In the folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 tradition, there are many traditional blues verses that have been sung over and over by many artists. Blues singers, which includes many country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 and folk artists as well as those commonly identified with blues singers, use these traditional lyrics to fill out their blues performances. Artists like Jimmie Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)

James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...

, the "blue yodeler", and Big Joe Turner

Big Joe Turner

Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...

, "the Boss of the Blues" compiled virtual encyclopedias of lyrics. Turner reputedly could sing the blues for hours without repeating himself.

Terminology

Traditional blues verses in folk-music tradition have also been called floating lyrics or maverick stanzas. Floating lyrics have been described as “lines that have circulated so long in folk communities that tradition-steeped singers call them instantly to mind and rearrange them constantly, and often unconsciously, to suit their personal and community aesthetics”.

Examples

Although many blues songs, such as "Jelly Jelly" or "St. Louis Blues" are composed in the usual fashion with lyrics focusing on a single theme and telling a story, many others, like "Roll 'Em Pete

Roll 'Em Pete

"Roll 'Em Pete" is a rhythm and blues song originally recorded in 1938 by Big Joe Turner and pianist Pete Johnson. The recording is regarded as one of the most important precursors of what later became known as "rock and roll".-Original recording:...

" or "T for Texas" combine one or two new verses with a flock of traditional ones.

Traditional blues verses are most common in twelve bar blues

Twelve bar blues

The 12-bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music, including the blues. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics and phrase and chord structure and duration...

 with the characteristic repeated first line (indicated here by x2).

Blues songs are by no means all sad. Many of these traditional lyrics are salacious:

See that spider crawlin' up that wall (x2)

He's crawlin up there to get his ashes hauled.

Let me be your little dog till your big dog comes (x2)

And when the big dog gets here, tell him what the puppy done done

Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me (x2)

It may be sending you baby but its worryin' the hell out of me.

Other lyrics tell of violence and unhappy romance:

I'm gonna buy me a pistol with a great long shiny barr'l (x2)

Gonna shoot that rounder who stole away my gal

If you see me comin', heist your window high (x2)

If you see me goin', baby, hang your head and cry.

It's been three weeks since my sweet baby said goodbye (x2)

And now my sweet dog, has eaten all of my sweet pie

Others detail the miseries of life:

If your house catches fire and there ain't no water 'round (x2)

Throw your rags out the window, let the doggone shack burn down.

"Traditional lyrics" of known origin

Some lyrics crop up in song after song, such as:

I did more for you baby than the good Lord ever done

I went downtown and bought you some hair and the good Lord never gave you none

These lyrics seem, however, to have a known origin, in this case the eponym

Eponym

An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...

ic "S.K. Blues" of Saunders King

Saunders King

Saunders King was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer.-Life and career:Saunders Samuel King was born in Staple, Louisiana, United States. He was the son of a preacher, and sang in his father's church while growing up in Oakland, California...

. The song has several verses on the same theme, ending with the threat, "You won't have no hair, no head at all".