Sykes had a long career spanning the pre-war and postwar eras. His pounding piano boogies and risqué lyrics characterize his contributions to the blues. He was responsible for influential blues songs such as "44 Blues", "Driving Wheel", and "Night Time Is the Right Time".
He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in 2011.
Born in Elmar, Arkansas, Sykes grew up near Helena but at age 15, went on the road playing piano with a barrelhouse style of blues. Like many bluesmen of his time, he travelled around playing to all-male audiences in sawmill, turpentine and levee camps along the Mississippi River, gathering a repertoire of raw, sexually explicit material. His wanderings eventually brought him to St. Louis, Missouri, where he met St. Louis Jimmy Oden.
In 1929 he was spotted by a talent scout and sent to New York to record for Okeh Records. His first release was "'44' Blues" which became a blues standard and his trademark. He quickly began recording for multiple labels under various names including 'Easy Papa Johnson', 'Dobby Bragg' and 'Willie Kelly'. After he and Oden moved to Chicago he found his first period of fame when he signed with Decca Records in 1934. In 1943, he signed with Bluebird Records and recorded with 'The Honeydrippers'.
In Chicago, Sykes began to display an increasing urbanity in his lyric-writing, using an eight-bar blues pop gospel structure instead of the traditional twelve-bar blues. However, despite the growing urbanity of his outlook, he gradually became less competitive in the post-World War II music scene. After his RCA Victor contract expired, he continued to record for smaller labels, such as United, until his opportunities ran out in the mid 1950s.
Roosevelt left Chicago in 1954 for New Orleans as electric blues was taking over the Chicago blues clubs. When he returned to recording in the 1960s it was for labels such as Delmark, Bluesville, Storyville and Folkways that were documenting the quickly passing blues history. He lived out his final years in New Orleans, where he died from a heart attack on July 17, 1983.
44 Blues
Roosevelt Sykes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord I walked all night long with my 44 in my hand
I've been looking for my woman and I found her with another man
I wore my 44 so long, you know it made my shoulder sour
Well I wore my 44 so long, until it made my shoulder sour
After I do what I want to I'm gonna wear my 44 no more
Well I got a little cabin and my cabin is number 44
Well I got a little cabin and my cabin is number 44
When I wake up every morning I can hear the wolf scratching my door
The lyrics to Roosevelt Sykes's song "44 Blues" tell the story of a man who has been cheated on by his woman. He spends the night walking around town with his .44 gun in hand, searching for her. When he finally finds her with another man, he is angry and bitter. The weight of his gun has caused immense physical pain - his shoulder is sore from wearing it for too long. Despite his hurt, the man is resigned to the situation and ultimately decides to walk away.
The bluesy melody and melancholic lyrics of "44 Blues" convey a deep sense of pain and loss. The repetition of the phrase "44 in my hand" emphasizes the significance of the gun as a symbol of power, revenge, and protection. The imagery of the wolf scratching at the door adds to the sense of danger and threat that pervades the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord I walked all night long with my 44 in my hand
I spent the whole night wandering around with my gun looking for my cheating partner.
I've been looking for my woman and I found her with another man
I was searching for my lover, and I discovered she has been seeing someone else.
Well I wore my 44 so long, until it made my shoulder sour
I carried my gun for so many hours that it caused pain in my shoulder.
After I do what I want to I'm gonna wear my 44 no more
Once I have taken care of business, I will no longer need to carry my gun around.
Well I got a little cabin and my cabin is number 44
I own a small house, and its number happens to be 44.
When I wake up every morning I can hear the wolf scratching my door
Every morning I wake up to the sound of a wolf scratching at my front door.
Contributed by Mateo D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jean-micheldehalu6572
Lord I walked all night long with my forty four in my hand
Lord I walked all night long with my forty four in my hand
I've been looking for my woman and I found her with another man
I wore my forty four so long, you know it made my shoulder sour
Well I wore my forty four so long, until it made my shoulder sour
After I do what I want to I'm gonna wear my 44 no more
Bye bye
Well I got a little cabin and my cabin is number forty four
Well I got a little cabin and my cabin is number forty four
When I wake up every morning I can hear the wolf scratching my door
@katmandew2152
Superb piano , TRULY inventive precursor of great note. Thanks.
@ronaldgurri9082
Man I love this song. This by far the best version I have heard hands down.
@TedSilar
He's playing simultaneously in three different rhythms!
@fatswaller6681
TedSilar listen to the Vicksburg blues, Little Brother Montgomery
@hamletsmill258
No, he is not.
@TedSilar
@Hamlet's Mill Yes he is.
@TedSilar
Is too.@@hamletsmill258
@TREYOLDHIPPIE
Yes Roosevelt is callin out an "Engine" as the 44 also. But the cabin ..seeming to be the last of the 44's, sure could be a cell. Great minds adding it up here. Makin it so real. Always.
@carolmikofsky4976
Great photo of Roosy Sykes!
@TREYOLDHIPPIE
Thank you for your answer. I thought it was THAT old..but the 44 handgun was not around until something like the 50's.. I love the song, I GET the shoulder being sore, and I wonder what sort of 44 he spoke of back then. maybe it was a mean ole shotgun. I am no expert.. but that song 'hit' me in the face when I was 44 and scraping the bottom.. after a wreck. You know blues.. truly are for people who have them or know them.. and a whole lot of us 'DO.' LOVE IT, one of the classics 4 sure