"Take a Whiff on Me" is an American folk song, with references to the use o… Read Full Bio ↴"Take a Whiff on Me" is an American folk song, with references to the use of cocaine. It is also known as "Take a Whiff (on Me)", "Cocaine Habit", and "Cocaine Habit Blues".

Take a Whiff On Me
Woody Guthrie Lyrics

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Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

I got a woman 6ft4 sleepin in the kitchen with her feet in the door
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Sure maid, fishin in the creek, ain't caught a man since a way last week

Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Wanna get a woman let me tell you a word, grease your hair down slick n smart
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
I'm walkin' down the road with my hat in my hand lookin' for a woman who wants to meet a man,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Walkin down the road and the road's mighty muddy, sliipin n sliding n I can't stay steady
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
I know my woman ain't treatin me right she don't get home till the day gets light,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Meet a lot of woman rambling around but the Boston women are the best I've found
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Singing songs all night long, sing to my woman from midnight on,
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Everybody take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Woody Guthrie's song "Take a Whiff On Me" are framed by the repeated refrain "Take a whiff on me," which is sung by the singer to everyone listening. The song's verses are a mix of boasts about the singer's prowess with women and commentary on the difficult circumstances of his life. The first verse introduces a woman who is six feet four inches tall and sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the door. The second verse mentions a "sure maid" who is fishing in a creek but hasn't caught a man in a while. In each of these verses, the refrain "hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me" is repeated after each line.

In the third verse, the singer tries to offer advice to others who want to find a woman, imploring them to "grease your hair down slick and smart." But the song quickly returns to more bitter reflections on the singer's own life, with the fourth verse describing his difficulty walking down a muddy road. The fifth verse is perhaps the most poignant, with the singer admitting that his woman is not treating him right and doesn't come home until morning light. Finally, the last verse offers some hope and praise for the women of Boston, with the singer promising to sing to his woman all night long, despite the earlier lines suggesting that his singing voice might not be his best asset.

Overall, "Take a Whiff On Me" offers a mix of braggadocio and vulnerability, showcasing Guthrie's skill at blending humor and pathos in his songs.

Line by Line Meaning

Take a whiff, take a whiff, take a whiff on me
Come smell me, everyone take a sniff

Everybody take a whiff on me
Everyone come smell me

Hey, hey, baby take a whiff on me
Hey, come smell me, baby

I got a woman 6ft4 sleepin in the kitchen with her feet in the door
My tall woman is sleeping, blocking the kitchen with her feet

Sure maid, fishin in the creek, ain't caught a man since a way last week
The maid is fishing in the creek but hasn't caught a man in a while

Wanna get a woman let me tell you a word, grease your hair down slick n smart
To get a woman, slick your hair down nicely

I'm walkin' down the road with my hat in my hand lookin' for a woman who wants to meet a man
I'm walking down the road looking for a woman who wants to meet a man

Walkin down the road and the road's mighty muddy, sliipin n sliding n I can't stay steady
Walking on a muddy road, slipping and sliding and can't stay balanced

I know my woman ain't treatin me right she don't get home till the day gets light
My woman isn't treating me well, she comes home very late

Meet a lot of woman rambling around but the Boston women are the best I've found
I meet a lot of women while wandering around, but I find that the Boston women are the best

Singing songs all night long, sing to my woman from midnight on
Singing songs to my woman throughout the night, from midnight on

Contributed by Liliana P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

@GrahamByrne63

The greatest ever folky,there’d be no Dylan without woody 👌

@SakBatOfficial

2y↑6

mother gooseberry

@pauli_49

yes finally

@rockwildeblues

11y↑13

those were good days,, must have been cheap to give everybody a bump

@GentlemanLabor

Everybody take a whiff on me 😂

@fvaldimar

7y↑6

listening to this in Iceland in 2018. Took a whiff, I liked it.

@bjarnijonsson3466

Woodid Guthrie is a cultural appropriator https://youtu.be/hl3VTJvW1mI

@johnmackinnon1026

😅

@johnjurkewicz9925

7y↑1

I love listening to Great songs like is and I love it

@GeorgeTennesseeWiseman

6y↑1

Wonderful Woody!

@bjarnijonsson3466

Absolute classic

@Stanley.77

3y↑1

If I was a rich man, and I had an onion of that expensive powder, I'd say the same!
"Everybody take a whiff on me!"

@DavidVerbout-w5x

11w

Well, lemme help ya cut up that onion when ya get it. 😂

@penroddavis8098

4y↑1

Mission Mountain Wood and did this in the 70s

@SharRasmussen

Seen them live in Boise, ID around 1975. Still remember that song. Rocky

@BenDuvallIrwin

14y↑2

Charlie Poole does a great version called "Take A Drink On Me".

@eternallife9786

Lonnie donnigan had a great version of that tune

@nateherman8804

9y↑1

saltyninja: the chords are just 1,4,5 as you think. What's throwing you off are the added notes in the bass line played on the guitar. Check out Clarence White's version with The Byrds and The Greenbriar Boys' version. Both of those change the chords in the chorus very interestingly;

@ladyleesutter

8y↑3

Lots of different lyrics in Woody's version. Think I'm going to have to listen slow and type them because I haven't found these particular ones on line, so far.

@TheLegendUSA

23w

that's because the original version by lead belly is about his love of cocaine

@johnreynolds1527

51w

Baby Take a Whiff On me!

@1canyonguy

13y↑4

And Leadbellys version is also so fine

@1canyonguy

4y↑2

@@MariSundell Yes I did- Dident know about Woodys till i posted it. My bad for not giving credit first to Leadbelly.

@1canyonguy

4y↑1

@@MariSundell I heard Huddies more then 10 years before I even knew Woody had covered him way back

@cw5312

6y↑1

Woody said, "Take a whiff on me" after he ripped one.

@ML-iz1gs

9y↑1

"Take a Drink on Me" by Charlie Poole is a great variant.

@Iliekchoocolatye

8y↑2

Cocaine kicks alcohol's ass

@broquestwarsneeder7617

Oh yeah? well, my drug rapes cocaine. am i wonned?

@saltyninja

Anybody know the proper chords for this version? I've found it online as GCD7 and that sounds good but this is something else. Thanks!

@aeliushadrianus7351

7y↑3

The chords are F# B C#... That's all! :)

@khazad2112

The White Stripes version is clearly inspired by this.

@daffy2115

6y↑3

1 fascist disliked this video.

@Oldskoolguitar

Wait...did Mungo Jerry do this?

@tookmyhandle2

Eventually

@SDune

41w

The Byrd's live album untitled.

@ForrestClump

12y↑1

To take a whiff meant to snort cocaine :)

@kieranohara3089

12y↑1

an illegal substance, not illegal perhaps when this song was written....say no more.. the NSA may find out what I know about.... gonna have me an ice cold coke now...