Mr. Pritchard was in Clarksdale last week promoting his new work, "Sailing to Alluvium". If you're familiar with his first, "Junior Ray", you'll find this, his third, very entertaining. "Yazoo Blues" is second. We especially enjoyed Junior's rendition of the story of Moses. Imagine it spoken by a Mississippi redneck with attitude and opinions he isn't shy about sharing. If you're easily offended by the language, skip the first and last words of the sentence and some of the word's middle. Not all of course, but that's the way it is here.
Gollee Moses
It all got started back a long while
When Pharaoh's daughter was swimmin in the Nile;
She looked in the bushes and saw a little chile
And said, "Gollee Moses!"
One day the Lord said Moses, you're the man
To lead all the Chillum to the Promise' Land.
Well, Moses struck out with Pharaoh at his heels,
Moses on foot, the Pharaoh on wheels.
When they got up to the Red Sea waters,
The chillun ast Moses, "What we gon do?"
And Moses told the Chillun, "Orders is orders,"
And the Chillun of Israel walked right through.
Well, Gollee Moses!
Weeelll, the army of Pharaoh followed after Moses,
But just fo' the waters covered up their noses
The whole army said: Gollee Moses!
Moses on a mountain top thinkin very hard,
Long come a cloud, and out jumped God,
Well, Gollee Moses!
The Lord put the Law in Moses' hand,
Said, Moses,tell the Chillun they better understand,
If they don't do what these things say,
I'll wipe out the world in half a day!"
Well, Gollee Moses!
Moses told the Lord, "It weren't none a me,
Just a big epidemic of iniquity!
I gave the Chillun your Ten Commandments,
And they come up with the First Ten Amendments!"
Well, Gollee Moses!
Moses come down bout an hour'n a half,
Found all the chillun round a golden calf;
He said, "Chillun, Chillun, what's goin on?"
They said, "Laughin, dancin, singin a song!"
Well, Gollee Moses.
Moses told the chillun, "Y'all make me mad,
jumpin round and actin bad,
But I'mo tell y'all one thing now:
You gonna get rid of that golden cow!"
Well, Goollee Moses!
From then on down to this very day,
When folks don't know just what to say,
They open their mouth and bug their eyes,
They take a deep breath and say with surprise"
GOLLEE MOSES!
2013 Red Convertible Travel Series
No comments:
Post a Comment