Fave lyric/line in a blues song

'Ol Jack Chance

Ok so i robbed the idea for this thread from the general music forum but whats your fave lyric or "part" of a blues song?

Mine would be:

32-20 Blues by Robert Johnson where he sings:

"Got your hair all tangled and you aint talking right"

or

Gallis Pole by Leadbelly:

"Mother did you bring any silver? Mother did you bring any gold?
What did you bring me dear mother to keep me from the gallis pole?"

Rigsby

"Locked herself in the bathroom, said she's goin' to be a while,
I cooled of when she come out, her hair all up in curls,
Got no eye lashes, you know she's a real put together girl"


"Cancelling Out" - John Mayall


"I know I'm an alcoholic, sometimes I regret it, especially when the liquor store wont give me no credit".

"Nobody wants a loser" - Albert King

Setun

Is Heartattack and Vine counted as a blues? If so:

"You know there aint no devil, it's just god when he's drunk."

Other than that, Tin Pan Alley is surely worthy of a mention:

"I heard a pistol shoot, yeah, and it was a .44
Somebody killed a crap shooter cause he didn't, shake, rattle, and roll"

Ellechim

More jazz than blues, but has to be Count Basie 'Money is honey' - the whole song is classs......
'Money is honey, where can my money be?
If I had my money my honey would be here with me.
Woke up this morning, my gall said 'I'm through'
Just get yourself some money and I'll come back to you
We had eggs and bacon, we were doing fine, when i had my money the honey flowed like wine......

Or, another Count Basie song: 'Me and the Blues'
'Me and the blues we spend a lot of time together
me and the blues, we're getting on that getting nowhere road
Nobody knows the lonely hours we've spent together
I'm getting weary, totin that troublesome load

I'll never know why men are so deceitful, they never treat you like they should
the love you and deceive you, then they up and leave you, what makes them so no good?


Or, Ray Charles, 'them that got'
'I gotten down to my last pair of shoes
can't even win a nickle bet
Because them that's got are them that get, and I tell you all, I ain't got nothing yet....'

Oh yess..........

Turd Ferguson

I just love the "squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg" line.

Its been used in many blues songs like Robert Johnson, Arthur McKay and even Zepplin.

Rustar

Got a sweet little girl, they call her 'Runaround Sue'....
She's kinda rank lookin', but she knows how ta do
I say old Susie's got a boyfriend, they call him Gentleman Jim
I said, "listen, Susan, sweetheart, choose me or him"

She said, "You lose"
You've got to suffer if you wanna sing the blues


-David Bromberg

squire23

A bit mainstream but I love the line in Hendrix's Red House...

"Even though my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will!" Damn right

Frankie Lee

Muddy Waters - Why Dont you live so god can use you

Why don't you think so, God can use you, anywhere, any time
Why don't you think so, God can use you, anywhere, Lord, any time

Velvet Vocals

Rory Gallagher - "Barley And Grape Rag"


When I'm walking down mainstreet, feeling no pain
Along comes a cop, he can take my name
And explain to me what a federal case is,
I'm mixing the barley with the grape again

Setun

Not to derail this thread into a guitar discussion but...

Bob Brozman has some fantastic lines aswell. Does anyone know the lyrics to Opposite Blues? Fantastically humourous:

lavasoft

I got to keep moving, I got to keep moving
Blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail
Mmm, blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail
And the day keeps on remindin' me, there's a hellhound on my trail
Hellhound on my trail, hellhound on my trail.

robert jhonson, peter green.

If he asks you was I laughin'
If he asks you was I laughin'
If he asks you was I laughin'
You tell him I was cryin
You tell him I was cryin'
leadbelly.
I could do this all day there is just so many

Froot

One Cat, One Vote, One Beer.