0
It's just a couple of verses played in a relatively un-complex way with a few variations put on Sound Click and then the tab, with explanations, to match it. Enough to get someone started in playing that tune and that style in general if they aren't familiar with it already.
Anyway (along with my usual disclaimers and excuses for crappy sound-quality and vocal and apologies for sometimes over-explaining) here's the Sound Click Link.
And the tab below. (I know it's long. It's meant to be more than just a simple tab!) I hope it's useful.
CODE
#-----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE-------------------------------#
# This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of the #
# music below. It's intent is for study or scholarship purposes only and is #
# not intended for publication, nor for any other commercial use whatsoever. #
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
(by Skip James)
Recorded on Biograph 1930, Newport 1964, Vanguard 1966 and others)
If you're looking for a note-for-note tab from the movie "O Brother Where Art
Thou", this isn't it. This is in the style it was played originally by Skip
James. Quite similar to the movie, but not exactly. That's how these styles of
tunes were done back in the '20s and '30s as traditional country blues tunes.
It's difficult to really explain how to play a tune like this from tab, but
there have been so many requests that I'll try my best. Skip James' style in
open D-Minor is largely composed of several "signature licks" that when added
to the general progression of the tune make it very recognizeable as a Skip
James piece. Skip's style of playing changed a bit over the years, from a some-
what "notey" original style to more laid-back, but with more intensity in his
later recordings. I learned to play tunes in Skip's style many years ago from a
Virginia bluesman named Bowling Green John Cephas. John, often considered to
be probably the foremost living expert on Skip James' Bentonia Style Dm blues,
knew Skip personally and learned from Skip himself. This will be a somewhat
simplified version. The best way to really do it properly is to become familiar
with the tuning and finger-style playing in this style and add and improvise
as you go, which is how both Skip and Bowling Green played it. I guess the
best way to start is by giving the open D-minor tuning (Open E-minor can also
be used but is harder on your strings and guitar neck). Tab would be identical
for either open D-minor (DADFAD) or open E-minor (EBEGBE). This tab is actual-
ly probably more for learning the style than the tune itself. Anyway, put down
your pick. This must be played with your fingers.
ABOUT USING THE TAB BELOW:
This is simplified a bit in order to make it easier to become familiar
with and start playing right away so that you can eventually get into
improv'ing and adding as you become more familiar with the licks and the
fret-board in this tuning. Everything below can be played with the thumb
and index finger only. There are a couple of basic positions to work out
of and go into. Doing that a certain way generally makes it easier and so
I'll show those couple of figures. Below some of the tabbed lines I'll
run a separate line showing how to pick that note in what's probably the
best way, like this: ....▼...▲..., etc. Obviously ▲ means thumb-downward
and ▼ means index finger-upward. A "pinch" will be ▲▼. This might seem a
bit unnecessary and obvious, and probably is, but there are a couple of
parts that might be a little unclear, and so I'd rather over-explain than
under-explain! (NOTE: as I typed this the symbols ▲ and ▼ are tiny points
showing up or down. This symbol may or may not be available to you and show
as something else when copied. I did this tab on Notepad using Courier New
10-Font. I located those symbols from Microsoft Word using the INSERT drop-
down and then SYMBOLS and copied them to Notepad for this tab.)
This tune is played in open-Dm of course but it's actually probably in the
key of D-major. The constant back and forth between major and minor is what
gives it it's "blueness." The open-minor chord is frequently hammered into
the major by the 3rd-string on the 1st-fret with the index-finger, moving
from 000000 (Dm) to 000100 (Dmaj). (That sequence is often followed by the
open 1st-string D-note.)
On the little slid "signiture riff" (Line 3) it's easiest to use the
middle finger on the 3rd-string to slide up into the 4th-fret (from about
the 3rd-fret) and back to the second, placing your index on the 1st-fret
as you do to be ready for that pull-off. Then the middle-finger (now free
after the pull-off) can go onto the 4th-string/2nd-fret.
The only actual position-change is to the V, using the substitution-chord
which is (I guess) a D7sus4 chord X02200 held OOMIOO in Line 7.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This tab is made to go with a sound-file I've done and put on Sound Click.
It's on the page "Dadfad's Alternating-Bass Fingerstyle Lesson." (I know...
this isn't an alternating tune!) Anyway, that's where the sound-file noted
below should be at. The address is:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=426390
Hopefully it's still up and accessible!
This is what is contained on that sound-file....
0:00-0:25 -Tuning Into Dm (DADFAD). A chord and a little b.s'ing around
in Dm just to make sure tuning sounds okay, etc.
0:25-0:59 -One progression of the tune.
1:00-1:35 -Another progression with a few variations.
1:35-2:19 -One more progression with other variations.
2:20-3:02 -Tab lines for the first progression played one line at a time.
3:03-3:52 -Tab lines for some variations played one line at a time.
3:53-4:28 -A single progression with vocal line for timing purposes. (Excuse
the poor vocals, I used a cheap dictation-mic and usually sing this up a half
or whole step. Excuses, excuses..haha!)
4:29-9:17 -I'll call it... "Skipping The Strings" I guess... It's just a few
examples of other licks and phrases that can be used in Skip's open-Dm tunes
which might be useful for ideas in this tune or others he's done in this Dm
tuning. Going through bits of the tunes "I'm So Glad," "Illinois Blues,"
"Devil Got My Woman," "Cherryball Blues," etc, for four minutes or so in
sort of a half-assed medley type thing.
(First Progression, broken down into separate lines, timed with sound-file)
Line 1 (2:20-2:29)
D|-------------------0-----------0-------------------------0---
A|-----------------0-----------0-----------0------0------0-----
F|---------------0-----------0-----------0------0------0-------
D|----------0--3--------0--2--------0--3------3------0---------
A|--0--0h3-----------------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------------------------
(This entire line above is played with thumb downstrokes ▲)
Line 2 (2:30-2:36)
D|-----------------------------------------0-------------
A|------0-----0-------0-------0----------0---------------
F|----0-----0-------0-------0----------0-----------------
D|--0--------------------------------0-------------------
A|--------3------0---------------------------------------
D|----------------------0-------~3v~-----------(3)--0----
(And so is this one!)
Line 3 [Hook Riff] (2:37-2:39)
D|------------------------
A|------------------------
F|--3/4--4/2p1------------
D|--------------0---------
A|------------------------
D|-(0 is still ringing)--
(This line is all index finger upstrokes ▼)
Line 4 (2:39-2:43)
D|---------------------------------------
A|---------------------------------------
F|----1--1--------3/4--2p1---------------
D|-------0------------------0------------
A|-----------0---------------------------
D|-0-------------------------------------
(..▲..▼..▲..▲.....▼....▼....▼)
Line 5 (2:44-2:48)
D|-------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------
F|---------------3/4--2p1--------------
D|------0------------------0-----------
A|---------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------
(..▲...▲...▲....▼....▼.....▼...)
Line 6 (2:48-2:52)
D|-------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------
F|------1--------3/4--2p1--------------
D|------0------------------0-----------
A|---------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------
(..▲...▲...▲....▼....▼.....▼...)
Line 7 (2:52-2:55)
(hold 002200)
D|---------0----------0------------
A|---------------------------------
F|------2-------0h1----------------
D|----2----------------------------
A|--0------------------------------
D|--------------------0------------
(..▲.▲.▲.▲.....▼.....▲▼...)
Line 8 (2:56-3:02)
D|---------------------------------------0----------------0--
A|------3----------2---------1----------------------------0--
F|--/4----4-----3----3----2----2----0h1----------1-------(0)-
D|---------------------------------------0----------0----(1)-
A|-------------------------------------------------------(0)-
D|---0----------0---------0----------0--------0-----------0--
(...▲▼..▼..▼...▲▼..▼..▼...▲▼.▼..▼....▲▼..▲▼...▲..▼..▲...)
(End of first progession)
And so that completes one full progression. Below I'm going to tab a
couple of possible variations in the next couple of progressions I
played to make it a little bit less redundant. Of course they are
just possible ideas. There are lots of different ways to do it that
you can experiment with improvising on your own as you play a verse.
I'm not going to tab complete progressions around each one, just parts
that have a noticeable variation. Of course the rest of the progression
can (and should) be improv'ed a bit too if you feel like it.
Variation I, Line 1 (3:03-3:12)
D|--------0---3--3--3---0--2-------------0---/3---3---3---0-----0--
A|--0h3-------------------------0----------------------------0-----
F|--------0---4--4--4---0--2---------2---0---/4---4---4------------
D|--0h3---------------------------0-----------------------0--------
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------
(..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▼..▲..▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼...▲..▲..)
Variation I, Line 2 (3:13-3:21)
D|--0-------------------0------------------------------
A|-----3--0-----------0--------------------------------
F|--0---------------0---------------/4-----2p1---------
D|-----3--0--0--3v---------3--0------------------0-----
A|-----------------------------------------------------
D|-----------0--3v---------3--0------------------------
(..▲▼.▲▼.▲▼.▲▼.▲▼..▲.▲.▲..▲▼.▲▼.....▼.....▼.....▼...)
End-Tag Variation I, End-Tag Line 3 (3:22-3:26)
(start off holding 000420 XXXIMX)
D|------0-------0--------0----------0-------------
A|--------3-------2--------1----------------------
F|--/4--------3--------2-------0h1----------------
D|----------------------------------0-------------
A|------------------------------------------------
D|-(0)--------------------------------------------
(..▲▼.▼.▼....▲.▼.▼....▲.▼.▼....▼...▲▼...)
Variation II, Line 1 (3:27-3:36)
D|-------0---3-----------0---2----------0--3--3----------0----------
A|--0h3-----------------------------0------------------------0-------
F|-------0-------0---0------------0------------------0-----------0--
D|---0-------0-----0------------0------------------0----------0-----
A|-----------------------------------------------0------------------
D|------------------------------------------------------------------
(...▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▼.▲.▲...▼...▼..▲.▲.▲..▼..▼..▼....▲.▲.▲...▼...▼.▲.▲..)
Variation II, Line 2 (3:36-3:43)
D|--0---------------------------------------------------
A|-----0-----3v--0--------------------------------------
F|-----------0-------0------------0--------0------------
D|-------0-------0------0--0----------0----0---0--------
A|-(0)----------------------------------0-----(0)-------
D|-------------------------0------3v-----------0--------
(..▲▼..▼.▲..▲▼..▲▼..▼..▲...▲▼....▲▼...▼.▲..▼▲.▼▲...)
Variation II, End-Tag Line 3 (3:44-3:52)
(start off holding 000420 XXXIMX and hammer R to 2s/5f)
(this is slightly tricky, just do it slow at first)
D|----0------0--------------------------------------0----
A|---3h5----3h5---------5p3p0---------------------0------
F|----------------------4-------4\2p0--------------------
D|------------------------------(0)---0-------0----------
A|------------------------------------------0------------
D|----------------------------------------0--------------
(.....▼.....▼..........▼........▼.....▼...▲.▲.▲.▲.▲...)
And that's the end of the tabbed stuff.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR BLUES"
by Nehemiah "Skip" James, 1930
You know that hard times are here an' everywhere you go.
Times is harder than they been before.
Whoa-o-o, Oh-o. Whoa-o-o, Oh-o Oh. (Sung, moaned or hummed between verses)
And the people are driftin' from door to door
Can't find no heaven, don't care where they go.
You hear me singing my lonesome song
These hard times can last so very long.
If I ever get off of this killin' floor,
I'll never get down this low no more.
You say you have money, you better be sure.
These hard times will drive you from door to door.
Gonna sing this song, ain't gonna sing no more.
These hard times will drive you from door to door.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(The "killin' floor" was the nickname for the worst part of the stockyards in
Chicago, where the actual slaughter took place. It was hot, filthy, gruelling,
bloody work. Many who came North looking for a better life found Depression-
Era Chicago very little better, if not worse, than the lumber camps and cotton
fields they left behind in Mississippi. This tune, and Skip's tune "Illinois
Blues" are about the disappointment he found in the North. In "Illinois Blues"
he asks a friend from home who is visiting him up north to lie to his other
old friends back home about how well he has done since he's moved to Chicago.
Skip's D-minor style was a style peculiar to the Bentonia County, Mississippi
area in the '20s and '30s. Others from the same area used the tuning for other
blues tunes, but the only other recorded one that I ever found was Jack Owens
who played in a different way than Skip, more for dancing, etc. Skip's is by
far the most recorded and most well-known. Other tunes by Skip include "I'm So
Glad", "Devil Got My Woman" and, probably his most famous before the release
of the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou", "Cherry Ball Blues".
One final word. Let me stress again how improvisational this style is. I have
four versions of Skip doing this tune, each one different. The same with
Bowling Green John Cephas. He recorded it several times, I have several others
by him I recorded as well and have seen him play it quite a few times and
none of any of these versions is identical to another one. They're all dif-
ent. It is best to listen to as many versions as possible by both artists.
I don't mind helping with any questions e-mailed to me. My best advice is to
just learn the style, learn the tuning and then play it the way you feel it
should be played. This will get you started. Good Luck.
-Dadfad
2/28/06
# This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of the #
# music below. It's intent is for study or scholarship purposes only and is #
# not intended for publication, nor for any other commercial use whatsoever. #
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
(by Skip James)
Recorded on Biograph 1930, Newport 1964, Vanguard 1966 and others)
If you're looking for a note-for-note tab from the movie "O Brother Where Art
Thou", this isn't it. This is in the style it was played originally by Skip
James. Quite similar to the movie, but not exactly. That's how these styles of
tunes were done back in the '20s and '30s as traditional country blues tunes.
It's difficult to really explain how to play a tune like this from tab, but
there have been so many requests that I'll try my best. Skip James' style in
open D-Minor is largely composed of several "signature licks" that when added
to the general progression of the tune make it very recognizeable as a Skip
James piece. Skip's style of playing changed a bit over the years, from a some-
what "notey" original style to more laid-back, but with more intensity in his
later recordings. I learned to play tunes in Skip's style many years ago from a
Virginia bluesman named Bowling Green John Cephas. John, often considered to
be probably the foremost living expert on Skip James' Bentonia Style Dm blues,
knew Skip personally and learned from Skip himself. This will be a somewhat
simplified version. The best way to really do it properly is to become familiar
with the tuning and finger-style playing in this style and add and improvise
as you go, which is how both Skip and Bowling Green played it. I guess the
best way to start is by giving the open D-minor tuning (Open E-minor can also
be used but is harder on your strings and guitar neck). Tab would be identical
for either open D-minor (DADFAD) or open E-minor (EBEGBE). This tab is actual-
ly probably more for learning the style than the tune itself. Anyway, put down
your pick. This must be played with your fingers.
ABOUT USING THE TAB BELOW:
This is simplified a bit in order to make it easier to become familiar
with and start playing right away so that you can eventually get into
improv'ing and adding as you become more familiar with the licks and the
fret-board in this tuning. Everything below can be played with the thumb
and index finger only. There are a couple of basic positions to work out
of and go into. Doing that a certain way generally makes it easier and so
I'll show those couple of figures. Below some of the tabbed lines I'll
run a separate line showing how to pick that note in what's probably the
best way, like this: ....▼...▲..., etc. Obviously ▲ means thumb-downward
and ▼ means index finger-upward. A "pinch" will be ▲▼. This might seem a
bit unnecessary and obvious, and probably is, but there are a couple of
parts that might be a little unclear, and so I'd rather over-explain than
under-explain! (NOTE: as I typed this the symbols ▲ and ▼ are tiny points
showing up or down. This symbol may or may not be available to you and show
as something else when copied. I did this tab on Notepad using Courier New
10-Font. I located those symbols from Microsoft Word using the INSERT drop-
down and then SYMBOLS and copied them to Notepad for this tab.)
This tune is played in open-Dm of course but it's actually probably in the
key of D-major. The constant back and forth between major and minor is what
gives it it's "blueness." The open-minor chord is frequently hammered into
the major by the 3rd-string on the 1st-fret with the index-finger, moving
from 000000 (Dm) to 000100 (Dmaj). (That sequence is often followed by the
open 1st-string D-note.)
On the little slid "signiture riff" (Line 3) it's easiest to use the
middle finger on the 3rd-string to slide up into the 4th-fret (from about
the 3rd-fret) and back to the second, placing your index on the 1st-fret
as you do to be ready for that pull-off. Then the middle-finger (now free
after the pull-off) can go onto the 4th-string/2nd-fret.
The only actual position-change is to the V, using the substitution-chord
which is (I guess) a D7sus4 chord X02200 held OOMIOO in Line 7.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This tab is made to go with a sound-file I've done and put on Sound Click.
It's on the page "Dadfad's Alternating-Bass Fingerstyle Lesson." (I know...
this isn't an alternating tune!) Anyway, that's where the sound-file noted
below should be at. The address is:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=426390
Hopefully it's still up and accessible!
This is what is contained on that sound-file....
0:00-0:25 -Tuning Into Dm (DADFAD). A chord and a little b.s'ing around
in Dm just to make sure tuning sounds okay, etc.
0:25-0:59 -One progression of the tune.
1:00-1:35 -Another progression with a few variations.
1:35-2:19 -One more progression with other variations.
2:20-3:02 -Tab lines for the first progression played one line at a time.
3:03-3:52 -Tab lines for some variations played one line at a time.
3:53-4:28 -A single progression with vocal line for timing purposes. (Excuse
the poor vocals, I used a cheap dictation-mic and usually sing this up a half
or whole step. Excuses, excuses..haha!)
4:29-9:17 -I'll call it... "Skipping The Strings" I guess... It's just a few
examples of other licks and phrases that can be used in Skip's open-Dm tunes
which might be useful for ideas in this tune or others he's done in this Dm
tuning. Going through bits of the tunes "I'm So Glad," "Illinois Blues,"
"Devil Got My Woman," "Cherryball Blues," etc, for four minutes or so in
sort of a half-assed medley type thing.
(First Progression, broken down into separate lines, timed with sound-file)
Line 1 (2:20-2:29)
D|-------------------0-----------0-------------------------0---
A|-----------------0-----------0-----------0------0------0-----
F|---------------0-----------0-----------0------0------0-------
D|----------0--3--------0--2--------0--3------3------0---------
A|--0--0h3-----------------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------------------------
(This entire line above is played with thumb downstrokes ▲)
Line 2 (2:30-2:36)
D|-----------------------------------------0-------------
A|------0-----0-------0-------0----------0---------------
F|----0-----0-------0-------0----------0-----------------
D|--0--------------------------------0-------------------
A|--------3------0---------------------------------------
D|----------------------0-------~3v~-----------(3)--0----
(And so is this one!)
Line 3 [Hook Riff] (2:37-2:39)
D|------------------------
A|------------------------
F|--3/4--4/2p1------------
D|--------------0---------
A|------------------------
D|-(0 is still ringing)--
(This line is all index finger upstrokes ▼)
Line 4 (2:39-2:43)
D|---------------------------------------
A|---------------------------------------
F|----1--1--------3/4--2p1---------------
D|-------0------------------0------------
A|-----------0---------------------------
D|-0-------------------------------------
(..▲..▼..▲..▲.....▼....▼....▼)
Line 5 (2:44-2:48)
D|-------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------
F|---------------3/4--2p1--------------
D|------0------------------0-----------
A|---------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------
(..▲...▲...▲....▼....▼.....▼...)
Line 6 (2:48-2:52)
D|-------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------
F|------1--------3/4--2p1--------------
D|------0------------------0-----------
A|---------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------
(..▲...▲...▲....▼....▼.....▼...)
Line 7 (2:52-2:55)
(hold 002200)
D|---------0----------0------------
A|---------------------------------
F|------2-------0h1----------------
D|----2----------------------------
A|--0------------------------------
D|--------------------0------------
(..▲.▲.▲.▲.....▼.....▲▼...)
Line 8 (2:56-3:02)
D|---------------------------------------0----------------0--
A|------3----------2---------1----------------------------0--
F|--/4----4-----3----3----2----2----0h1----------1-------(0)-
D|---------------------------------------0----------0----(1)-
A|-------------------------------------------------------(0)-
D|---0----------0---------0----------0--------0-----------0--
(...▲▼..▼..▼...▲▼..▼..▼...▲▼.▼..▼....▲▼..▲▼...▲..▼..▲...)
(End of first progession)
And so that completes one full progression. Below I'm going to tab a
couple of possible variations in the next couple of progressions I
played to make it a little bit less redundant. Of course they are
just possible ideas. There are lots of different ways to do it that
you can experiment with improvising on your own as you play a verse.
I'm not going to tab complete progressions around each one, just parts
that have a noticeable variation. Of course the rest of the progression
can (and should) be improv'ed a bit too if you feel like it.
Variation I, Line 1 (3:03-3:12)
D|--------0---3--3--3---0--2-------------0---/3---3---3---0-----0--
A|--0h3-------------------------0----------------------------0-----
F|--------0---4--4--4---0--2---------2---0---/4---4---4------------
D|--0h3---------------------------0-----------------------0--------
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------
(..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▼..▲..▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▲▼...▲..▲..)
Variation I, Line 2 (3:13-3:21)
D|--0-------------------0------------------------------
A|-----3--0-----------0--------------------------------
F|--0---------------0---------------/4-----2p1---------
D|-----3--0--0--3v---------3--0------------------0-----
A|-----------------------------------------------------
D|-----------0--3v---------3--0------------------------
(..▲▼.▲▼.▲▼.▲▼.▲▼..▲.▲.▲..▲▼.▲▼.....▼.....▼.....▼...)
End-Tag Variation I, End-Tag Line 3 (3:22-3:26)
(start off holding 000420 XXXIMX)
D|------0-------0--------0----------0-------------
A|--------3-------2--------1----------------------
F|--/4--------3--------2-------0h1----------------
D|----------------------------------0-------------
A|------------------------------------------------
D|-(0)--------------------------------------------
(..▲▼.▼.▼....▲.▼.▼....▲.▼.▼....▼...▲▼...)
Variation II, Line 1 (3:27-3:36)
D|-------0---3-----------0---2----------0--3--3----------0----------
A|--0h3-----------------------------0------------------------0-------
F|-------0-------0---0------------0------------------0-----------0--
D|---0-------0-----0------------0------------------0----------0-----
A|-----------------------------------------------0------------------
D|------------------------------------------------------------------
(...▲▼..▲▼..▲▼..▼.▲.▲...▼...▼..▲.▲.▲..▼..▼..▼....▲.▲.▲...▼...▼.▲.▲..)
Variation II, Line 2 (3:36-3:43)
D|--0---------------------------------------------------
A|-----0-----3v--0--------------------------------------
F|-----------0-------0------------0--------0------------
D|-------0-------0------0--0----------0----0---0--------
A|-(0)----------------------------------0-----(0)-------
D|-------------------------0------3v-----------0--------
(..▲▼..▼.▲..▲▼..▲▼..▼..▲...▲▼....▲▼...▼.▲..▼▲.▼▲...)
Variation II, End-Tag Line 3 (3:44-3:52)
(start off holding 000420 XXXIMX and hammer R to 2s/5f)
(this is slightly tricky, just do it slow at first)
D|----0------0--------------------------------------0----
A|---3h5----3h5---------5p3p0---------------------0------
F|----------------------4-------4\2p0--------------------
D|------------------------------(0)---0-------0----------
A|------------------------------------------0------------
D|----------------------------------------0--------------
(.....▼.....▼..........▼........▼.....▼...▲.▲.▲.▲.▲...)
And that's the end of the tabbed stuff.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR BLUES"
by Nehemiah "Skip" James, 1930
You know that hard times are here an' everywhere you go.
Times is harder than they been before.
Whoa-o-o, Oh-o. Whoa-o-o, Oh-o Oh. (Sung, moaned or hummed between verses)
And the people are driftin' from door to door
Can't find no heaven, don't care where they go.
You hear me singing my lonesome song
These hard times can last so very long.
If I ever get off of this killin' floor,
I'll never get down this low no more.
You say you have money, you better be sure.
These hard times will drive you from door to door.
Gonna sing this song, ain't gonna sing no more.
These hard times will drive you from door to door.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(The "killin' floor" was the nickname for the worst part of the stockyards in
Chicago, where the actual slaughter took place. It was hot, filthy, gruelling,
bloody work. Many who came North looking for a better life found Depression-
Era Chicago very little better, if not worse, than the lumber camps and cotton
fields they left behind in Mississippi. This tune, and Skip's tune "Illinois
Blues" are about the disappointment he found in the North. In "Illinois Blues"
he asks a friend from home who is visiting him up north to lie to his other
old friends back home about how well he has done since he's moved to Chicago.
Skip's D-minor style was a style peculiar to the Bentonia County, Mississippi
area in the '20s and '30s. Others from the same area used the tuning for other
blues tunes, but the only other recorded one that I ever found was Jack Owens
who played in a different way than Skip, more for dancing, etc. Skip's is by
far the most recorded and most well-known. Other tunes by Skip include "I'm So
Glad", "Devil Got My Woman" and, probably his most famous before the release
of the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou", "Cherry Ball Blues".
One final word. Let me stress again how improvisational this style is. I have
four versions of Skip doing this tune, each one different. The same with
Bowling Green John Cephas. He recorded it several times, I have several others
by him I recorded as well and have seen him play it quite a few times and
none of any of these versions is identical to another one. They're all dif-
ent. It is best to listen to as many versions as possible by both artists.
I don't mind helping with any questions e-mailed to me. My best advice is to
just learn the style, learn the tuning and then play it the way you feel it
should be played. This will get you started. Good Luck.
-Dadfad
2/28/06
