Tangle Eye Blues

Lomax wrote:” Sung by the cross-eyed prisoner whose mates had named him Tangle-Eye. Every good singer in the Pen has his own field holler with which he amuses himself in reflective moments. Often those tunes are kin to the blues, often they are composed of free yodeling tunes which seem to have African roots. The wild free melodies permit the singers literally to think and free associate out loud. The holler is, for me, the most expressive style in all our folklore. Tangle-Eye here tells his own story.”
Genius

“Tangle Eye Blues” is Tangle Eye’s personal story of incarceration, religion, and repentance. Based on his singing style, we can infer that this may have once been a gospel song that was popular amongst African American churches in the southern United States. It also goes on to say that no one will be there for him once he is freed. He blames the devil for his wrongdoing, saying that he led him to do bad .Here, Tangle Eye sings in the “Field Holler” or “Chain Gang Blues” style, singing to himself as he works in the field. Angola Prison in Louisiana, where this was recorded, was known for producing and growing various crops that the inmates were forced to harvest at the threat of abuse from the white guards. Anyone who ran was immediately shot and killed. Thus, “Tangle Eye Blues” is not only the story of Tangle Eye’s crime, punishment, and repentance, but is also an expression of the oppressive conditions he endured daily. - Genius Annotation