Delta Woman Blues
Tampa Red Lyrics


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I'm goin' back to the delta
That's where I belong
I'm goin' back to the delta
That's where I belong

If old bad luck and trouble
Don't keep me far to long
I'd rather be down in the delta
Than any place I know
I'd rather be down in the delta
Than any place I know

Because I don't feel happy
No other place I go

My little woman in the delta
She was good to me
My little woman in the delta
She was good to me

Well, she was a good kind-hearted
As one poor gal could be

I'm goin' back to the delta
Fall down on my knees
Gonna ask my delta woman
To forgive me if she please

I'm goin' back to the delta, woo
Goin' to fall down on my knees
I'm gonna ask my delta woman
To forgive me if she please

I've tested with all-a my women
From here to Mexico
But my woman in the delta
She's the sweetest gal I know

I've tested with all-a my women, woo
From here to Mexico




But my little woman in the delta
She's the sweetest gal I know

Overall Meaning

In Tampa Red's song "Delta Woman Blues," the singer expresses his longing for home in the Mississippi Delta, where he plans to return to find comfort and solace. He seems to have been experiencing bad luck and trouble, and he hopes that these issues will not detain him long. Despite having checked out various places, he remains discontented and cannot find happiness anywhere other than the delta. The singer believes that his woman in the delta was kind-hearted, as he recalls fondly, adding that he had tested his love for her with other women and found that she was the sweetest. He plans to apologize to her and ask for her forgiveness when he returns.


The song's theme of longing for home reflects the tradition of the blues in which a sense of displacement and yearning for home is often expressed. The delta itself was the origin of the blues, and this fact is not lost in the song, as the singer longs to return to the place of origin. Tampa Red's writing is also reminiscent of the migration of African Americans from the South to the North during the early 20th century, as they sought better opportunities and to escape the Delta's oppression. His homesickness is palpable and echoes the feelings of other migrants.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm goin' back to the delta
I will go back to the Mississippi Delta region.


That's where I belong
I feel that I belong in this part of the United States.


If old bad luck and trouble
If my difficulties and misfortunes


Don't keep me far to long
Do not hold me there for a long time.


I'd rather be down in the delta
I prefer to be in the Mississippi Delta.


Than any place I know
More than any other place, I find contentment there.


Because I don't feel happy
I feel unhappy in other locations.


No other place I go
No other geographic region brings me happiness.


My little woman in the delta
My female companion in the Mississippi Delta region.


She was good to me
She was kind and supportive of me.


Well, she was a good kind-hearted
Indeed, she was a kind-hearted person


As one poor gal could be
As sympathetic and supportive as any underprivileged woman.


Fall down on my knees
I will kneel down.


Gonna ask my delta woman
I am going to ask my female companion from the Delta region.


To forgive me if she please
I will implore her to pardon me, if it is her inclination to do so.


I've tested with all-a my women
I have tried out all my other gender partners.


From here to Mexico
From this geographic spot to Mexico.


But my woman in the delta
My woman from the Mississippi Delta,


She's the sweetest gal I know
In fact, she is the most charming lady I have encountered.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUDSON WHITTAKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@SlimDavenport

Love this song.

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