Rollin' and Tumblin'
| "Roll and Tumble Blues" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Hambone Willie Newbern | |
| B-side | "Nobody Knows What the Good Deacon Says" |
| Released | 1929 |
| Format | 10" 78 rpm record |
| Recorded | March 14, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 3:03 |
| Label | Okeh (no. 8679) |
"Rollin' and Tumblin'" (or "Roll and Tumble Blues") is a blues song first recorded by American singer/guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Delta and Chicago blues artists, including well-known recordings by Muddy Waters. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" has also been refashioned by a variety of rock-oriented artists.
Hambone Willie Newbern recorded "Roll and Tumble Blues" on March 14, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia for Okeh Records. It shares several elements of "Minglewood Blues", first recorded in 1928 by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers. Newbern's "Roll and Tumble Blues" is a solo piece with his vocal and slide-guitar accompaniment.
The song is performed in the key of A using an open tuning and an irregular number of bars. The tempo varies from an initial 140 beats per minute to a final 158 bpm. A key feature of the song is that the first verse begins on the IV chord, rather than on the more usual I chord (e.g., in the key of A this would be the D chord rather than the A chord). After the first two measures the IV chord resolves to the I chord. Often the IV chord moves to IV♭7 on the second measure or the last two beats of the second measure.
The lyrics follow a standard blues AAB pattern and relate a failed relationship:
And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long (2×)
And I rose this mornin' mama and I didn't know right from wrong...
And I fold my arms lord and I walked away (2×)
Said "that's all right sweet mama your trouble gon' come some day"
"Roll and Tumble Blues" is one of six songs Newbern recorded during his only recording session. It was released before the advent of race records charts, however, it soon became "an oft-covered standard" and Newbern's best-known song.
Other bluesmen recorded their own versions—such as "If I Had Possession over Judgment Day" by Robert Johnson in 1936, "Brownsville Blues" and "The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair" by Sleepy John Estes, "Goin' Back to Memphis" by Sunnyland Slim, "Banty Blues" by Charley Patton, "Dough Roller Blues" by Garfield Akers and "Rollin' Blues" by John Lee Hooker.
...
Wikipedia