Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

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rum or roosters, summon the spirits. A loa will descend to ride the body of the
worshipper who has succeeded in reaching a state of readiness for ecstatic union with the
cannot
310
The characteristics of an individual loa appear in the behavior of the possessed person
during the ride. The possessed person is the chwal, or horse, of the spirit. 311 The god is
the rider, the person is the horse, and they come together in the dance. When the god
speaks through the possessed person about that person, almost every sentence is prefaced
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when it is over, and will have to learn of it from others.
312
Songs:
- Charley Patton
- Robert Johnson
RIDIN G T H E B L INDS
Riding the blinds refers to the dangerous hobo practice of riding between cars on a
moving freight train, so as to be out of sight of the train crew or police. On a passenger
train, this spot was the walkway between the cars, typically covered with canvas or
On freight cars, hobos sometimes rode holding onto the ladder running up to the top of
the car. That was also called riding the blinds. Hobos also rode in the spaces between the
baggage or mail cars near the coal tender. 313
Songs:
- Memphis Minnie (Lizzie Douglas)
- Robert Johnson
- Tommy Johnson
R O A D H O USE
A roadhouse is a drinking establishment that is outside town or city limits and is therefore
ion. Roadhouses can get away with providing
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