Mother's Children Have A Hard Time

Traditional recording of 19 from Complete Recordings of Blind Willie Johnson (Columbia C2K-52835) Well, well, well, ah A motherless children have a hard time Motherless children have a hard time, mother's dead They'll not have anywhere to go, wanderin' around from door to door Have a hard time Nobody on earth can take a mother's place when, when mother is dead, Lord Nobody on earth takes mother's place when, mother's dead Nobody on earth takes mother's place, when you were startin', paved the way Nobody treats you like mother will when Your wife or husband may be good to you, when mother is dead, Lord They'll be good to you, mother's dead A wife or a husband may be good to you, but, better than nothing has proved untrue Nobody treats you like mother will when, when mother is dead, Lord Lord, Lord, Lord Yeah, well, ah Well, some people say that sister will do, when mother is dead That sister will do when mother's dead Some people say that sister will do, but, as soon as she's married, she turn her back on you Nobody treats you like mother will And father will do the best he can, when mother is dead, Lord Well, the best he can when mother is dead Father will do the best he can, so many things a father can't understand Nobody treats you like mother will A motherless children have a hard time, when mother is dead, Lord Motherless children have a hard time, mother's dead They'll not have anywhere to go, Wanderin' around from door to door Have a hard time

 

Buy the Book!

I cleaned up my tab for Sonny Boy's Help Me and made it into a short book. There's a Kindle version for 99 cents, and if you buy the paperback you get the Kindle free.

Playing "Help-Me" In the Style of Sonny Boy Williamson II: A step by step, note for note analysis of some of Sonny Boy's Signature Riffs