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.
Ice Cream Freezer
Roosevelt Sykes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She let's me put my milk in her can
Mercy!
My baby owns a ice cream freezer
She let's me put my milk in her can
Her freezer ain't to be churned
By no other man
But-a black walnut is all I love
Mercy!
Some people crave vanilla or strawberry
But-a black walnut is all I love
When I put my spoon in her freezer
Man, it fits just like a rubber glove
Mercy!
Now, she turns her freezer
So slow an easy
She said, 'Daddy can you hold back
And stick around? ' (I'll try, ha-ha)
As she turn her freezer
So slow an easy
She say, 'Now, daddy can you jus hold back
And stick around? '
I'll say, I b'lieve you spoke jus a little too late
Pretty mama
I gotta let that flavor come runnin' down
'Mercy, mercy, man, yeah'
Ho, yeah!
'Let it roll on a while in the night'
'Ho, til the break of day'
'Ho, til the break of day'
'My, my, my, my'
'Ho while'
She said, 'Now, you done used my freezer
You said, 'Daddy, you look like
You gettin' ready to leave' (quite natural)
My, my
She said, 'Now, you done uses my freezer
'Look like you gettin' ready to leave'
She said, 'But you're still welcome to my can
When you have more cream to freeze'
More cream to freeze.
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Ice Cream Freezer - 3:16 (Trk 1)
Roosevelt Sykes - piano & vocal
Recorded: December 30, 1971
Producer: G.H. Buck Jr.
Jazz City Studios, New Orleans, LA
Album: Roosevelt Sykes 'Dirty Mother For You'
In "Ice Cream Freezer," Roosevelt Sykes sings about his lady's ice cream freezer that he likes to use to store his own milk. The sexually suggestive lyrics compare the act of making ice cream to a sexual encounter, using the metaphor of a rubber glove fitting perfectly when he puts into the freezer. Sykes sings about only liking black walnut flavor and how his lady turns the freezer slowly and easily, asking him to hold back and stick around. The end of the song has Sykes being caught trying to leave and his lady reminding him that he is welcome to use the can when he has more cream to freeze.
The song can be interpreted in various ways, with the ice cream freezer and turning of the crank representing sex or an intimate relationship. The metaphor of the rubber glove could also represent the perfect fit and compatibility between two people. The use of the phrase "mercy" in the song adds to the joyfulness and pleasure that the lyrics convey.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby owns a ice cream freezer
My lover has a device that churns cream and sugar into ice cream.
She let's me put my milk in her can
She allows me to pour my cream into her device.
Mercy!
Expression of surprise/excitement.
Her freezer ain't to be churned
Her machine should only be operated by me, no one else.
By no other man
No other man should be allowed to use my lover's device.
Some people crave vanilla or strawberry
People have different preferences for ice cream flavors.
But-a black walnut is all I love
I exclusively love the flavor of black walnut ice cream.
When I put my spoon in her freezer
When I scoop some ice cream from her device.
Man, it fits just like a rubber glove
The spoon perfectly fits the texture of the ice cream.
Now, she turns her freezer
Now my lover operates her ice cream maker.
So slow an easy
She churns the ice cream with care and caution.
She said, 'Daddy can you hold back
She asks me to slow down and stick around a little longer.
And stick around? ' (I'll try, ha-ha)
To stay and enjoy some more ice cream.
I'll say, I b'lieve you spoke jus a little too late
I think you should have asked me to stay earlier, as I am about to leave.
Pretty mama
A term of affection for my lover.
I gotta let that flavor come runnin' down
I need to enjoy the taste of the ice cream as it melts in my mouth.
'Mercy, mercy, man, yeah'
An expression of amazement and pleasure.
Ho, yeah!
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm.
'Let it roll on a while in the night'
Let the good times continue into the night.
'Ho, til the break of day'
Keep enjoying the ice cream until dawn.
'My, my, my, my'
An expression of pleasure and satisfaction.
'Ho while'
Keep enjoying the moment and the ice cream.
She said, 'Now, you done used my freezer
My lover reminds me that I have used her device to make ice cream.
'Daddy, you look like
My lover notices that I am getting ready to leave.
You gettin' ready to leave' (quite natural)
It's natural for me to want to leave at this point.
She said, 'But you're still welcome to my can
My lover reminds me that I can still bring my cream over to use her device in the future.
When you have more cream to freeze'
I can come back and make more ice cream when I have more cream.
More cream to freeze.
The potential to make more ice cream in the future.
Contributed by Mila R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.