House was born, the middle of three brothers, in Riverton, Mississippi, two miles from famed blues capital Clarksdale, Mississippi. Around age seven or eight, he was brought by his mother to Tallulah, Louisiana after his parents separated. The young Son House was determined to become a Baptist preacher, and at age fifteen began his preaching career. Despite the church's firm stand against blues music and the sinful world which revolved around it, House nevertheless became attracted to it and taught himself guitar in his midtwenties, inspired by the work of Willie Wilson. He began playing alongside Charley Patton, Willie Brown, Robert Johnson, Fiddlin' Joe Martin, Leroy Williams, and Howlin' Wolf, around Robinsonville, Mississippi and north to Memphis, Tennessee until 1942.
After killing a man, allegedly in self-defense, he spent time on Parchman Farm in 1928 and 1929.
Son House recorded for Paramount Records in 1930 and for Alan Lomax from the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942. He then faded from public view until the country blues revival in the 1960s when, after a long search of the Mississippi Delta region by Nick Perls, Dick Waterman and Phil Spero, he was "re-discovered" in June, 1964 in Rochester, New York where he had lived since 1943; House had been retired from the music business for many years, working for the New York Central Railroad, and was completely unaware of the international revival of enthusiasm for his early recordings. He subsequently toured extensively in the US and Europe and recorded for CBS records. Like Mississippi John Hurt he was welcomed into the music scene of the 1960s and played at Newport Folk Festival in 1964, the New York Folk Festival in July, 1965, and the October, 1967 European tour of the American Folk Festival along with Skip James and Bukka White. In the summer of 1970, House toured Europe once again, including an appearance at the Montreux Festival; a recording of his London concerts was released by Liberty Records.
Ill health plagued his later years and in 1974 he retired once again, and later moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he remained until his death from cancer of the larynx. He was buried at Mt. Hazel Cemetery on Lahser south of Seven Mile. Members of the Detroit Blues Society raised money through benefit concerts to put a fitting monument on his grave. He had been married five times.
Unlike some blues guitarists of the 1920s and 30s, House was not a virtuoso although there is still much that is technically impressive about his playing. He more than made up for his lack of conventional technique with his powerful and innovative style featuring very strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of a bottleneck, coupled with singing that owed more than a nod to the hollers of the chain gangs. The music of Son House, in contrast to that of, say, Blind Lemon Jefferson, was emphatically a dance music, meant to be heard in the noisy atmosphere of a barrelhouse or other dance hall. House was an important influence on not only Muddy Waters but also Robert Johnson, who would later take his music to new levels. It was House who, speaking to awe-struck young blues fans in the 1960s, spread the legend that Johnson had sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical powers. More recently, House's music has influenced rock groups such as the White Stripes, who covered his song Death Letter on their album De Stijl, and later performed it at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Describing House's 1967 appearance at the De Montford Hall in Leicester, England, Bob Groom wrote in Blues World magazine,
It is difficult to describe the transformation that took place as this smiling, friendly man hunched over his guitar and launched himself, bodily it seemed, into his music. The blues possessed him like a 'lowdown shaking chill' and the spellbound audience saw the very incarnation of the blues as, head thrown back, he hollered and groaned the disturbing lyrics and flailed the guitar, snapping the strings back against the fingerboard to accentuate the agonized rhythm. Son's music is the centre of the blues experience and when he performs it is a corporate thing, audience and singer become as one.
Shetland Pony Blues
Son House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
...my pony, saddle up, up my black mare?
You know, I'm gonna find my baby, well, in the world somewhere
You know, he's a travelin' horse, an' he's too black bad
He's a travelin' pony, I declare, he's too black bad
You know, he got a gait, now, no Shetlan' ain't never had
I say, I taken him by the reins an' I, I led him, him 'round and 'round
You know, he ain't the best in the world, but he's the best ever been in this town
You know, he's a travelin' horse and he don't deny his name
He's a travelin' pony and he don't deny his name
You know, the way he can travel is a low-down, old, dirty shame
Why don't you come up here, pony, now come on, please let's us go
I said, "Come up, get up now, please pony, now let's us go"
Let's we saddle on down on the Gulf of, of Mexico
You know, the horse that I'm ridin', he can fox-trot, he can lope and pace
I say, the pony I'm ridin', he can fox-trot, he can lope and pace
You know, a horse with them many gaits, you know, I'm bound to win the race
He's a travelin' horse an' he don't deny his name
He's a travelin' pony, he don't deny his name
The way he can travel is a low-down, old, dirty shame
The lyrics to Son House's "Pony Blues" speak of a man on a journey, searching for his lover. He addresses his horse, a "travelin' pony" with a "gait" that surpasses any Shetland, asking him to come forth and be saddled up. The man is eager to embark on this journey to find his lover, no matter where in the world she may be. He sings of his admiration for the horse he is riding, how he can lope and pace and fox-trot, making him the perfect horse to win any race.
The song captures the essence of the Blues, with its call and response structure and lyrics that express the hardships of life. Son House was known for his commanding voice and expressive guitar playing, and in "Pony Blues" he showcases both. The repetition of the phrase "he's a travelin' pony, he don't deny his name" emphasizes the horse's perceived importance in the journey the man is undertaking.
The song's lyrics don't necessarily tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but they do paint a vivid picture of a journey, accompanied by a trusted and reliable horse. The theme of love lost and the journey to find it is a common thread in the Blues, and "Pony Blues" is no exception.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don't you catch my pony, now saddle up my black mare?
Please catch my pony and saddle up my black mare so I can go find my baby somewhere out in the world.
You know, I'm gonna find my baby, well, in the world somewhere
I know I will find my baby, she's out there somewhere in the world waiting for me.
You know, he's a travelin' horse, an' he's too black bad
My pony is a great traveler and he's just too cool.
He's a travelin' pony, I declare, he's too black bad
My pony is just too cool, he can travel anywhere and still be awesome.
You know, he got a gait, now, no Shetlan' ain't never had
My pony has a great gait, one that no Shetland pony has ever had before.
You know, I taken him by the rein an' I led him around and 'round
I took him by the reins and led him around, he's not the best but he's the best in this town.
I say, I taken him by the reins an' I, I led him, him 'round and 'round
I led him around by the reins, he's not the best horse but he's the best there is in this town.
You know, he ain't the best in the world, but he's the best ever been in this town
He may not be the best horse in the world, but he is the best one in this town.
You know, he's a travelin' horse and he don't deny his name
My pony travels a lot and he's proud of his name.
He's a travelin' pony and he don't deny his name
My pony is a great traveler and he's proud of his name.
You know, the way he can travel is a low-down, old, dirty shame
The way he can travel is just incredible, it's a shame not everybody can see it.
Why don't you come up here, pony, now come on, please let's us go
Come up here, my pony, please let's us go find my baby somewhere out in the world.
I said, "Come up, get up now, please pony, now let's us go"
I asked my pony to come up so we can go find my baby somewhere out in the world.
Let's we saddle on down on the Gulf of, of Mexico
Let's saddle up and go down to the Gulf of Mexico to find my baby.
You know, the horse that I'm ridin', he can fox-trot, he can lope and pace
The horse I'm riding is amazing, he can fox-trot, lope and pace.
I say, the pony I'm ridin', he can fox-trot, he can lope and pace
The pony I'm riding can fox-trot, lope and pace, he's incredible.
You know, a horse with them many gaits, you know, I'm bound to win the race
A horse with so many great gaits is sure to win the race, I just know it.
He's a travelin' horse an' he don't deny his name
My pony travels all the time and he's proud of his name.
He's a travelin' pony, he don't deny his name
My pony is a great traveler and he's proud of his name.
The way he can travel is a low-down, old, dirty shame
The way he can travel is just incredible, it's a shame not everybody can see it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SON HOUSE, PKA JR EDDIE HOUSE, JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind