Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

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194
Song:
- Esmond Edwards, recorded by Wynnonie Harris
G R E E NS
Greens are the tough-yet-nutritious leaves of collards, kale, mustard, or turnip. These are
cooked with pork fat (and sometimes ham hocks) until tender enough to eat. Though
delicious when cooked properly, they are sometimes looked down upon as symbols of
him for fooling around with someone else when:
Lord I asked for cabbage, she brought me turnip greens
I asked her for water, and she brought me gasoline
Greens are soul food, served not only in African American homes and soul-food
restaurants, but in the black-owned nightclubs of the chitlin circuit, where countless
blues musicians paid their dues playing one-night stands for a little pay and a hot meal.
Songs:
- Furry Lewis (Walter Lewis)
- Blind Lemon Jefferson (Lemon Jefferson)
G RIND, G RIND E R (see also coffee grinding.)
To grind is to have sexual intercourse, specifically for a man or woman to enhance a
This use may stem from grayna
-based Creole
language of Sierra Leone. 195
I got an all-night trick again
A grinder is a man (although the term sometimes refers to a woman) who is so good at
making love that other men fear losing their women to him. This term may be derived
from the tale of Joe de Grinder, a man with such magical lovemaking powers that other
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