Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine. Singing to a melodious finger-picked accompaniment, he began to play local dances and parties while working as a sharecropper. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1928, but these were commercial failures. Hurt then drifted out of the recording scene, and he continued his work as a farmer. Tom Hoskins, a blues enthusiast, would be the first to locate Hurt in 1963. He convinced Hurt to relocate to Washington, D.C., where he was recorded by the Library of Congress in 1964. This rediscovery helped further the American folk music revival, which had led to the rediscovery of many other bluesmen of Hurt's era. Hurt entered the same university and coffeehouse concert circuit as his contemporaries, as well as other Delta blues musicians brought out of retirement. As well as playing concerts, he recorded several studio albums for Vanguard Records.
Born John Smith Hurt in Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi (there is confusion about his date of birth, but the grave marker mentions March 8, 1892) and raised in Avalon, Mississippi, he learned to play guitar at age nine. He was completely self-taught, stealthily playing the guitar of a friend of his mother's, who often stayed at the Hurt home while courting a lady who lived near by. His style was not reminiscent of any other style being played at the time; it was the way Hurt "thought the guitar should sound". He spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances, earning a living as a farmhand into the 1920s. His fast, highly syncopated style of playing made his music adept for dancing. On occasion, a medicine show would come through the area; Hurt recalls being wanted by one of them. "One of them wanted me, but I said no because I just never wanted to get away from home." In 1923 he partnered with the fiddle player Willie Narmour as a substitute for his regular partner Shell Smith.
When Narmour got a chance to record for Okeh Records as a prize for winning first place in a 1928 fiddle contest, he recommended Hurt to Okeh Records producer Tommy Rockwell. After auditioning "Monday Morning Blues" at his home, he took part in two recording sessions, in Memphis and New York City (see Discography below). While in Memphis, Hurt recalled seeing "many, many blues singers ... Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, and lots, lots more." Hurt described his first recording session as such:
... a great big hall with only the three of us in it: me, the man [Rockwell], and the engineer. It was really something. I sat on a chair, and they pushed the microphone right up to my mouth and told me that I couldn't move after they had found the right position. I had to keep my head absolutely still. Oh, I was nervous, and my neck was sore for days after.
Hurt attempted further negotiations with Okeh to record again, but after the commercial failure of the resulting records, and Okeh Records going out of business during the Great Depression, Hurt returned to Avalon and obscurity, working as a sharecropper and playing local parties and dances.
After Hurt's renditions of "Frankie" and "Spike Driver Blues" were included in The Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952, and an Australian man discovered a copy of "Avalon Blues", there became increased interest in finding Hurt himself. In 1963, a folk musicologist, Tom Hoskins, supervised by Richard Spottswood, was able to locate Hurt near Avalon, Mississippi using the lyrics of "Avalon Blues":
Avalon, my home town, always on my mind/Avalon, my home town.
While in Avalon, Hoskins convinced an apprehensive Hurt to perform several songs for him, to ensure that he was genuine. Hoskins was convinced, and seeing that Hurt's guitar playing skills were still intact, Hoskins encouraged him to move to Washington, D.C., and begin performing on a wider stage. His performance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival saw his star rise amongst the new folk revival audience. Before his death he played extensively in colleges, concert halls, coffee houses and also on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, as well as recording three further albums for Vanguard Records. Much of his repertoire was recorded for the Library of Congress, also. His fans particularly liked the ragtime songs "Salty Dog" and "Candy Man", and the blues ballads "Spike Driver Blues" (a variant of "John Henry") and "Frankie".
Hurt incorporated a fast, pick-less, syncopated fingerpicking style that he taught himself. He was influenced by very few people; but did recall an elderly, unrecorded, blues singer from that area, Rufus Hanks, who played twelve-string guitar and harmonica. He also recalled listening to the country singer Jimmie Rodgers. On occasion, Hurt would use an open tuning and a slide, as he did in his arrangement of "The Ballad of Casey Jones".
Hurt's influence spanned several music genres including blues, country, bluegrass, folk and contemporary rock and roll. A soft-spoken man, his nature was reflected in the work, which consisted of a mellow mix of country, blues and old time music.
Material recorded by Hurt has been re-released by many record labels over the years (see discography); and his influence has extended over many generations of guitarists. Songs recorded by Hurt have been covered by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Beck, Doc Watson, John McCutcheon, Taj Mahal, Bruce Cockburn, David Johansen, Bill Morrissey and Gillian Welch.
Hurt died on November 2nd, 1966, of a heart attack in Grenada, Mississippi.
There is now a memorial in Avalon, Mississippi for Mississippi John Hurt. It is parallel to RR2, the rural road on which he grew up.
American singer-songwriter Tom Paxton, who met Hurt and played on the same bill as him at the Gaslight in Greenwich Village around 1963, wrote and recorded a song about him in 1977 entitled "Did You Hear John Hurt?" Paxton still frequently plays this song at his live performances.
The first track of John Fahey's 1968 solo acoustic guitar album Requia is entitled "Requiem For John Hurt". Fahey's posthumous live album The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick also features a version of the piece, there entitled "Requiem For Mississippi John Hurt".
British folk/blues artist Wizz Jones recorded a tribute song called "Mississippi John" for his 1977 album Magical Flight.
Payday
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mississippi John Hurt
Yeah, I did all I can do, and I can't get along with you
I'm gonna take you to your mama, pay day
Pay day, pay day
Well, the rabbit in a log, I ain't got no rabbit dog
And I hate to see that rabbit get away
Baby, did all I can do, and I can't get along with you
I'm gonna take you to your mama, pay day
Just about a week ago,
I'm gonna keep my skillet greasy if I can
If I can, if I can
(spoken: You know what happened to me)
Well, the hounds is on my track, and the knapsack on my back
I'm gonna make it to my shanty 'fore day
'Fore day, 'for day
Baby, I did all I could do, an' I
I'm gonna take you to your mama, pay day
Well, and I ain't got no rabbit dog
Lord, I hate to see that rabbit get away
Get away
Baby, did all I can do, and I can't get along with you
I'm goin'
Submitted by ralph_mctell@yahoo.co.uk
The song "Payday" by Mississippi John Hurt is a mournful blues tune that tells a story of a man who has done all he can to make his woman happy, but can't seem to get along with her. He decides to take her back to her mother's house on payday, indicating that he is fed up with the relationship and wants out. The repetition of the phrase "pay day" throughout the song adds to the feeling of frustration and exhaustion that the singer is expressing.
The lyrics also include comments about the lack of resources in the man's life, such as not having a rabbit dog to catch a rabbit or having to keep his skillet greasy in order to survive. The imagery of the man being chased by hounds and carrying a knapsack on his back adds to the sense of struggle that permeates the song.
Overall, "Payday" is a simple yet powerful blues song that speaks to the struggles of everyday life and the difficulty of navigating relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, I did all I can do, and I can't get along with you
I have done everything I can to try to get along with you, but it's just not working out.
I'm gonna take you to your mama, pay day
When payday comes, I'm going to take you back to your mother's house.
Pay day, pay day
Repeatedly stating the idea of payday coming, which is when things might change for the better.
Well, the rabbit in a log, I ain't got no rabbit dog
I see a rabbit hiding in a log, but I don't have a dog to catch it.
And I hate to see that rabbit get away
I really don't want that rabbit to get away from me.
Baby, did all I can do, and I can't get along with you
I have tried my best to get along with you, but it's just not working out.
Just about a week ago, I'm gonna keep my skillet greasy if I can
A week ago, I promised to keep cooking and working hard, if it's possible.
If I can, if I can
Stating the hope of being able to keep that promise, but acknowledging that it may not work out.
Well, the hounds is on my track, and the knapsack on my back
There are dogs chasing after me, and I'm carrying a knapsack on my back.
I'm gonna make it to my shanty 'fore day
I'm going to try to get to my temporary shelter before daylight.
Baby, I did all I could do, an' I
I have tried my best to make things work with you, and...
I'm gonna take you to your mama, pay day
...but when payday comes, I'm going to take you back to your mother's house.
Well, and I ain't got no rabbit dog
I still don't have a dog to catch that rabbit that got away.
Lord, I hate to see that rabbit get away
I feel really bad about that rabbit getting away from me.
Get away
Repeating the idea of the rabbit getting away, emphasizing the sense of loss.
I'm goin'
Shortened phrase of 'I'm going to,' implying taking action to change the situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
burak
Yeah, I did all I can do and I can't get along with you
I'm gonna take you to your mama
Pay day, pay day, pay day
Well, the rabbit in a log, I ain't got no rabbit dog
And I hate to see that rabbit get away
Get away
Baby, did all I can do and I can't get along with you
I'm gonna take you to your mama
Pay day
Just about a week ago
I'm gonna keep my skillet greasy if I can
If I can, if I can
(You know what happened to me)
Well, the hounds is on my track and the knapsack on my back
I'm gonna make it to my shanty
'Fore day, 'fore day, 'fore day
Baby, I did all I could do, an' I
I'm gonna take you to your mama
Pay day
Well, and I ain't got no rabbit dog
Lord, I hate to see that rabbit get away
Get away
Baby, did all I can do and I can't get along with you
I'm gon'
Wyatt Troxel
Without the influence of Mississippi John, so many of our generation would not have known or even thought that the guitar could have a voice. This gentle man had a gift and gave to us through his music.
MyMoppet52
+Douglas Hartmuss Yes!!! So glad Tom decided to see if he could track MJH down. What a story! Thanks so much for listening, Moppet
Leland Talbot
Tom Hoskins was my great friend in early '60s. When John came up to DC with him, he played his first mini concert on my radio show at GWU; WRGW, the voice of Foggy Bottom....
MyMoppet52
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It gives me chills. I'm glad to meet you. What amazing memories you must have! I wanted the story to be told & It's a nice surprise to find a participant. My best to you, Moppet
Kegan Mahon
this is a mellower version of the raucous hillbilly rendition rendered by Uncle Dave Macon in nineteen and twenty four.
Incline Thine Ear Music
Unless they heard Rev. Gary Davis.
Frank Sabatino
John's gentle voice and singing guitar forged my interest in roots music more than 50 years ago. Payday is still one of the very best.
mistery-ed
I bought this album when I was in high school and was crazy about it. Unfortunately I couldn't get a single friend to listen to it. Their loss.
Will Morrison
I stole my copy from my big brother, who turned me on to John, Gary Davis, Skip James and a whole bunch of other players. That and the Mills Brothers records I stole from my parents when I moved out were the best things I ever walked off with.
Frank Sabatino
I was much luckier; a bunch of friends liked it!