord, I wouldn't hate it so bad, babe
But you broke my diamond ring
I wouldn't hate it so bad
But you broke, broke my
Diamond ring
Lord, broke my diamond ring
Lord, I'm goin' to the sargeant
I'm 'onna call the chief police
I'm goin' to the sargeant
I'm 'onna call that chief police
Lord, I'm goin' to the sargeant
I'm 'onna call the chief police
Lord, my baby done quit me
I can't see no peace
Lord my, my baby done quit me
I can't see no peace
No
Lord, Lord
I can't see
I can't see no peace
I looked down the road, baby
Just as fer as I could see
I looked down the road
Just as fer as I could see
Lord, a gang a-women
They was hollerin'
Rryin' after me
Lord, Lord
Hollerin', after
After me
Lord, an holler
After me
Lord, they was hollerin'
Lord, they was hollerin'
Hollerin' after me
Yes, I knowed
Somethin' goin' on wrong
I know, baby
Somethin' is goin' on wrong
I know my baby woke up, Lord
She found her mister's roam
That the reason that so
So many people
Strollin' way
Way from home
Reason so many people
Strollin' away
From home
Lord, Lord
Lord, Lord.
~
The song "You Done Told Everybody" by Mississippi Fred McDowell is a blues track that tells a story of betrayal and heartbreak. The lyrics are written in a conversational style where Fred is speaking to his erstwhile lover who has cheated on him and spread false rumours about him to the neighbourhood. The song starts with Fred accusing her of telling everyone in the neighbourhood about his business and how she mistreated him. He then goes on to lament how she broke his heart along with his diamond ring, and how he is going to the police to report her. Fred's anguish and pain are heard in his voice as he sings about not being able to find peace after the betrayal.
The lyrics also touch on broader social themes of infidelity and societal norms. Fred talks about how women from other families are also leaving home, and how this is a result of the mistrust and deception in relationships. The song portrays a bleak picture of a society where people have lost faith in each other, and it has become commonplace to betray trust.
Overall, "You Done Told Everybody" is a tragic tale of a man who has been wronged by his lover and how he is struggling to come to terms with it. The song is a reflection of the times and the issues that people were grappling with, and it has resonated with audiences over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, you done told ev'rybody
The singer addresses his former partner and accuses them of spreading rumors about him to anyone and everyone
Baby, in your neighborhood
The target of the singer's accusations is someone who lives nearby in their community
You was a dirty mistreater
The singer is angry with his ex-partner for treating him poorly and being unfaithful to him
Lord, you didn't mean me no good
The singer believes that his ex-partner never had any genuine affection or concern for him
I wouldn't hate it so badly
While the singer is deeply upset with his ex-partner's behavior, he suggests that he wouldn't be as upset if they hadn't also broken something he valued
But you broke my diamond ring
The singer is upset with his ex-partner for breaking a valuable piece of jewelry that belonged to him
I'm goin' to the sargeant
The singer declares his intention to go to the authorities to deal with his ex-partner's wrongdoings
I'm 'onna call that chief police
The singer plans to contact the highest authority figure in the local police force to report his ex-partner's actions
Lord my, my baby done quit me
The singer reveals that his ex-partner has left him, causing him much distress
I can't see no peace
The singer is so upset that he cannot find any sense of calm or contentment in his life
I looked down the road, baby
The singer describes looking off into the distance, possibly searching for his ex-partner or some sign that things will get better
Just as fer as I could see
The singer looks as far as he can into the distance, but cannot see anything that might bring him peace or happiness
Lord, a gang a-women
The singer sees a group of women in the distance
They was hollerin'
The women are making loud and possibly insulting vocalizations
Rryin' after me
The women are following the singer loudly and aggressively
Yes, I knowed
The singer has a sense of foreboding or expectation that something bad is happening
Somethin' goin' on wrong
The singer knows that something is happening that will likely have negative consequences for him
I know my baby woke up, Lord
The singer concludes that his ex-partner has realized the gravity of what she's done and has ended their relationship
She found her mister's roam
The singer suggests that his ex-partner discovered his infidelity and ended their relationship because of it
That the reason that so
The singer explains that this is the cause of many other people also leaving their relationships and homes
So many people
Numerous individuals other than the singer and his ex-partner are deciding to move on from their current circumstances
Strollin' away
These people are metaphorically stepping back from their previous commitments and lives
From home
Many people are leaving behind the places and relationships they used to consider their homes
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FRED MCDOWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind