The first song I ever heard by Son House was “Death Letter Blues.” It stopped me cold. That was RAW blues. The yells, the gutteral growling, the grunts, and the flailing away at the guitar struck something deep and primal in my soul.
Country-blues guitarist Paul Rishell recalls the time he met Son House and played with him for three days. Of Son House, Rishell said, “he was a like a feral old man. Very powerful. He had this sort of wild look in his eye, like Charlie Manson. He was scary. Here was a man who carried a gun and had once shot another man through the head . . . I felt like he was on a hairtrigger, too. Like he could spring up from his chair and be on me in a second if he wanted to. He was just such a powerful presence.”
That is a very vivid description and, if one listens to Death Letter Blues, one may feel a little bit of what Paul Rishell felt in the presence of the great Son House.
“Death Letter Blues.” It is a painful song about the death of a woman. Son House recorded several versions of this song. This is the last known recording of the song. To hear the song, right click on this Download Death Letter Blues.mp3 (1873.3K) link and select the “save as” option to save the file to your computer. I urge everyone to purchase the Son House CD “Delta Blues and Spirituals”.
DEATH LETTER BLUES
-Son HouseI got a letter this morning. How do you reckon it read?
“Oh, hurry, hurry, gal, you love is dead”
I got a letter this morning. I say, how you all reckon it read?
“Oh, hurry, hurry, Because the gal you love is dead”I grabbed my suitcase, I took off down the road
When I got there, she was laying on the cooling board
I grabbed my suitcase, I say I took off down the road
I got there, she was laying on the cooling boardWell, I walked up close. I looked down in her face
I say the good old gal got to lay here till Judgment Day
I walked up close, and I looked down in her face
The good old girl’s got to lay here till Judgment DayYou know, I fold up my arms and slowly walked away.
I say, “well, mama, I’ll see you some old day.”
Yeah. Hmmmmm.
You know I went baby. See you on Judgment day.You know, I didn’t feel so bad, until the Good Lord’s sun went down.
I didn’t have a soul to throw my arms around.
You know, I didn’t feel so bad, until the Good Lord’s sun went down.
I didn’t have a soul to throw my arms around.Lord have mercy on my weakened soul.
I wouldn’t mistreat you for my weight in gold.
Yeah. Hmmmmm
Hmmm Hmmmm.I left a little girl with fresh cheeks sitting in the back door crying.
If she don’t go crazy, I believe she’ll lose her mind.
I left a little girl with fresh cheeks sitting in the back door crying.
If she don’t go crazy, I believe she’ll lose her mind.