32-20 Blues
Johnson, Robert
'F I send for my baby, and she don't come
'F I send for my baby, man, and she don't come
All the doctors in Hot Springs1 sure can't help her none
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
She got a .38 special but I believe it's most too light
She got a .38 special but I believe it's most too light
I got a 32-20, got to make the caps2 alright
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come
All the doctors in Hot Springs sure can't help her none
I'm gonna shoot my pistol, gonna shoot my gatling gun3
I'm gonna shoot my pistol, gotta shoot my gatling gun
You made me love you, now your man have come
Ahoh, baby, where you stayed last night
Ahah, baby, where you stayed last night
You got your hair all tangled and you ain't talking right
Her .38 special, boys, it do very well
Her .38 special, boys, it do very well
I got a 32-20 now, and it's a burning
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come
All the doctors in Wisconsin sure can't help her none
Hey, hey, baby, where you stayed last night
Hey, hey, baby, where you stayed last night
You didn't come home until the sun was shining bright
Ahoh boy, I just can't take my rest
Ahoh boy, I just can't take my rest
With this 32-20 laying up and down my breast
__________
1) Hot Springs, factually a place in Arkansas although
an anonymous visitor wrote: "My guess about the term
"Hot Springs", given Johnson's Faustian
leanings, is that Hot Springs was a reference to Hell."
Thanks to the person submitting this suggestion.;
2) alternatively "camps" or "cats" instead of "caps".
Though I'm convinced the correct word is caps (percussion
caps, a paper or metal container holding an explosive
charge, as for a pistol), I haven't been able to verify the
absolute exact meaning of the phrase "got the make the
caps". I think it means to make the right size persuccion
caps for the caliber of the gun used.
3) alternatively but not very likely "girl and gone" instead of "gatling gun".
A gatling gun is a machinegun or cannon with multiple,
usually between 3 and 7, revolving barrels each fired once
per revolution. By using multiple barrels the rate of fire
could be raised (up to 4,300 and more rounds per minute)
and/or the barrels would not be worn out as fast as with a
single barreled weapon. Invented by the American Richard
Gatling in 1867.
*) "32-20 Blues" is Robert Johnson's version of the
Skip James song "22-20 blues", recorded in 1931, in Crafton,
Wisconsin. Robert changed the reference to Wisconsin
throughout the song to Hot Springs, Arkansas, except in the
third from last verse when he forgets to do so and uses
Skip's original text instead.
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