The Mississippi Sheiks consisted mainly of the Chatmon family, who came from Bolton, Mississippi and were well known throughout the Mississippi Delta. The father of the family had been a "musicianer" (someone with good technical ability on his or her instrument adept at sight-reading written music) during slavery times, and his children carried on the musical spirit. Their most famous (although by no means permanent) member was Armenter Chatmon - better known as Bo Carter - who managed a successful solo career as well as playing with the Sheiks, which may have contributed to their success.
When the band first recorded in 1930, the line-up consisted of Carter with Lonnie and Sam Chatmon, and Walter Vinson. Charlie McCoy (not to be confused with Charlie McCoy, a later American musician) played later, when Bo Carter and Sam Chatmon ceased playing full time. It was Lonnie Chatmon and Vinson who formed the real center of the group.
Bo Carter's solo work is notable for being sexually suggestive in songs and this is carried on to an extent with the group. They primarily earned their income like Robert Johnson and Skip James. They toured throughout the Southern United States, but also reached as far north as Chicago and New York.
Their first and biggest success was "Sitting on Top of the World" (1930), later to be recorded by Bob Wills (numerous times), Howlin' Wolf, Nat King Cole, Bill Monroe, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Cream, Grateful Dead, Jeff Healey, John Lee Hooker, Bill Frisell and Jack White, and re-done by Robert Johnson, as "Come On in My Kitchen". The song was also the theme to the film A Face in the Crowd (1957) produced by Elia Kazan and starring Andy Griffith. Throughout their five active years, the Mississippi Sheiks recorded over seventy songs for the Okeh, Paramount and Bluebird labels.
Their last recording session as the Mississippi Sheiks was in 1936. Bo made a few more sessions on his own, but by 1938 he too was dropped. When the band dissolved, the Chatmon brothers gave up music and returned to farming.
The Sheiks and related groups under other names, such as Mississippi Mud Steppers and Blacksnakes, recorded about a hundred sides in the first half of the 1930s, among them original compositions (probably by Vinson) like "The World is Going Wrong" and "I've Got Blood in My Eyes For You" (1931) - both recorded by Bob Dylan - or the topical "Sales Tax" (1934).
Sam Chatmon made more recordings in the 1960s and Walter Vinson contributed three selections (using the Mississippi Sheiks band name) to Riverside's 1961 series, Chicago: The Living Legends.
In 2004, they were inducted in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Their 1930 blues single "Sitting on Top of the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1978 Rory Gallagher recorded a tribute song "The Mississippi Sheiks" for his Photo Finish album.
In 2009, Black Hen Music released Things About Comin' My Way, a tribute album to the Mississippi Sheiks. The album's seventeen artists include Bruce Cockburn, Bill Frisell, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Geoff Muldaur, Kelly Joe Phelps and John Hammond.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.
Sitting On Top of the World
Mississippi Sheiks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just trying to find my little all in all
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
Was in the spring, one summer day
Just when she left me, she's gone to stay
But now she's gone, I don't worry
An' you come here runnin', holdin' up your hand
Can't get me a woman, who can just kill a man
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
It have been days, I didn't know your name
Why should I worry and prayer in vain
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
Goin' to the station, down in the yard
Gone get me a freight train, worked some, got hard
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
The lonesome days, they have gone by
Why should you beg me and say goodbye
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
The Mississippi Sheiks, an American country blues band, released the song "Sitting On Top Of The World" in 1930. The band consisted of Walter Vinson on guitar, Lonnie Chatmon on fiddle, and Bo Carter on second guitar. The song has been interpreted by various artists throughout the years, including Bob Dylan, Cream, and Howlin' Wolf. The lyrics of the song convey a sense of loss and heartbreak, but also assert the singer's resilience and newfound sense of empowerment.
In the opening lines, the singer acknowledges that he spent a considerable amount of time trying to find his "little all in all." This could be interpreted as a metaphor for love, happiness, or fulfillment. However, the singer reveals that his search has ended in disappointment since his love interest has left him. Despite this setback, the singer declares that he is not worried and "sitting on top of the world." He seems to suggest that in the absence of his lover, he has discovered a strength within himself that he did not know he possessed.
The chorus of the song is repeated throughout, with slight variations in the lyrics each time. The second and third verses describe the circumstances surrounding his lover's departure. The singer is resigned to the fact that she has left him, but proclaims that it does not trouble him. Even when faced with the temptation of a new romantic prospect, the singer remains unfazed. The final verse suggests that time has passed since his lover's departure and that the singer has moved on. He advises his ex-lover to do the same and to not come back begging for forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
Was all the summer, and all the fall,
Just trying to find my little all in all
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
I spent all summer and fall searching for the love of my life. But now that she's gone, I'm not worried because I'm on top of the world.
Was in the spring, one summer day
Just when she left me, she's gone to stay
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
It was a beautiful spring day when my love left me for good. But I'm not worried anymore because I'm on top of the world.
An' you come here runnin', holdin' up your hand
Can't get me a woman, who can just kill a man
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
You come to me begging for help to find a woman who can satisfy you, but I don't need to worry about that because my love is gone and I'm on top of the world.
It have been days, I didn't know your name
Why should I worry and prayer in vain
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
There were days when I didn't even know your name, so why should I worry about praying in vain? My love is gone, but I'm not worried because I'm on top of the world.
Goin' to the station, down in the yard
Gone get me a freight train, worked some, got hard
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
I'm going to the station to catch a train and work hard, but I don't have to worry about my love leaving me because she's already gone and I'm on top of the world.
The lonesome days, they have gone by
Why should you beg me and say goodbye
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
The lonely days have passed and I don't understand why you're begging me to stay when my love has already said goodbye. But I'm not worried because I'm on top of the world.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Walter Jacobs Vinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@slint69
Was all the summer, and all the fall,
Just trying to find my little all in all
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
Was in the spring, one summer day
Just when she left me, she's gone to stay
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
An' you come here runnin', holdin' up your hand
Can't get me a woman, who can just kill a man
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
It have been days, I didn't know your name
Why should I worry and prayer in vain
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
Goin' to the station, down in the yard
Gone get me a freight train, worked some, got hard
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
The lonesome days, they have gone by
Why should you beg me and say goodbye
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
@littlewalter44
Lest we forget. This is the original version of a song that has been recorded by hundreds of musicians - and made them lots of money. Sadly, 99.9% of them would never have heard of the mighty Mississippi Sheiks
@mitchparel18
You got that right Rick 👍
@swinehorde9118
sad because it's easily the best version.
@littlewalter44
No argument from me!
@mitchparel18
Mississippi Sheiks Rule👍
@littlewalter44
….and that a natural born fact Mitch!
@Zb_Calisthenic
It's the fiddle playing the melody that gets me. Fantastic piece of art.
@kevingruenofficial
The fiddle really glues this together considering there's no drums or bass from what I heard
@anthonymessineo8804
I’ve been playin this song on harmonica for 48 yrs,😎👍
@eaglethefox
vid please