ST. LOUIS BLUES
(William C. Handy)
1916 - Princes Orch. (Instr.); Ciro's Club Coon Orch.
1919 - Al Bernard; Ernest Hare; Wadsworth Novelty Dance Orch.
1920 - Marion Harris
1921 - Esther Bigeou; Original Dixieland Jazz Band (vocal: Al Bernard);
Lanin's Southern Serenaders
1923 - W.C. Handy's Orch. (Instr.)
1925 - Bessie Smith
1926 - Paul Whiteman & His Orch.; Bessie Brown
1928 - Gene Austin; Emmett Miller & His Georgia Crackers; Irene Beasley;
1930 - Louis Armstrong & His Orch.; Cab Calloway & His Jungle Band;
Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees
1931 - Eubie Blake & His Orch. (vocal: Dick Robertson)
1932 - Bing Crosby with Duke Ellington & His Orch.; Mills Brothers
Ethel Waters; Jack Hylton & His Orch. (vocal: Billy Munn)
1934 - Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards; Paul Robeson
1935 - Milton Brown & His Brownies; Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys;
The Boswell Sisters; Ray Noble & His Orch. (vocal: Al Bowlly);
Nat Gonella & His Georgians
1936 - Ben Pollack's Rhythm Wreckers (vocal: Whitey McPherson);
Benny Goodman Quartet (Instr.);
1938 - Maxine Sullivan
1939 - Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
1941 - Billie Holiday
1946 - Kay Starr; Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers
1947 - Pearl Bailey; Dinah Shore; Danny Kaye
1949 - Delta Rhythm Boys
1950 - Kay Starr
1952 - Les Paul & Mary Ford
1954 - Billy Eckstine; Nellie Lutcher
1955 - Chris Barber's Jazz Band (vocal: Ottilie Patterson)
1957 - LaVern Baker; Shirley Bassey; Cleo Laine; Billy Ward &The Dominoes
1958 - Eartha Kitt (feat. in the film "St. Louis Blues");
Nat King Cole; Pat Boone; Ella Fitzgerald
1959 - Perry Como; Brenda Lee; Isley Brothers; Gary Crosby; Pete Seeger
1960 - The Merri-Men; Jaye P. Morgan; Freddy Cannon
1961 - Peggy Lee; The Cousins; The Modernaires
1962 - Helen Shapiro; Alberta Hunter
1963 - Bobby Vinton; Jimmy Reed; Lou Rawls
1964 - Julie London; Roy Drusky; Nino Tempo & April Stevens
1965 - Chuck Berry
1973 - Teresa Brewer
1974 - Jerry Reed; Etta James
Also recorded by:
Hugh Laurie; Mildred Bailey; Louis Prima; Alice Babs; Dick Haymes; Clark Sisters;
Ethel Smith; Lena Horne; Ink Spots; Big Bill Broonzy; Jo Stafford; Sonny Burgess;
Hank Williams Jr.; Elton Britt; Ruth Brown; Stevie Wonder; Peggy Dell; Roy Clark;
Judy Canova; Willard Robinson; Ray B. Anthony; Mickey & Kitty; Diahann Carroll;
Asleep At The Wheel; Roy Orbison; Margaret Whiting; Fats Waller; Lainie Kazan;
Anne Shelton; Sons of the Pioneers .......... and many, many others.
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDINGS:
Artie Shaw; Art Tatum; Erroll Garner; Dizzy Gillespie; Lew Stone; Ferrante & Teicher;
Fletcher Henderson; Earl Hines; Al Hirt; Pee Wee Hunt; Harry James; Quincy Jones;
Bob Crosby; Jimmy Dorsey with Spike Hughes & His 3 Blind Mice; Jack Teagarden;
Duane Eddy; Sidney Bechet; Dave Brubeck; Charlie Byrd; Glenn Miller; Sid Phillips;
Stephane Grappelli; Red Nichols & His Five Pennies; Ted Heath; Django Reinhardt;
Larry Adler; Chet Atkins; Steve Allen; Charlie Barnet; Count Basie; Lionel Hampton;
Gene Krupa; Syd Lawrence; Billy May; Hank Marvin; Red Norvo; Kid Ory; Liberace;
Firehouse Five Plus Two ........... and many others.
ORIGINAL LYRICS:
I hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down
Hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down
'Cause my baby he done lef' dis town
Feelin' tomorrow lak ah feel today
Feel tomorrow lak ah feel today
I'll pack my trunk, make ma gitaway
St. Louis woman wid her diamon' rings
Pulls dat man roun' by her apron strings
'Twant for powder and for store-bought hair
De man ah love would not gone nowhere, nowhere
Got de St. Louis Blues, jes as blue as ah can be
Dat man got a heart lak a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
Been to de Gypsy to get ma fortune tol'
To de Gypsy, done got ma fortune tol'
'Cause I'm most wile 'bout ma Jelly Roll
Gypsy done tol' me, "Don't you wear no black"
Yes, she done tol' me, "Don't you wear no black"
Go to St. Louis, you can win him back
Help me to Cairo, Make St. Louis maself
Git to Cairo, find my ol' friend Jeff
Gwine to pin maself close to his side
If ah flag his train, I sho' can ride
I loves dat man lak a schoolboy loves his pie
Lak a kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye
I'll love ma baby till the day I die
You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine
Lak he owns de Dimon Joseph line
He made a cross-eyed o' man go stone blind
Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce
Blackest man in de whole St. Louis
Blacker de berry, sweeter am de juice
About a crap game he knows a pow'ful lot
But when worktime comes, he's on de dot
Gwine to ask him for a cold tenspot
What it takes to git it, he's cert'nly got
A black-headed gal makes a freight train jump the track
Said a black-headed gal makes a freight train jump the track
But a long tall gal makes a preacher ball the jack
Lawd, a blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town
I said a blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town
But a redhead woman makes a boy slap his papa down
Oh, ashes to ashes and dust to dust
I said ashes to ashes and dust to dust
If my blues don't get you, my jazzing must
********************
As recorded by PERRY COMO:
I hate to see that evenin' sun go down
I hate to see that evenin' sun go down
'Cause my baby gone and left this town
Feelin' tomorrow just like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow just like I feel today
I'll pack my trunk and make my getaway
I went to the Gypsy to get my fortune told
Yes, I went to the Gypsy to get my fortune told
I asked the Gypsy, "What does the future hold?"
Gypsy told me, "Don't you wear no black"
Hmm! The Gypsy told me, "Don't you wear no black, no black"
"Go to St. Louis and you can win her back"
St. Louis woman with her diamond rings
Pulls this man around by her apron strings
If it wasn't for powder and for store-bought hair
That gal I love wouldn't have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis Blues, just as blue as I can be
'Cause that gal's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else she wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love that gal like a schoolboy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky Colonel loves his mint an' his rye
I love that gal, yes I love that gal
Yes, I love that gal until the day I die!
********************
As recorded by BOBBY VINTON:
Oh! Hey! Let's make some noise
Here we go, a-one-two, a-one-two three-four
Hey-aye!
A-one-two, a-one-two three-four
Hey-aye! (Hey-aye!)
Woh-hoh! (Woh-hoh!)
Hey-aye! (Hey-aye!)
Ah-hah! (Aaaggghhhhhh!)
Got the St. Louis blues, I'm as blue, just as blue as I can be
I got the St. Louis blues, I'm as blue, just as blue as I can be
Well, since my baby left me, there is nothin' left for me, aaahh
And if I'm feelin' tomorrow like I'm feelin' today, aaahh
Said if I'm feelin' tomorrow like I'm feelin' today, aaahh
I'm gonna pack my bags and I'm gonna move away-ay-ay-ay-ay
St. Louis woman with all your diamond rings
You lead me all around by your apron strings
And if it weren't for that makeup and that store-bought hair
That little girl of mine she never goin' nowhere
So we 'll say yeah-yeah! (Yeah-Yeah!)
Woh-hoh! (Woh-hoh!)
Oh-hoh! (Oh-hoh!)
Ah-hah! (Aaaggghhhhhh!)
Got the St. Louis blues, I'm as blue, just as blue as I can be, baby, one more time
I said I got the St. Louis blues and I'm as blue, just as blue as I can be
Well, since my baby left me, there is nothin' left for me
And so I'm goin' to St. Louis
Baby, let me tell you
I want you to know
That I'm goin', I'm movin' on
I gotta make it, baby
I got to make it, baby
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - May 2018)
