Whistlin’ Blues Rev. Gary Davis

I was comin’ along as a young man ya know. Had no been nowhere ya know and I decided I make (?)of my mind I would go somewhere, enjoy my life! Gimme your attention now folks, listen

I didn’t wanna go no short distance I wanted to go a good ways, a long way so I could have some truth to tell. I decided I’d go to Los Angeles, California just kinda blowin’ around every little while, ya know, find out just how I like it

I done around got money enough to get to California. Show ya what a green-head man what happens to him. Spent all my money ya understand? Buy this ticket. After buyin’ this ticket ya know and gettin’ to this place when i hit the ground ya know I thought about getting me a pack of cigarettes ya know I didn’t have one dime in my pocket you know that was something bad. I still wouldn’t let it worry me. I all dressed to death and broke to death too, didn’t have nothin’

I never thought about myself til’ i looked up at the sun, the sun was going down nobody could ever meet ya understand they had didn’t show any kind of smiles on their faces. Some went on ya know I kept on stompin’ and dancing round there trying’ ta liven myself up now didn’t have nothin ta liven myself up with

I walkin’ kinda (?) ya know. I happened to look back says I don’t know what caused me to look back I looked back and I saw a tall girl come along and she was made-up ya know, ya know when they’re made-up good I call ‘em pony-built children, ya understand? She had hair like Mary and I believe she walk just like the Lord. I kept on looking at her, ya know a man will look at a good-looking woman ya know

I kept a walkin’ to the (?) I said well, only reason I get ta talk ta ya know how. She was looking at me I was looking at her. I got her walking to the (?) ya know she whistled at me

I stopped ya know, I see that she wasn’t gonna catch up with me. I broke out again and started running, walking, cos sun is going down and I wanna get where i can hear something goin’ on if I didn’t know nobody, she throw it at me again

I stopped then ya know and I stayed there she walked up to me, first thing she done she throwed her arm around me gave me a sap in the mouth. God almighty, ya know and I felt like then I own a million dollars and I didn’t have nothin’. She says come on lets go round here to the liquor store lets us get us something to drink. She carted me around there ya know she bought a jar, she bought a quart of this here the best kinda whiskey that called, ah..”Rock and Rye”. She put a quart of it in her, in her pocketbook and a pint in her bosom. Says come on lets go round here where the dance is tonight, I got to play around here. So I got my head bagged (?) ya know and my nose twisted and I didn’t care. Didn’t know what Im gonna get killed or no, I didn’t think of it, didn’t have that on my mind. Ya know that girl sit down there and come to playing that thing called the whistlin’ blues. Barry ,how ya reckon she done that thing? She had one arm around me while she was picking that piano something like this, listen...

Said to me now what kind of thing is this I done got in ta? It wasn’t why she put the bottle to her mouth and then sapped me in the mouth and gimme kiss me and throw the bottle in my mouth I got throw to the police(?) I didn’t care. I said whoop this thing for me miss, she commence ta play it

Aha..it doesn’t matter, play that thing!

Then she commence ta singing that thing! ...Uh huh? (Yeh..)

Oh good God almighty ya hear that? ...Ahh...

God knows...