I'm a law abiding citizen, and my debts I sure will pay,
I'm a law abiding citizen, and my debts I sure will pay.
I hope war don't start and Uncle Sam have to send me away.
I haven't never been in jail, and I haven't never paid no fine, baby,
I haven't never been in jail, and I haven't never paid no fine, baby,
I wants a job to make my livin', cause stealin' ain't on my line.
I've knowed a time when I have raised my own meat and meal,
I've knowed a time when I have raised my own meat and meal,
My meat was in my smokehouse, and my meal was in my field.
When Mr. Roosevelt sent out those unemployment cards,
When Mr. Roosevelt sent out those unemployment cards,
I just knowed sure that work was goin'to start.
Broke up my home 'cause I didn't have no work to do,
Broke up my home 'cause I didn't have no work to do,
My wife had to leave me' cause she was starvin' too.
I'm a law abiding citizen, and my debts I sure will pay.
I hope war don't start and Uncle Sam have to send me away.
I haven't never been in jail, and I haven't never paid no fine, baby,
I haven't never been in jail, and I haven't never paid no fine, baby,
I wants a job to make my livin', cause stealin' ain't on my line.
I've knowed a time when I have raised my own meat and meal,
I've knowed a time when I have raised my own meat and meal,
My meat was in my smokehouse, and my meal was in my field.
When Mr. Roosevelt sent out those unemployment cards,
When Mr. Roosevelt sent out those unemployment cards,
I just knowed sure that work was goin'to start.
Broke up my home 'cause I didn't have no work to do,
Broke up my home 'cause I didn't have no work to do,
My wife had to leave me' cause she was starvin' too.
inviata da Bernart Bartleby - 22/5/2015 - 10:15
×
![]()
Parole e musica di William Lee Conley (“Big Bill”) Broonzy (1893–1959), uno dei 17 figli di un “sharecropper”, un mezzadro di Scott, Mississippi.
Trovo il brano nelle raccolte “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?: American Song During The Great Depression” (New World Records, 1977) e “Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 7 (1937-1938)”, pubblicata dalla Document Records nel 1992.
“When you work twelve months of the year as a farmer and don’t come out of debt, and the boss has to give you food on credit ’til the crop is sold, you can’t do nothing but get the blues.”, scriveva Big Bill Broonzy nella sua autobiografia intitolata “Big Bill’s Blues”.
Negli anni 20, come molti altri giovani neri, anche Big Bill prese la via del nord e a Chicago, nel 1927, incise la sua prima canzone, “House Rent Stomp”.
Molte delle sue canzoni raccontano della vita difficile degli afroamericani negli anni 30: “Police Station Blues,” “Bad Luck Blues,” “Mean Old World,” “Hungry Man Blues,” “I’m Just a Bum,” “You Can’t Win” “Friendless Blues,” “Hobo Blues,” “Starvation Blues,” “WPA Blues,” “When I Had Money.”