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.
Cherry Ball Blues
Skip James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I loves cherry ball better than I love myself
She get so she don't love me, she won't love nobody else
Cherry ball quit me, she quit me in a calm, good way
Cherry ball quit me, she quit me in a calm, good way
But what to take to get her, I carries it every day
My cherry ball, better than I love myself
She get so she don't love me, love nobody else
Sure as that spider hangin' on the wall
Sure as that spider hangin' on the wall
I advised that old cherry ball, "Keep fallin' on call"
I'll catch the Southern if you take the Santa Fe
I'll take the Southern and if you'll take the Santa Fe
I'm gonna ride and ramble, tell cherry to come back to me
The lyrics of Skip James's song "Cherry Ball Blues" describe the singer's obsession with his lover, referred to as "cherry ball." He proclaims his love for her above all else, claiming that he loves her more than he loves himself. However, he is aware of the possibility that she may not love him back and may move on to another. He describes how she left him in a "calm, good way," implying that their separation was not dramatic, but despite this, he carries something with him every day that he hopes will win her back. The singer compares his love for cherry ball to an unyielding force, even more certain than the spider hanging on the wall, and promises to come for her no matter where she goes.
The song's themes touch on unrequited love, obsession, and the desperate desire for a lost lover. The lyrics are a testament to the power of love and the pain that it can bring. The singer's obsession with cherry ball is all-consuming and takes over his entire identity. His love for her is so strong that he is willing to chase after her and leave behind everything else.
Line by Line Meaning
I love my cherry ball better than I love myself
My affection towards my cherry ball label exceeds my affection towards myself
She get so she don't love me, she won't love nobody else
If my cherry ball stops loving me, she will stop loving anyone else entirely
Cherry ball quit me, she quit me in a calm, good way
Cherry ball left me, but she did it respectfully and peacefully
But what to take to get her, I carries it every day
I have something that I believe will help me win back Cherry ball, and I carry it with me always
Sure as that spider hangin' on the wall
I am certain that something is going to happen, just as certain as the spider hanging on the wall
I advised that old cherry ball, "Keep fallin' on call"
I advised Cherry ball to continue seeing me
My cherry ball, better than I love myself
I value my cherry ball more than I value my own wellbeing
Sure as that spider hangin' on the wall
I am certain that something is going to happen, just as certain as the spider hanging on the wall
I'll catch the Southern if you take the Santa Fe
I'll take one train while my significant other takes another so that I may have Cherry ball back by my side
I'm gonna ride and ramble, tell cherry to come back to me
I am going to sway and wander until Cherry ball comes back to me
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: SKIP JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Earl Butler
Daddy don't play that...