24.03.2013 Views

Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

`<br />

Songs:<br />

Mmm, where my Third Street woman gone?<br />

Believe to my soul, she will hustle everywhere but home<br />

<br />

- Bo Carter (Armenter Chatmon)<br />

- Charlie Musselwhite<br />

- <br />

ST O N ES IN PASSW A Y<br />

A passway is a path frequented by an intended hoodoo victim, such as <strong>the</strong> path to <strong>the</strong><br />

<br />

go<strong>of</strong>er dust or something similarly noxious on <strong>the</strong> passway<br />

places a curse on <strong>the</strong> person who steps in it. Laying stones down in <strong>the</strong> passway in a<br />

certain configuration is ano<strong>the</strong>r way to jinx someone. These are methods <strong>of</strong> working foot<br />

track magic.<br />

One traditional method <strong>of</strong> working foot track magic is probably similar to what Robert<br />

Johnson was referring <br />

<br />

<strong>the</strong> center. The stones need to be placed in a passway because <strong>the</strong> person has to walk over<br />

356<br />

<strong>the</strong> cross in <br />

The effects <strong>of</strong> being jinxed in this manner- sickness and possibly death- were eloquently<br />

<br />

19th, 1937:<br />

Song:<br />

I got stones in my passway and my road seems dark at night<br />

I have pains in my heart, <strong>the</strong>y have taken my appetite<br />

- Robert Johnson<br />

SW E E T B A C K PAPA<br />

According to Big Bill Broonzy, a sweetback papa was a man who avoided manual labor<br />

<br />

<br />

<strong>Blues</strong> from <strong>the</strong> Delta<br />

brough<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m had three<br />

166

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!