Pink Anderson (full name Pinkney Anderson, February 12, 1900–October 12, 19… Read Full Bio ↴Pink Anderson (full name Pinkney Anderson, February 12, 1900–October 12, 1974) was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina. After being raised in Spartanburg SC, he joined Dr. Kerr of the Indian Remedy Company in 1914 to sing and dance for crowds while Kerr peddled his patent medicine.

In 1916, Anderson met Simmie Dooley in Spartanburg, from whom Pink learned to be a blues singer. When Anderson was not travelling with Dr. Kerr, he and Dooley would play small gatherings in Spartanburg and neighboring communities.

After Dr. Kerr retired in 1945, Anderson generally stayed close to home in Spartanburg, keeping his musical talents in tune with a small guitar and harmonica. Heart problems forced Anderson to retire in 1957. Pink's son, known as Little Pink Anderson, is currently a bluesman in Georgia.

Trivia:
-Anderson appeared in the 1963 film The Bluesmen.
-Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett constructed his band's name using Pink Anderson's and Floyd Council's first names.

Boll Weevil
Pink Anderson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woke up this mornin', woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
Woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
It must've been the mama weevil, that they call the stingeree

Boll weevil here, boll weevil there, boll weevil everywhere
Boll weevil here, boll weevil everywhere
I looked in my meal barrel, I found boll weevil there

First time I seen boll weevil, first time I seen him, he's on a cotton square
First time I seen him, he's on a cotton square
And next time I saw him, moved his whole family there

So the farmer took boll weevil, he took boll weevil, put him in a fryin' pan
He took boll weevil, put him in a fryin' pan
Boll weevil, he told the farmer, "Treated me like a natch'l man."

So, he took boll weevil, he took boll weevil, put him in a block of ice
He took boll weevil, put him in a block of ice
So, boll weevil, he told the farmer, "I think you treat me very nice."

Boll weevil here, boll weevil there, boll weevil everywhere
Boll weevil here, boll weevil everywhere
I looked in my meal barrel, I found boll weevil there

Farmer aksed the merchant, he aksed the merchant, "How 'bout some meat and meal?"
He aksed the merchant, "How 'bout some meat and meal?"
He said, "Get away from here, farmer! You got boll weevils in your field."

Boll weevil here, boll weevil there, boll weevil everywhere
Boll Weevil here, boll weevil everywhere
I looked in my cotton patch, I found boll weevil there

Bo, yah, told the farmer, he told the farmer, "You can ride your Ford machine."

He told the farmer, "You can ride your Ford machine.
When I get through with your cotton patch, you can't even buy gasoline."

Overall Meaning

Pink Anderson's song "Boll Weevil" is a traditional blues song that tells the story of how the boll weevil insect devastated cotton crops in the American South during the early 20th century. The song begins with the singer waking up to the sound of someone calling his name. He believes it to be the mother boll weevil or "stingeree," who is responsible for the boll weevil infestation. The chorus repeats the line "Boll weevil here, boll weevil there, boll weevil everywhere," emphasizing the extent of the damage done by the insect.

The first verse describes the singer's discovery of the boll weevil in his meal barrel. He recalls seeing the insect for the first time on a cotton square and how it moved its whole family there. The next two verses describe the farmers' attempts to get rid of the boll weevil. In the first attempt, the farmer fries the boll weevil, but the insect tells him he should have treated him like a natural man. In the second attempt, the farmer freezes the boll weevil, and the insect compliments the farmer for treating him well.

In the final verse, the farmer asks a merchant for meat and meal, but the merchant refuses, saying that the farmers' fields are full of boll weevils. The boll weevil then speaks again, telling the farmer he can ride his Ford machine, but after the boll weevil is done with his cotton patch, the farmer won't be able to afford gasoline.

Overall, the song is a metaphor for the struggles of African American farmers during the Great Depression. The boll weevil represents the economic and natural forces that conspired to keep them in poverty. Despite the hardships they faced, the song also highlights the resilience and humor of the Southern African American culture.

Line by Line Meaning

Woke up this mornin', woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
Pink Anderson woke up to a voice calling him.

Woke up this mornin', heard somebody callin' me
Pink Anderson hears a phantom call.

It must've been the mama weevil, that they call the stingeree
Pink Anderson thinks the voice may be from the mother boll weevil, the stingeree.

Boll weevil here, boll weevil there, boll weevil everywhere
Boll weevils are present all over.

I looked in my meal barrel, I found boll weevil there
Pink Anderson found a boll weevil in his food supply.

First time I seen boll weevil, first time I seen him, he's on a cotton square
The first time Pink Anderson saw a boll weevil was on a cotton square.

And next time I saw him, moved his whole family there
After a while, Pink Anderson saw many boll weevils with their family in cotton squares.

So, boll weevil, he told the farmer, "I think you treat me very nice."
The boll weevil surprisingly tells the farmer he is being treated well.

Farmer aksed the merchant, he aksed the merchant, "How 'bout some meat and meal?"
The farmer asks the merchant for food ingredients.

He said, "Get away from here, farmer! You got boll weevils in your field."
The merchant refuses the farmer, who has boll weevils in his field.

Bo, yah, told the farmer, he told the farmer, "You can ride your Ford machine."
Boll weevils tell the farmer to go ahead and ride his Ford machine.

When I get through with your cotton patch, you can't even buy gasoline.
The boll weevils threaten to destroy the farmer's cotton patch, leaving him with no money to buy gasoline.

Contributed by Leo O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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