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.
Walking Blues
Son House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Know about that, I got the walkin' blues
I said I got up this morning, I was feeling 'round for my shoes
I said you know about that now, I got the walkin' blues
The blues ain't nothing but a lowdown shaking chill
If you ain't had 'em I hope you never will
Oh, the blues is a lowdown old aching chill
When you get worried drop me a line
If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind
When you get worried I said sit down and drop me a line
If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind
Your hair ain't curly, your doggone eyes ain't blue
If you don't want me what the world I- I want with you?
Oh, your hair ain't curly and your doggone eyes ain't blue
I said now if you don't want me, babe, what the wide world I want with you?
Don't a man feel bad the Good Lord's sun go down?
He don't have nobody to throw his arms around
Can't a man feel bad, I said when the Good Lord's sun go down?
I said he don't have a soul, not to throw his arms around
Looky here baby, what you want me to do?
I've done all I could just to get a-along with you
Looky here honey, what do you want poor me to do?
I say I've done all I could, honey, just to get along with you
You know I love my baby like the cow love to chew her cud
I'm layin' round here though I ain't doin' no good
Ooh, I love you honey like the cow love to chew her cud
I'm layin' round here, baby, but I- I sure ain't doin' no good
You know the minutes seem like hours, the hours seem like days
Seem like my baby don't stop her lowdown ways
Oh, the minutes seem like hours, I said the hours, they seem like days
You know it seems like my bride never stop her old lowdown ways
I'm going to the gypsy now to have my fortune told
I believe somebody is stealing my jelly roll
I'm going to the gypsy, I believe I'll have my fortune told
'cause I believe somebody is trying to steal my jelly roll
I got up this morning, feeling sick and bad
Thinking 'bout the good times that I once have had
I said soon this morning, I was feeling so sick and bad
You know I was thinking 'bout the good times now that I- I once have had
The sun is going down behind that old western hill
Yes, yes
Ooh, behind that old western hill
And I wouldn't do nothing boys, not against my woman's will
You know I'm going away, I'll stay a great long time
I ain't coming back here until you change your mind
Oh, I'm going away, I believe I'll stay a great long time
I said I ain't coming back, honey, until you change your mind
Walking Blues by Son House is a classic blues song that explores the feeling of intense melancholy that often comes with being alone and powerless. The song begins with a first-person narration of the singer's lowly state as he wakes up to find his shoes, with the lyrics "Well got up this morning, feeling 'round for my shoes / Know about that, I got the walkin' blues". The lyrics detail the struggles of feeling restless and having nothing left to lose. The blues aren't just a passing moment of sadness or frustration, but a long-standing feeling of helplessness.
Son House goes on to describe the blues as a "low-down shaking chill" that makes it impossible to feel anything other than deep sadness. "When you get worried drop me a line / If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind" shows just how desperate the singer is - he is pleading for help, but is also acknowledging his own deteriorating mental state. The lyrics also touch on the feeling of unrequited love, as the singer sings "Your hair ain't curly, your doggone eyes ain't blue / If you don't want me what the world I- I want with you?" indicating that he's not sure why he loves his partner so much, despite not being treated well. The song ends with the singer's resignation to leaving his current plight behind – "I'm going away, I believe I'll stay a great long time / I said I ain't coming back, honey, until you change your mind".
Line by Line Meaning
Well got up this morning, feeling 'round for my shoes
I woke up and looked for my shoes
Know about that, I got the walkin' blues
I'm feeling sad and uneasy
The blues ain't nothing but a lowdown shaking chill
Blues is just a terrible feeling
If you ain't had 'em I hope you never will
I hope you never feel this way
When you get worried drop me a line
If you're worried, let me know
If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind
I might lose my sanity
Your hair ain't curly, your doggone eyes ain't blue
You're not perfect
If you don't want me what the world I- I want with you?
Why would I be with you if you don't want me?
Don't a man feel bad the Good Lord's sun go down?
It's sad when the sun sets
He don't have nobody to throw his arms around
He has no one to hold
Looky here baby, what you want me to do?
What can I do for you?
I've done all I could just to get a-along with you
I've tried to make things work
You know I love my baby like the cow love to chew her cud
I love you very much
I'm layin' round here though I ain't doin' no good
I'm feeling unproductive
The minutes seem like hours, the hours seem like days
Time is dragging on
Seem like my baby don't stop her lowdown ways
My lover's behavior hasn't changed
I'm going to the gypsy now to have my fortune told
I'm seeking guidance from a fortune teller
'cause I believe somebody is trying to steal my jelly roll
I think someone is trying to take advantage of me
Thinking 'bout the good times that I once have had
I'm reminiscing about happier times
The sun is going down behind that old western hill
The sun is setting
And I wouldn't do nothing boys, not against my woman's will
I won't do anything without my lover's consent
You know I'm going away, I'll stay a great long time
I'm leaving for a long time
I said I ain't coming back, honey, until you change your mind
I won't return unless you want me to
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Son House
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Shinnosuki
Well got up this morning, feeling 'round for my shoes
Know about that, I got the walkin' blues
I said I got up this morning, I was feeling 'round for my shoes
I said you know about that now, I got the walkin' blues
The blues ain't nothing but a lowdown shaking chill
If you ain't had 'em I hope you never will
Oh, the blues is a lowdown old aching chill
If you ain't had 'em boys, I- I hope you never will
When you get worried drop me a line
If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind
When you get worried I said sit down and drop me a line
If I don't go crazy, honey, I'm going to lose my mind
Your hair ain't curly, your doggone eyes ain't blue
If you don't want me what the world I- I want with you?
Oh, your hair ain't curly and your doggone eyes ain't blue
I said now if you don't want me, babe, what the wide world I want with you?
Don't a man feel bad the Good Lord's sun go down?
He don't have nobody to throw his arms around
Can't a man feel bad, I said when the Good Lord's sun go down?
I said he don't have a soul, not to throw his arms around
Looky here baby, what you want me to do?
I've done all I could just to get a-along with you
Looky here honey, what do you want poor me to do?
I say I've done all I could, honey, just to get along with you
You know I love my baby like the cow love to chew her cud
I'm layin' round here though I ain't doin' no good
Ooh, I love you honey like the cow love to chew her cud
I'm layin' round here, baby, but I- I sure ain't doin' no good
You know the minutes seem like hours, the hours seem like days
Seem like my baby don't stop her lowdown ways
Oh, the minutes seem like hours, I said the hours, they seem like days
You know it seems like my bride never stop her old lowdown ways
I'm going to the gypsy now to have my fortune told
I believe somebody is stealing my jelly roll
I'm going to the gypsy, I believe I'll have my fortune told
'cause I believe somebody is trying to steal my jelly roll
I got up this morning, feeling sick and bad
Thinking 'bout the good times that I once have had
I said soon this morning, I was feeling so sick and bad
You know I was thinking 'bout the good times now that I- I once have had
The sun is going down behind that old western hill
Yes, yes
Ooh, behind that old western hill
And I wouldn't do nothing boys, not against my woman's will
You know I'm going away, I'll stay a great long time
I ain't coming back here until you change your mind
Oh, I'm going away, I believe I'll stay a great long time
I said I ain't coming back, honey, until you change your mind
@jamesbanks1250
Saw Son House right before he died. That was a lifetime treat.
@playad6332
James Banks you a lucky man.🌞 tribe
@ayysop6367
James Banks Yeah wow
@michaelwilliams9278
James Banks how old are you
@yeeyeewildboi
God bless u
@Sheindie
My very favorite Delta Blues musician - THIS is my favorite recording (early 1940s by Library of Commerce/Lomax)- they got paid with a Coke - first time I heard Son House playing with his 'band' of friends - in the back of the Clack grocery store - Original wooden sign's in the Delta Blues Museum =)
@rogerscollier7424
One of greatest recordings ever. Introduced me to the delta blues back when I was 17 and stupid in 1970, what a education. Been a fan ever since and I use to think in those days that this was too county. I’m was growing up in DC btw.
@philipmarlowe1878
Willie Brown, the original hype man. God bless him, he makes this version fun.
@laoban1954
Brilliance beyond words to express. Thank God we captured it before it was lost. An era and sensibility lost today.
@roberttuss5349
Have Mercy! It doesn't get any more authentic than this... The great Son House