Lecture 3: Devils, Crossroads, Blues in Robert Johnsons lyrics

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Lecture 3 Devils, Crossroads, Bluesin Robert
Johnsons lyrics

• Vesa Matteo Piludu
• Helsinki

Department of Comparative Religion University of
Helsinki
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Exú and the crossroads Devil

• The figure of Exú, Elegguá, Legbá the god of
  the crossroads popular in the Afro-American
  religions became the Devil or Satan of the
  crossroads in the blues and in North American
  popular music
• The Blues Devil is different from the ambiguous,
  tricky but also generous Exú Satan is clearly
  only a negative figure
• In the puritan and protestant United States the
  moral distinctions should be clear there is good
  and bad, black and white, profane and sacred,
  Sunday and Friday

3
Symbols according to the existential semiotics

• The symbols are changing their meaning often,
  especially in oral and popular culture
• The world of existence isnt static
• According to Eero Tarasti (Existential semiotics,
  2000 Fondamenti della semiotica esistenziale,
  2008)
• the symbols are mobile, flying as the objects in
  a Chagall painting

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Cross Road Blues (Take 2)

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYd60nI4sa9Afeature
  related
• I went to the crossroad
• fell down on my knees
• I went to the crossroad
• fell down on my knees
• Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor
  Bob, if you please
• Mmmmm, standin' at the crossroad
• I tried to flag a ride
• Standin' at the crossroad
• I tried to flag a ride
• Didn't nobody seem to know me
• everybody pass me by

• Mmm, the sun goin' down, boy
• dark gon' catch me here
• oooo ooee eeee
• boy, dark gon' catch me here
• I haven't got no lovin' sweet woman that love and
  feel my care
• You can run, you can run
• tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
• You can run, you can run
• tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
• Lord, that I'm standin' at the crossroad, babe
• I believe I'm sinkin' down

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What Lord?

• The Lord of the Crossroad is probably a kind of
  Elegua, Exú or Legba (Afro-American gods of
  crossroads and doors) some supernatural being
  that could help during the night
• Even so, Robert Johnson use the generic world
  Lord, indicating also the Christian God
• Another lord of Crossroad in the Afro-American
  folclore is the Devil but a call to the Devil
  asking for help is a nonsense, as the Devil is
  clearly a negative figure in the Johnsons and
  Blues men's songs
• Even so, legends about a secret path between
  Johnson and the Devil are classic of blues
  literature .

6
Nature and Robert Johnsonby Carter Neil

• To us being by the side of a road at night may
  contain a bit of fear, but to a Black man in the
  Delta in Johnson's time this was a terrifying
  position to be in.
• After dark a Black man could be considered to be
  a threat by a White man and could be beat up, or
  worse without any evidence of wrongdoing.

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Robert Johnson and Satan at the Crossroad

• In the Delta of the Mississippi River, where
  Robert Johnson was born, they said that if an
  aspiring bluesman waited by the side of a
  deserted country crossroads in the dark of a
  moonless night, then Satan himself might come and
  tune his guitar, sealing a pact for the
  bluesman's soul and guaranteeing a lifetime of
  easy money, women, and fame.
• They said that Robert Johnson must have waited by
  the crossroads and gotten his guitar fine-tuned.

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Crossroads of Highways

• It is said that Robert Johnson made his pact with
  Satan at the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61 in
  Clarksdale, Mississipi

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Robert Johnson

• Robert Johnson, 1911-1938, the most influential
  Delta blues artist of all
• King of Delta Blues
• Granfather of Rock

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The original folk legend talk about another
Johnson Tommy

• So you sit at the crossroads. Out of the
  darkness, there comes a sound in the distance. A
  large black man appears, playing a guitar. He
  takes your instrument, gives you his, and for a
  moment you play together. Your fingers dance
  across the strings and begin to bleed. The man
  tunes your guitar and hands it back to you. He
  walks away into the darkness. You strum a chord,
  pick a note, and it occurs to you that you can
  play anything, absolutely anything you want. You
  also know that the devil will come back for your
  soul, and he will come back sooner rather than
  later.
• "That's the way I learned to play anything I
  want," Tommy Johnson told his brother LeDell.
• Tommy may have sold his soul first, or said that
  he did, but Robert Johnson, who was not related
  to Tommy, is the more notorious soul-swapper

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Satan and the musicians

• The story of a musician that learn to play from a
  devil, a spirit or a daemon is present in every
  culture
• Plato wrote as the best artist and especially the
  musicians shoud be possessed by a daimon
• In Finland the best pelimanni (folk players) were
  told to have learnt the art from a devil or a
  water spirit
• Paganini was called the Devils Violinist

• Paganinis many adventures and extraordinary
  indulgences apparently sparked off stories of his
  being in league with the devil and that he had
  even been imprisoned for murder.
• "The devil was at his elbow!" was the claim made
  to explain his technical prowess at the violin.
• Someone even swore that he saw the devil
  directing Paganinis arm and guiding the bow!
• As a result, his burial in consecrated ground was
  actually delayed for 5 years.

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Robert Johnson Me and the Devil Blues

• Animated Video
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v3MCHI23FTP8feature
  related
• Early this mornin'
• when you knocked upon my door
• Early this mornin', ooh
• when you knocked upon my door
• And I said, "Hello, Satan,"
• I believe it's time to go.
• Me and the Devil
• was walkin' side by side
• Me and the Devil, ooh
• was walkin' side by side
• And I'm goin' to beat my woman
• until I get satisfied

• She say you don't see
• why that you will dog me 'roundspoken Now,
  babe, you know you ain't doin' me right, don'cha
• She say you don't see why, ooh
• that you will dog me 'round
• It must-a be that old evil spirit
• so deep down in the ground
• You may bury my body
• down by the highway side
• (spoken) Baby, I don't care where you bury my
  body when I'm dead and gone
• You may bury my body, ooh
• down by the highway side
• So my old evil spirit can catch a Greyhound bus
  and ride

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Blues spirits, blues feelings, blues music

• Blues illness
• The blues are also evil spirits causing bad and
  depressive feelings
• There are many kind of blues loneliness blues,
  walking blues

• Blues recovering
• Playing the blues music and singing about the
  blues spirits, the blues singer is able to drive
  blues spirits away
• Its a kind of musical exorcism and self analysis

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Robert Johnson Hellhound On My Trail

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwC4M4eQlz5I
• got to keep movin'
• I got to keep movin'blues fallin' down like
  hailblues fallin' down like hail
• Umm mmm mmm mmm
• blues fallin' down like hailblues fallin' down
  like hail
• And the days keeps on worryin' me
• there's a hellhound on my trailhellhound on
  my trailhellhound on my trail

• If today was Christmas Eve
• If today was Christmas Eveand tomorrow was
  Christmas Day
• If today was Christmas Eve
• and tomorrow was Christmas Dayspoken Aow,
  wouldn't we have a time, baby?
• All I would need my little sweet rider just to
  pass the time away, huh huhto pass the time away

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Robert Johnson Hellhound On My Trail

• You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm mmm, around my
  doorall around my door
• You sprinkled hot foot powder
• all around your daddy's door, hmm hmm hmm
• It keep me with ramblin' mind, rider every old
  place I goevery old place I go
• I can tell the wind is risin'
• the leaves tremblin' on the treeTremblin' on the
  tree
• I can tell the wind is risin'
• leaves tremblin' on the treehmm hmm hmm mmm
• All I need's my little sweet woman
• and to keep my company, hey hey hey hey my
  company

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Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)

• Mmmmm mmmmm I's up this mornin'
• ah, blues walkin' like a man
• I's up this mornin'
• ah, blues walkin' like a man
• Worried blues
• give me your right hand
• And the blues fell mama's child tore me all
  upside down
• Blues fell mam's child
• and it tore me all upside down
• travel on, poor Bob
• just can't turn you 'round
• The blu-u-u-u-ues
• is a low-down shakin' chillspoken Yes,
  preach 'em now.
• Mmmmm mmmmm
• is a low-down shakin' chill

• You ain't never had 'em, I
• I hope you never will
• Well, the blues
• is a schin' old heart diseasespoken Do it.
  now.
• You gon' do it?Tell me about it.
• Let the blues
• is a low-down achin' heart disease
• Like consumption
• killing me by degrees
• I can study rain
• oh, ohm drive, oh, oh, drive my blues
• I been studyin' the rain and
• I'm 'on drive my blues away
• Goin' to the 'stil'ry
• stay out there all day

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From Disease Imagery in Johnson's Preaching
Blues by Adriana C. Rissetto

• The speaker states that he can "study rain/oh,
  oh, drive, oh, oh, drive my blues" in the same
  way that a scientist would scrutinize a bacteria
  culture in order to ascertain a cure to the
  disease.
• Here the rain resembles a vaccination in which a
  small amount of the virus is introduced into the
  patient's blood in order to build up an immunity
• the speaker studies the rain, a symbol of
  depression, to build up "an immunity" to the
  effect of the blues on him.
• However, eventually he rejects this in favor of
  the distillery, a quick and easy pain killer
  which offers immediate, albeit temporary, relief.
  
• http//xroads.virginia.edu/music/BLUES/rissetto.h
  tml

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Nature and Robert Johnson by Carter Neil

• When he says "I been studyin' rain..." he is
  doing more than using the image of rain to
  reinforce an idea of isolation.
• He is telling the listener that he has knowledge
  about loneliness gained through a study of it,
  through an intense relationship to it.
• His use of the word "study" further serves to
  validate his attempt in the song to "preach" the
  Blues since a preacher must know what he's
  talking about.
• http//xroads.virginia.edu/music/BLUES/neil.html

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ROBERT JOHNSONIf I Had Possession Over Judgment
Day

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v3KgYk5FFMhgfeature
  related
• If I had possession over judgment dayif I
  had possession over judgment day
• Lord, the little woman
• I'm lovin' wouldn't have no right to pray
• And I went to the mountain lookin' far as
  my eyes could seeAnd I went to the mountain
  lookin' far as my eye could seeSome other man
  got my woman and the -'a lonesome blues got me

• And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole
  night longAnd I rolled and I tumbled and I
  cried the whole night long
• Boy, I woke up this mornin' my biscuit roller
  goneHad to fold my arms and I slowly walked
  away
• (spoken ) I didn't like the way she doneHad to
  fold my arms and I slowly walked awayI said in
  my mind, "Yo," trouble gon' come some dayNow
  run here, baby set down on my kneeI wanna tell
  you all about the way they treated me

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Robert Johnson Life and Legend

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5RAcer5QVMsfeature
  related

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Robert Johnson STOP BREAKIN DOWN

• Short film about Robert Johnson told through the
  eyes of Son House
• Clip 1
• This clip shows a young Robert learning how to
  play then as a 27 year old man playing at Three
  Forks the night of his death
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vA7OivLt6wwUfeature
  related
• Clip 2
• This clip shows Robert as a young and terrible
  guitar player. It shows one of the reasons why he
  later became great...the crossroads myth.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vtPrjzohMjcAfeature
  related
• Clip 3
• This clip shows Robert as a young man studding
  hard, learning how to play the guitar from Ike
  Zinneman. The locations are a street corner and
  rent party. The last scene is a flashback to the
  crossroads
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?veNLdrqHqWOgfeature
  related

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Robert Johnson and the hellhounds

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vz-PQ3z9M2U0feature
  related
• This is a part of Supernatural TV films,
  "Crossroad Blues", season 2
• Interwiews
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vy__fi7SAhJQNR1

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Devil's Roadmap Featurette Crossroad Blues Film

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vy__fi7SAhJQfeature
  related

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Film Crossroads (1986) duel Steve Vai

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vD0QKbnCDW94feature
  related

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The women of the film Crossroads

• Has the typical characteristics of Pomba Gira
  (sensual, gypsy looking) and the hoodoo woman of
  the blues (femme fatale, expert of love spells,
  creates love blues and desperation in men)

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On Robert Johnson Part 1

• Calt, Stephen. "Robert Johnson Recapitulated."
  Blues Unlimited 86, November 1971.
• Charters, Samuel. Robert Johnson. New York Oak
  Publications, 1972.
• Cowley, John. "Walking Blues." Blues Unlimited
  106, February-March, 1974.
• Ferris, Tim. "Robert Johnson." Rolling Stone.
  February 4, 1971.
• Greenberg, Alan. Love In Vain a Vision of Robert
  Johnson. New York Doubleday, 1983.
• Groom, Bob. Robert Johnson. KnutsfordBlue World,
  1967.
• Groom, Bob. "Robert Johnson The Man Behind the
  Music." Blues World 4, November, 1965.
• Groom, Bob. "Standing at the Crossroads Robert
  Johnson's Recordings." Blues Unlimited
  118-121, March-October 1976.
• Guralnick, Peter. "In Search of RobertJohnson."
  Rolling Stone, March 26, 1976.

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On Robert Johnson Part 2

• Guralnick, Peter. Searching for Robert Johnson.
  New York Dutton, 1989.
• Iglauer, Bruce. "Reconstructing Robert Johnson."
  Living Blues 5, Summer 1971.
• Lomax, Alan. The Land Where the Blues Began. New
  York Dell, 1993.
• Marcus, Greil. Mystery Train. NewYork Dutton,
  1975.
• Mosley, Walter. RL's Dream. New York Norton,
  1995.
• Palmer, Robert. Deep Blues. New York Viking,
  1981.
• Pearson, Barry Lee and Bill McCullogh. Robert
  Johnson Lost and Found. University of Illinois
  Press, 2003.
• Schroeder, Patricia R. Robert Johnson,
  Mythmaking, and Contemporary American Culture.
  University of Illinois Press, 2004.
• Shines, Johnny. "Remembering Robert Johnson."
  American Folk Music Occasional 2, Oak
  Publications, 1970.
• Wald, Elijah. Escaping the Delta Robert Johnson
  and the Invention of the Blues. Armistad Press,
  2004.
• Welding, Pete. "Hellhound On his Trail Robert
  Johnson." down beat, Music '66.
• Wolf, Robert. Hellhound on my Trail the Life of
  Robert Johnson, Bluesman Extraordinaire. 2004.