Chambre d'enfant : Cotten

Elizabeth Cotten (guitare) - Brenda Evans (voix) - Shake sugaree, 1965-66

Mis en ligne par 45rpmdiscs

À propos d'Elizabeth Cotten, précédemment.

Shake sugaree est une chanson de la dèche  - everything I got is done and pawned : tout ce que j'avais est fichu et mis au clou (1) - et en même temps une comptine à nonsense, que l'on chante le soir avant de s'endormir. Selon Elizabeth Cotten les couplets sont l'œuvre de ses petits-enfants, et d'après sa petite-fille le refrain est de Cotten elle-même. Ce qui laisse entier le mystère de Shake sugaree : qu'est-ce-que cela peut bien vouloir dire ? Une première réponse, bien intéressante, ici (il faut en remercier Phil Blank). Et pour les amateurs, le disque est là. A noter que cette chanson est censée avoir inspiré le Sugaree de Grateful Dead, parfois chanté en solo par Jerry Garcia - mais qui a peu de choses à voir avec l'original.

Have a little song

Won't take long

Sing it right

Once or twice

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my watch

Pawn my chain

Pawn everything that was in my name

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my buggy

Horse and cart

Pawn everything that was on my lot

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my chair

Pawn my bed

Ain't got nowhere to lay my head

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my tobacco

Pawn my pipe

Pawned everything that was in my sight

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Have a little secret

I ain't gonna tell

I'm going to heaven in a brown pea shell

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my farm

Pawn my plough

Pawned everything, even pawned my old cow

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my hat

Pawn my shoes

Pawned everything that I could use

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

have a little secret,

I ain't gonna tell

I'm goin' to heaven and I ain't goin' no...

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Chew my tobacco 

Spit my juice

We raise cain but it ain't a bit 'a use

Oh, lordy me

Didn't I shake sugaree?

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned.


Transcription de Jess Rice





(1) Pawn(broker) = (prêteur sur) gage.