single, 1933
2:51
Written by Blind Willie McTell
First off, anyone who is anyone knows, ain't no one plays the blues like Blind Willie McTell. I've been a fan for decades, but he recorded a lot, and I'm not intimately familiar with it all. From the title, I assumed this was an example of his Christian material — you know, the curse of the tree of forbidden knowledge, dust thou art, all that — but this isn't the case. Instead, it's an example of the well-worn blues "woman done me wrong, she better watch out" trope. The narrator is unhappy with a woman who "Stays out in the street / And acts like a bad-foot clown." (Note to self: add "bad-foot clown" to insult repertoire.) Over masterful twelve-string work, McTell let's us know she's been doing him wrong! "I'm home at morning / Face full of frown / I know about that, baby / You′ve been running around." Face full of frown! McTell was a master wordsmith.
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