These contractors, they are getting so slack
These contractors, they are getting so slack
They'll pay you half of your money, and hold the other half back
There ain't but two men that gets paid off
There ain't but two men that gets paid off
That's the commissary clerk and the walkin' boss
I see somebody comin' down to the water trough
I see somebody comin' down to the water trough
I know it ain't the contractor, it's that doggone walkin' boss
A levee camp mule, and a levee camp man
A levee camp mule, and a levee camp man
They work side by side, and it sure is man for man
A levee camp man ain't got but two legs, you know
A levee camp man ain't got but two legs, you know
But he puts in the same hours that a mule do on four
I wouldn't drive no four-mule team
I wouldn't drive no four-mule team
For no doggone contractor I ever seen
Men on the levee, holl'in', "Whoa" and "Gee"
Men on the levee, holl'in', "Whoa" and "Gee"
And them women on the levee camp holl'in', "Who wants me?"
These contractors, they are getting so slack
They'll pay you half of your money, and hold the other half back
There ain't but two men that gets paid off
There ain't but two men that gets paid off
That's the commissary clerk and the walkin' boss
I see somebody comin' down to the water trough
I see somebody comin' down to the water trough
I know it ain't the contractor, it's that doggone walkin' boss
A levee camp mule, and a levee camp man
A levee camp mule, and a levee camp man
They work side by side, and it sure is man for man
A levee camp man ain't got but two legs, you know
A levee camp man ain't got but two legs, you know
But he puts in the same hours that a mule do on four
I wouldn't drive no four-mule team
I wouldn't drive no four-mule team
For no doggone contractor I ever seen
Men on the levee, holl'in', "Whoa" and "Gee"
Men on the levee, holl'in', "Whoa" and "Gee"
And them women on the levee camp holl'in', "Who wants me?"
Contributed by Bartleby - 2011/9/13 - 14:56
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Testo trovato sul bel blog di Mike Rugel dedicato alla Storia senza censure del Blues.
Gene Campbell è stato uno della miriade di bluesman neri, spesso suonatori e cantanti di indubbie qualità, che sono rimasti praticamente sconosciuti perché vissuti o prima della diffusione del fonografo o prima che gente come Alan Lomax si interessasse alle “roots” dell’America profonda.
Di Gene Campbell, texano, è rimasta una ventina di tracce oggi raccolte nel cd da cultori del genere intitolato “Complete Recorded Works (1929-1931)”.
Questo “Levee Camp Man Blues” affronta il tema del lavoro alla costruzione delle dighe sui grandi fiumi come Mississippi, Red e Brazos nella quale, a partire della fine dell’800 e fino agli anni 20 e 30, fu impegnata una gran massa di lavoratori contrattati da agenti governativi – niente più che caporali legalizzati – per svolgere, in simbiosi con i muli e trattati peggio delle bestie, un lavoro molto faticoso e pericoloso per paghe di fame. Alla fine dell’ultima strofa anche un accenno alle donne che nei campi condividevano la misera vita degli operai addetti alla costruzione delle dighe, le loro mogli o fidanzate e, più spesso, prostitute non certo d’alto bordo…