Born James Rachell, his career as a performer spanned nearly seventy years, and was often teamed with the guitarist and singer Sleepy John Estes. He grew up in Brownsville, Tennessee, but in 1958 moved north to Indianapolis during the American folk music revival. He recorded for Delmark Records and Blue Goose Records. Though a capable guitarist and singer, he was better known as a master of the blues mandolin; he had bought his first mandolin at age 8, with a pig his family had given him to raise. "She Caught the Katy," which he wrote with Taj Mahal, is considered a blues standard.
By the mid 1990s, Henry Townsend and his one-time collaborator Rachell were the only active blues artists whose performing lives stretched back to the 1920s. In later years he suffered from arthritis which shortened his playing sessions, though he still recorded an album just before his death, Too Hot For the Devil.
In his later years he appeared in filmmaker Terry Zwigoff's documentary about fellow musician Howard Armstrong and was a featured performer with John Sebastian and the J-Band.
Hobo Blues
Yank Rachell Lyrics
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(James Rachell)
Yank Rachel - vocal & guitar
Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson I - harmonica
W. Mitchell - bass cano or im strng bass
Washboard Sam - wshbrd.
Recorded Studio C, Chicago, IL. Apr. 3, 1941.
Original issue Bluebird 8768/BS-064104-1.
BMG Music 63988-2
(harmonica)
'Gonna leave my baby this mo'nin'
Lordy, saw that I would be hobo
Lord, I hobo a long, long way from home
Lordy, saw that I would be hobo
You know I hobo a long, long way from home
You know, ev'rytime I get a-thinkin' about my baby
Man, I couldn't do nothin'
But hang my head an moan
Baby, an ev'rytime I decide to hobo
I take the jungle to be my home
Ev'rytime I would 'cide to hobo
Lord, take the jungle to be my home
Now, you know I'm 'on do just like a Prod'gal Son
I'm goin' back home an' acknowlege I done wrong
'I don't need you no mo', baby'
That mo'nin 'bout half past fo'
Lord, that ol' freight train begin to reel an rock
Dawn, that mo'nin 'bout half past fo'
Man that ol freight train begin to reel an rock
'Lord have mercy'
S.B. ('Oh, how it hurted my head')
You know I went to the door I looked out
'Sonny, I didn't know what this all about'
'Now boy, let's tell ya'
'Take it on down there for me'
(harmonica & guitar)
'Washboard Sam, I ain't struttin' you'
'Bet you 'guys wup that can' to death'
Lord, the lightnin' it was flashin'
Boy, the dark cloud risin' in the east
S.B. 'Oh yeah, glad ya stay here a little while, you know'
'Yes my Lord, listen Sonny'
Lord, the lightnin' it was flashin'
A dark cloud was risin' in the east
S.B. ('You know, I don't feel good!')
Lord, then I hung my head an I cried
'Lord, what in the world's gon' become a-me?'
Lord, back home with my baby
Go on just a-happy as I can be
Girl, I'm back home with my baby
I'm just a-happy as I can be
But the next time I decide to hobo
I'm 'on have my woman right beside a-me.
~
The song "Hobo Blues" by Yank Rachell is a blues ballad about a man who is leaving his lover to become a hobo. The singer contemplates his decision and acknowledges the pain he will feel by leaving his lover behind. He then describes his life as a hobo, taking refuge in the jungle and living a life of wandering. The song also features harmonica solos by Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson I, adding to the mournful tone of the song.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses regret and longing for his lover. He can't help but think about her every time he tries to leave, and he knows that leaving her will bring him sadness. However, he still decides to leave and become a hobo. The lyrics also mention the struggle of life as a hobo, with references to riding on freight trains and living in the jungle.
The song's lyrics and melancholic melody capture the feeling of being torn between two lives, a choice many people face. Yank Rachell's expressive vocals, combined with Sonny Boy Williamson I's haunting harmonica, create a powerful musical experience that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna leave my baby this mo'nin'
I'm leaving my significant other in the morning
Lordy, saw that I would be hobo
I realized that I would become a hobo
Lord, I hobo a long, long way from home
I've been a hobo and have traveled far from home
You know, ev'rytime I get a-thinkin' about my baby
Whenever I think about my significant other
Man, I couldn't do nothin'
I can't focus on anything else
But hang my head an moan
All I can do is feel sad
Ev'rytime I would 'cide to hobo
Whenever I decide to become a hobo
Lord, take the jungle to be my home
I consider the wilderness to be my home
I'm goin' back home an' acknowlege I done wrong
I'm going back home and admitting that I was wrong
That mo'nin 'bout half past fo'
At about 4:30 in the morning
Lord, that ol' freight train begin to reel an rock
The old freight train started to move and shake
Lord, then I hung my head an I cried
I felt so sad that I hung my head and cried
Girl, I'm back home with my baby
I'm back home with my significant other
But the next time I decide to hobo
If I become a hobo again
I'm 'on have my woman right beside a-me.
I'll have my significant other with me.
Contributed by Claire M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.