LeadBelly - Goodnight Irene

GoodNight Irene Lyric

The very last words that I heard her say
Was please sing me one more song

Irene goodnight,Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, Goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams

Last Saturday night, I got married
Me and my wife settled down
Now me and my wife are parted
I'm gonna take another stroll downtown

Stop rambling, stop your rambling
Stop staying out late at night
Go home to your wife and family
Stay there by your fireside bright

I love Irene God knows I do
Love her till the seas run dry
And if Irene turns her back on me
I'll take morphine and die

Song Notes : "This is a folk standard, meaning no one knows who wrote it. Leadbelly's version has become the most widely recognized"

"Leadbelly, whose real name was Huddie Ledbetter, developed this while he was in jail for attempted murder from 1918-1924. It won him his freedom when the warden let him go after hearing this"

"In 1930, Leadbelly was once again jailed for attempted murder. Once again, his music won him his freedom when John Lomax and his son Alan convinced prison officials to release him. John and Alan Lomax were anthropologists and music historians who collected songs to preserve in the Library of Congress. They led a successful campaign to free Leadbelly and got him released in 1934. Leadbelly continued to record, and although he never made much money, his music is considered a big piece of US history, as it describes the struggles of black Americans"

Most recorded versions are much more tame than Leadbelly's original, with the line "I'll get you in my dreams" replaced with "I'll see you in my dreams."

"In 1950, one year after Leadbelly died, this was a #1 hit for the Folk group The Weavers. Other artists to record the song include Ry Cooder, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, The Chieftains, Tom Waits and Peter, Paul and Mary"

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LeadBelly - Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Where Did You Sleep Last Night Lyric

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My girl, my girl, where will you go?
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

And once there was a hard working man
Just about a mile from here
His hair was found in a driving wheel,
But his body never was found

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, where will you go?
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My girl, my girl, where will you go?
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

Song Notes : "This is about a man who finds out his wife has been cheating on him. He goes out into the cold night and is killed in an accident"

"Nirvana covered this on their 1993 Unplugged In New York album. Kurt Cobain introduced it by saying, "This song is by my favorite performer." Earlier that year, Cobain had been offered one of Leadbelly's guitars for $50,000, although Cobain exaggerates the cost when introducing the song"

"The first "recent" cover version was by The Four Pennies under the title "Black Girl." It made the UK charts in October 1964 and rose to #20, but got nowhere in the USA"