His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor-key sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate finger picking technique. James first recorded for Paramount Records in 1931, but these recordings sold poorly, having been released during the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity.
After a long absence from the public eye, James was "rediscovered" in 1964 by blues enthusiasts, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, James appeared at folk and blues festivals, gave concerts around the country and recorded several albums for various record labels. His songs have influenced generations of musicians and have been adapted by numerous artists. He has been hailed as "one of the seminal figures of the blues.
James was described as aloof and moody. The musicologist Dick Spottswood commented, "Skip James, you never knew. Skip could be sunshine, or thunder and lightning depending on his whim of the moment".
James is sometimes associated with the Bentonia School, which is either a subgenre of blues music or a style of playing it. Calt, in his 1994 biography of James, I'd Rather Be the Devil: Skip James and the Blues, maintained that no style of blues originated in Bentonia and that the "Bentonia School" is simply a notion of later blues writers who overestimated the provinciality of Mississippi during the early 20th century, when railways linked small towns, and who failed to see that in the case of Jack Owens, "the 'tradition' he bore primarily consisted of musical scraps from James' table". Owens and other musicians who may have been contemporaries of James were not recorded until the revival of interest in blues music in the 1960s. Whether the work of these musicians constituted a "school" and whether James originated it or was a member of it remain open questions.
Catfish Blues
Skip James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out hooks for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for
To my baby's house
She told me to sit down
On her step
'Sir, you can come right on in
Because my
Husband just now left
He just now left
He just now
An I, asked my baby
To let me sit down
'Side her bed
Turn on yo' heater, baby
'Till it turn cherry red
Cherry red
Red an cherry red
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have netted
Some of these women
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out their line for me
A line for
You know I went
To the church house
And they called on
Me to pray-ay
I got down on my knees
But I didn't, no
Have no word to say
Not a word to say
No word to say
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim
Way down in the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out a line for me
A line for
I don't wanna
Be no tadpole
And I don't want ta be
No bullfrog
An if I can't be
Be your catfish
I won't swim at all
No, I won't swim at all
No, swim at
That's the reason I want ta
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have these goodlookin' women
Settin' out a hook for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for.
The song Catfish Blues, also known as Rollin' and Tumblin' was written by the Mississippi Delta blues musician Skip James. The song is about someone who wishes he were a catfish so that he could swim away from his problems and have an easier life. The lyrics express a desire for the freedom that comes with being a small fish in the sea, away from the complexities of human life. The singer reflects on his life experiences including a visit to his lover's home while her husband was away, his failure to pray at a church gathering and his unwillingness to be anything but a catfish.
The third and fourth lines of each verse serve as a refrain, rooted in the concept of having someone set out hooks or lines for him. Hooks and lines traditionally serve to lure a fish from its natural habitat, and the singer suggests that if he were a catfish he would be able to rely solely on the efforts of the humans around him to be fed. The singer seems to suggest a preference for a simpler life, free from the complexity and drama of daily life.
Line by Line Meaning
I would rather, be a little catfish
I wish to be a catfish in the sea.
So I could swim way down
I wouldn't want to swim in the surface, but deep down.
In the sea-ee
In the ocean.
I would have somebody, somebody
I need someone to fish me out of the water.
Settin' out hooks for me
They will need to bait me with a hook to catch me.
You know I went To my baby's house
I went to my lover's house.
She told me to sit down On her step
She welcomed me inside.
'Sir, you can come right on in Because my Husband just now left
My lover's husband is not home.
An I, asked my baby To let me sit down 'Side her bed
I asked my lover if I could sit by her bed.
Turn on yo' heater, baby 'Till it turn cherry red
I asked her to warm me up.
That's the reason I rather Be a little catfish
That's why I want to be a catfish in the ocean.
I would have netted Some of these women
If I were a catfish, I could lure women to catch me.
Settin' out a line for me
They have to use a fishing line to catch me.
You know I went To the church house And they called on Me to pray-ay
I went to a church and they asked me to pray.
I got down on my knees But I didn't, no Have no word to say
I did not know what to pray for.
That's the reason I rather Be a little catfish
That's why I want to be a catfish in the ocean.
I would have somebody, somebody Settin' out a line for me
I need someone to catch me with their fishing line.
I don't wanna Be no tadpole
I don't want to be a small, immature frog.
And I don't want ta be No bullfrog
I don't want to be a large, noisy frog.
An if I can't be Be your catfish
If I can't be a catfish in the ocean, I don't want to be anything else.
I won't swim at all No, I won't swim at all
I would rather not swim at all if I can't be a catfish.
That's the reason I want ta Be a little catfish
That's why I desire to be a catfish in the ocean.
I would have these goodlookin' women Settin' out a hook for me
If I were a catfish, I could lure beautiful women to catch me.
Settin' out a hook for me A hook for.
They have to use a fishing hook to catch me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TAJ MAHAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
I would rather, be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out hooks for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for
You know I went
To my baby's house
She told me to sit down
On her step
'Sir, you can come right on in
Because my
Husband just now left
He just now left
He just now
An I, asked my baby
To let me sit down
'Side her bed
Turn on yo' heater, baby
'Till it turn cherry red
Cherry red
Red an cherry red
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have netted
Some of these women
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out their line for me
A line for
You know I went
To the church house
And they called on
Me to pray-ay
I got down on my knees
But I didn't, no
Have no word to say
Not a word to say
No word to say
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim
Way down in the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out a line for me
A line for
I don't wanna
Be no tadpole
And I don't want ta be
No bullfrog
An if I can't be
Be your catfish
I won't swim at all
No, I won't swim at all
No, swim at
That's the reason I want ta
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have these goodlookin' women
Settin' out a hook for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for.
Mopar Dog Dish
If Robert Johnson is labeled “The king of the Delta blues”,
and he got large portions of his words & music from Skip James,
Then what does that make Skip James?
Robert was a master of many styles,and proficient at them all.
no doubt about it,
And I’v been a huge fan of his since 1986
I have nothing but praise for Robert Johnson.
He was incredibly talented,inovative musican.
Like most other traveling musicians of the time ,
he had a vast repretiour of music.
From the latest numbers to dance to,
as well as standards and cakewalk numbers and music that people would never associate with him.
He’d play whatever people wanted to hear as long as those nickels and dimes kept coming.
(By the way,listening to Robert Johnsons music slowed down to the natural speed is something every fan of his should take the time to hear)
It’s very eye opening,
and a hell of a lot easier to try to replicate.
If you wheren’t aware ,
the engineers sped up the recording slightly (i.e.The Chipmunks)
to fit the song into the time constraints.
3 minutes a side I believe.
But one man who never got the near the credit ,financially or otherwise he deserved was Skippy James.
I listen to as much blues from 1900 - 1970 as I can ,each day,without exception.
In Robert Johnson’s recordings you can easily find complete lines and melodies lifted right from Skippy.
Its no secret,and an it’s just how the blues developed
But it’s a damn shame that such a major contributor like Skippy gets so little recognition,
Aside from the silly Cream cover of “I’m so glad”
Which bears little similarity to the original, but at least Eric Clapton had to decency to credit Skippy.
(Ironic as he got it from a 20’ s song I’m so Tired )
But such is the way music evolves
But the British artists who blended our own blues and spoon fed it back to the United States saved it from being a footnote in our musical history.
It took them telling us it was cool for us to finally get it.
And guys like Sonny Boy Williamson ll (Rice Miller) openly acknowledged how people such as Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson just understood the how to play it.
It’s a feeling,not a speed contest.
Sonny Boy ll said “lots of folks want to play the blues real bad,
And that’s what they do,
play real bad.”
Sherrard
I did a Google search for “Catfish Blues Skip James” and got this. It should be close.
I would rather, be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out hooks for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for
You know I went
To my baby's house
She told me to sit down
On her step
'Sir, you can come right on in
Because my
Husband just now left
He just now left
He just now
An I, asked my baby
To let me sit down
'Side her bed
Turn on yo' heater, baby
'Till it turn cherry red
Cherry red
Red an cherry red
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have netted
Some of these women
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out their line for me
A line for
You know I went
To the church house
And they called on
Me to pray-ay
I got down on my knees
But I didn't, no
Have no word to say
Not a word to say
No word to say
That's the reason I rather
Be a little catfish
So I could swim
Way down in the sea-ee
I would have somebody, somebody
Settin' out a line for me
Settin' out a line for me
A line for
I don't wanna
Be no tadpole
And I don't want ta be
No bullfrog
An if I can't be
Be your catfish
I won't swim at all
No, I won't swim at all
No, swim at
That's the reason I want ta
Be a little catfish
So I could swim way down
In the sea-ee
I would have these goodlookin' women
Settin' out a hook for me
Settin' out a hook for me
A hook for.
Aimful Drifter
This is just jaw-dropping. His haunting shaman-like singing and very impressive playing in the background makes this one of the best blues performances I've ever heard. Thank you for uploading this gem.
Brian J. Carnevale
I have had freshly caught Southern Fried Catfish cooked in real fresh lard with real cornmeal batter. It is truly amazing. ALMOST EVERYTHING they fry today is in a blended poor quality oil that has a sour after-taste.
I am a true foodie. this here better than any sweets you could ever dream of, that fried catfish. You get the blues cuz it's all gone and you want mo!.
Jack Fisher
This music brings something deep out in me. It's as powerful as watching a sunset, or lighting a fire in a deep forest and hearing the wind rustle the leaves just as they have done for thousands of years.
This man has a magic touch on the guitar... A tragic figure and one of the best guitarists of all time...
divine reference
Beautiful! Better words than I have. This simply makes my pounding heart cry.
Hans Verhoeven
I totally agree
SilliVilliN
that was beautiful
Indigo Silhouette
I feel the deep saddness and misfortune of humanity
Northern Screams
Who have been doing what for thousands of years?
PINEY BLUZ 🇺🇸 Original Acoustic Music
Skip pull’s off intricate Guitar pull offs and Hammer-ons and a flurry of Plucked notes that coincide with His Vocals perfectly! Amazing to say the least🇺🇸
Joshua Shuffman
It's especially on an old standard like this one that you can really hear and appreciate that Skip was not only on a different level than all those other guys, he was in a different universe. The way he's working time changes here is entirely unique.