Women in Songs You'd Share

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George Brunis (1902-1974) recorded the record in 1946 with what would become a nationwide hit song "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" while the record's driving 1st side was "I Used To Love You (But It's All Over Now)" which merits a place on this post.

"Ohh, I used to love you,
But it's all over now,
All over now.

Say, It's all over town,
That you threw me down.
But you shouldn't let,
That kind of a story go around.

You've had your chance,
But it's all over.
I'll get along somehow.

There were things that you did,
I used to forgive.
But you'll never change,
Just as long as you live.
….."

 

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Bob Dunn (1908-1971) when young became enamored with the Hawaiian "lap" guitar style of music. His early years performing with a steel guitar was in jazz bands and later was formative famously playing his horizontal (lap) steel guitar in the jazz/swing/blues/americana band genre that migration from Oklahoma and Texas introduced to the USA west coast and became known as "Western Swing".

In 1992 Dunn was inducted into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. He's credited with being the 2nd musician (1935 by less than a month) to be recorded playing an electrically amplified guitar and first playing electrically amplified steel guitar. Here are 2 of his old recordings and the lyrics of "Mean Mistreater". The last song is also musically excellent and enjoyable listening to it's lyrical plaint that "She's Doggin' Me".


"You a mean mistreater,
You don't do me no good.
I don't blame you mamma,
I'd be the same way if I could.

You said you were leavin'
That you was goin' away.
But that's all right honey,
You' be back home some day.
…
When you see me comin'
Raise your window high.
And when you see me leavin',
Hang your head and cry.
…
Won't you tell me honey,
Tell me what's on your mind?
You got my poor heart achin'
I can't keep from cryin'.
…."

 

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"Bad Actin' Woman" sung by trombonist Jack Teagarden (1905-1964) goes in part like this:

"… Now me an' my baby
Don't get along no mo-oo-oo-ooh.
Now that gal don't do no better,
I guess I'll have to let her go.
…
Now she was born in March,
Got a mind like the wind.
Every time I see her talkin' to another man,
She says: 'Meet my new boy friend.'
…
Now she get's in bed like a bear,
With her hair all down in her face.
But what she don't know is,
She's run the human race.
…
Now she's got hands like pig iron,
A face like an old gown,
She can drink Sloan's Linament,
And never make a frown.
…
She's a bad actin' woman,
Don't do no man no good.
But I really feel the poor thing would do better,
If the poor thing just understood."

 

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Joseph "Fud" Livingston (1906-1957) played and composed in a who's who of jazz bands starting in 1923. Here for example is his own band's catchy tune "High Hattin' Hattie".

"High hattin' Hattie,
She holds her head so high.
No matter how they try,
She'll pass those fellows by.

She looks so natty,
When she's out on the street.
It's certainly a treat,
She sure is hard to beat.

Let those who want to,
Hang on to their clinging vine.
I only want to hang on,
To that baby of mine.

Oh, high hattin' Hattie,
When no ones 'round to see,
She knows that she can,
High hat me. "

 

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Paul Specht (1895-1954) led a popular orchestra and holds claim to several musical firsts. His orchestra was the first to play on a motion picture with sound (for "Phonofilms"), RCA's first orchestra broadcast and also first to broadcast on a radio network (109 stations across the USA). Here's an introduction to the group with the record "Sweet Lorraine."

"I've just found joy,
I'm as happy as a baby boy,
With another brand new,
Chew chew toy,
When I'm with my sweet Lorraine.
She's my sweet heart,
A pair of eyes that are bluer,
Than the summer skies.
When you see her,
You will realize,
Why I love my sweet Lorraine.
……"

 

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"Everybody knows I kinda' like you.
Could you sort of kind of like me too?
I wanta' hold you in my arms and say,
Sorta' kinda' like you more each day.
My darlin' every night I dream I dream about you.
Can't you see I'm kinda' lost without you?
I wanna' take you in my arms and say,
Baby, Baby sorta' kinda' like you more each day.
…"

 

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Jean Goldkette (1893-1962) had a successful early jazz band. After winning a (1926) battle of the bands at the Roseland Ballroom against Fletcher Henderson's band Henderson's cornetist Rex Stewart would later remark: "It was without question, the greatest … the original predecessor to any large white dance orchestra."

The delightfully lively "Birmingham Bertha" was recorded in 1929. It was used in the Cary Grant movie "On With the Show".

"Ain't no foolin' Birmingham Bertha,
She's had schoolin' Birmingham Bertha.
…
You can't expect no 2 dollars wortha',
Sympathy from Birmingham Bertha.
…
Eye for an eye,
Tooth for a tooth her plan.
…"

 

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Clark Terry (1920-2015) performs "REBECCA" in his inimitable style.

"My gal's got great big legs,
Big 'uns,
And she's built up from the ground.
…
Yeah, but she's a mean mistreater woman,
And she don't mean no one man no good.
…
If she don't straighten up soon,
And actin' decent.
I'm gonna take back my wig,
And let her head go bald.
…
She's meeeean,
She'll kill a brick,
She'll drown a drink of water,
And she'll scorch a flame.
Oh yeah,
Done and told ya' all about my gal.
…''

 

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