Good Road Camp Blues - Skip James

Good Road Camp Blues 3:49 Trk 20

Nehemiah Curtis 'Skip' James

Skip James — vocal, guitar and piano

Album: Blues From The Delta

From Vanguard 'Devil Got My Woman' album 1968

Vanguard Records CD 96 517−2 1998

Note: hyphen = unsung word

Captain, captain

Captain, captain

Befo' I drive, I drive old Slim Bill

Captain, captain

Captain, captain

Befo' I drive old Slim Bill

Lord, I’ll walk this good road

'Till my ankle, my ankles swell

You know, I’m so tired

I’m so tired

This red rice and salmon

Lord, an these black-eyed peas

You know I’m so tired

I’m so tired of red rice

Salmons and these black-eye'd peas

Captain, an these old hard-tack biscuits

I declare, these killin' po' me

Are you goin' on yonder, yonder?

And you tell that big-hat man

Oh, if you go down yonder, down yonder

And you tell that big-hat man

Tell 'em I’m a-so tired a-these black molasses

Wit' that teddy bear standin' on a cane

Well, down in L’ousiana

Way down yonder behind the sun

Well, down yonder in L’ousiana

Way down behind the sun

Seem like to me that’s where all-a my

My trouble first begun

Now, some come here for ninety

And some come here for ninety-nine

Lord, some men come for ninety

Some come here for ninety-nine

But Lord, I come here to stay

Just as long as the sun shine

Now, captain, captain, ooh

A-what's the matter that I can’t see?

Captain, captain, captain

What’s the matter I can’t —

I got a lifetime sentence, here

Please, please be light on me