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.
You Done Tol' Everybody
Mississippi Fred McDowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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 Tol' Everybody” by Mississippi Fred McDowell is a tale of heartbreak and betrayal. The singer speaks to his lover, accusing her of being a dirty mistreater and telling everyone in the neighborhood about his misfortune. The singer talks about how she broke his diamond ring and left him feeling betrayed. He goes on to say that he will reach out to the police to help him deal with the situation. Towards the end of the song, he talks about how he seems to have lost his peace and looks down the road to see a gang of women who were hollering at him. The singer concludes by stating that he knows something isn’t right, and this is why many people roll away from their homes.
The lyrics of the song paint a picture of a man who has been done wrong by his lover. He is angry and hurt, and he's not hesitant to let the world know about his misfortune. The song's themes center around betrayal, heartbreak, and lost love, which many people can identify with. The singer's decision to take action also portrays a sense of defiance and reinforces the idea that he won't take his lover's mistreatment lightly.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, you done told ev'rybody
Baby, in your neighborhood
You have spread rumors to all residents in our area
You was a dirty mistreater
Lord, you didn't mean me no good
You were unfaithful and deceitful towards me
I wouldn't hate it so badly
But you broke my diamond ring
I would not be as angry if you had not destroyed my precious possession
Lord, I'm goin' to the sargeant
I'm 'onna call the chief police
I will report your wrongdoing to the authorities
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
My lover left me and I am devastated, unable to find tranquility
I looked down the road, baby
Just as fer as I could see
I searched as far as my eyes 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
A group of women were shouting and chasing me down the road
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
I sense that something is amiss and suspect my partner is cheating, which is causing many individuals to leave their homes
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.