“The Southern Blues”
Description
"When I got up this mornin', I heard the old Southern whistle blow (x2), Then I was thinkin' 'bout my baby, Lord, I sure did want to go." The singer watches "the Southern cross the Dog." The singer wonders which train his baby took; he will try Georgia
Notes
This is one of those who-knows-how-to-file-it blues. The recorded form is Broonzy's, but there are older elements, including especially the line "where the Southern crosses the Dog," the chief basis for Cohen's inclusion of the song. W. C. Handy encountered this line from a street singer around 1903, and it helped inspire his blues career.
There is a recording by W. T. Narmour and S. W. Smith, "Where The Southern Crosses The Dog" (OKeh 45480); I don't know what its relation is to either this song or the one Handy heard. - RBW
Recordings
- Big Bill Broonzy, "The Southern Blues" (Bluebird B-5998/B-6964, 1935)
References
- Cohen-LSRail, pp. 441-443, "The Southern Blues" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BI, LSRai443