1. Blueswomen: An interpretation of blues lyrics
Primary Source
The Lyrics: Songs that convey
The oppression of Black women
due to race and gender
Key Artists:
Ma Rainey
http://www.redhotjazz.com/rainey.html
Bessie Smith
Young
Women's
Blues
http://students.cis.uab.edu/k80is/BessieSmithLifeAndTimes.html
Lucille Bogan
Shave em Dry
Robert Johnson
32-20 Blues
‘, And if she gets unruly, thinks she don't wan' do
And if she gets unruly and thinks she don't wan' do
Take my 32-20, now, and cut her half in two
http://www.last.fm/music/Robert+Johnsonhttp://magicjukebox.blogspot.ie/2012/05/what-is-jomo-anyhow.html
A song about the power of the female
sexuality,
A daring and challenging song to the norm
of the
Patriarch society in the 1920’s. This song
was banned
Until the 1960’s
‘I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb;
I got somethin' between my legs'll make a dead man come’
No time to marry, no time to settle down.
I’m a young woman and I ain’t done
runnin’ round…I’m as good as any woman
in your town…I’m gon’ drink good
moonshine and run these browns down.”
These lyrics demonstrate how these
women
craved the need for sexual and social
freedom away from the constraints of in
most cases an abusive
relationship or marriage
A cover version of Skip James 22-20
Blues. This song about how he’s
gonna cut his women
in two because she didn’t come when
asked, this shows the total disregard
that many men
felt towards women at this time.
Chain Gang Blues
"Just a poor gal in trouble, I know I'm
county road bound
And a ball and chain everywhere I
go
It's all on account of stealing a
woman's man
Ninety days on the county road, and
judge didn't even smile.
Lyrics from :
http://www.thelyricarchive.com/genres/Blues/Classic-Female-Blues/
Lyrics :http://www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org/music/robert-johnson-
centennial-collection/32-20-blues