Interpretation of Robert Jonson’s Lyrics

The blues was considered to be “the Devil's music”.

 

Thus, joining a blues musical activity meant to be a kind of ceremony to ward off devils.

 

 After singing and playing the blues, musicians felt better and cheery.

 

On the other hand, there were blues records which were put on the market with buzzwords that symbolized satanic personas such as devil and hell.

For example, Peetie Wheatstraw, who was an influential blues singer in the 1930's, publicized himself as “Peetie Wheatstraw, The Devil’s Son-in-Law” and “Peetie Wheatstraw, The High Sheriff from Hell.” 

Most of these demonic personas were adopted as entertainment. 

In other words, they were a kind of sales message to give them added prestige. 

At any hand, the Devil’s image was inescapably tied to the blues.

 

Robert Johnson was one of the blues singers who was haunted by them. 

However, he had never ward off devils and evil spirits.

 

In fact, he accepted and adopted satanic symbols in his songs as metaphors. 

Either directly or indirectly, it is clear that Johnson preferred to present ideas such as love, religious faith, and traveling in his songs.

 

He spent more time playing the blues and less time working wherever he went.

 

In addition, he allowed himself to be taken care of by women in order to make a living playing blues.

 

Sometimes he loved other people’s lovers, and that led to his ruin. 

It is clear that Johnson felt a sense of guilt about his wrongdoing and his lovers. 

It brought devil personas to him and hurried him off to a journey.

 

Devil imagery appeared in the following song named Me and the Devil Blues. 

In the song, Johnson presented his guilt about his violence toward his lover.

 

Then, the devil sent him on a journey.

 

The last part of the song describes how his spirit still wanted to catch a bus and go on a trip even after his death: 

 

Early this mornin’ when you knocked upon my door

Early this mornin’, ooh when you knocked upon my door

 

And I said “Hello, Satan, I believe it’s time to go.”

Me and the Devil was walkin’ side by side

Me and the Devil was walkin’ side by side

And I’m goin’ to beat my woman until I get satisfied

(snip)

 

You may bury my body, ooh down by the highway side

So my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride¹⁹

 

Black spirituals historian, Keiko Wells, interpreted the meaning of a “Greyhound bus” as a metaphor of a “hell hound”.

 

A hell hound is a dog of hell which can be found in European mythologies and American folklore. 

According to Greek mythology, a hell hound (Kerberos) is a watchdog with three heads which is standing in front of the entrance to the underworld (Hades). 

Like this, the devil sometimes changed into a hell hound image in Johnson’s songs.

 

The following song named Hell Hound on My Trail is another example how he applied it to his lyrics.

 

The song tells that he was obsessed with the idea of being followed by a hell hound: 

 

I got to keep movin’ I’ve got to keep movin’

Blues fallin’ down like hail blues fallin’ down like hail

Umm mmm mmm mmm

Blues fallin’ down like hail blues fallin’ down like hail

And the day keeps me worryin’ me

It’s a hell hound on my trail

Hell hound on my trail hell hound on my trail

(snip)

 

In the latter half of the song, someone sprinkle “hot foot powder” on the door.

 

It is frequently used in voodooism for a charm that wards off evil spirits.

 

As a result, Johnson, who is accompanied by hell hound, is driven away from his house:

 

You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm

Mmm, around my door 

All around my door

You sprinkled hot foot powder,

All around your daddy’s door, hmm hmmm hmm

It keeps me with ramblin’ mind, rider

Every old place I go

Every old place I go

 

In this way, a lot of his songs described how he was followed by evil spirits and tried to run away from them.

 

 However, he found that he could never escape his guilt. 

Finally, he reached a crossroad in order to pray to God.

 

The crossroad usually symbolizes the Holy Cross and a fork in the road in someone’s life.

 

In addition, there was a common fear felt by African-Americans in the Deep South that was associated with African religious beliefs about Papa Legba. 

In the Haitian voodoo, Papa Legba is believed to be the personal messenger of destiny who is standing at crossroads.

 

His permission is necessary for any communication between the loa (that is alike saints and angels in Christianity) and mortals. In other words, he may open the door for communication between the worlds.

 

In the following song named Cross Road Blues, however, there is no one who opens the door for Johnson.

 

The song also describes how he falls and sinks down the middle of the road:  

Writer put the Masayoshi Yamasaki ver. for your information

 

I went to the crossroad fell down on my knees

I went to the crossroad fell down on my knees

Asked the Load above “have mercy save poor Bob, if you please”

Mmmmm, standin’ at the crossroad I tried to flag a ride

Standin’ at the crossroad I tried to flag a ride

Didn’t nobody seem to know me

Everybody pass me by

Mmm, the sun goin’ down, boy dark gon’ catch me here

Oooo ooee eeee

Boy, dark gon’ catch me here I haven’t got no lovin’ sweet woman that

Love and feel my care

You can run, you can run tell my friend-boy Willie Brown

You can run tell my friend-boy Willie Brown

Lord, that I’m standin’ at the crossroad, babe I believe I’m sinkin’ down

 

In this way, Robert Johnson's lyrics were deeply connected to imageries of devils, evil spirits and crossroads.

 

Of course, he also wrote songs about employment and humorous songs, but they are of secondary importance to the subject of devils.

 

Moreover, there is a famous legend which has been handed down among blues audiences. 

The following is an example of the story:

 

Robert Johnson was a young black man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi.

 

Branded with a burning desire to become great blues musician, he was instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery's plantation at midnight.

 

There he was met by a large black man (the Devil) who took the guitar from Johnson, tuned it, and handed it back to him.

 

Within less than a year's time, in exchange for his everlasting soul, Robert Johnson became the king of the Delta blues singers, able to play, sing, and create the greatest blues anyone had ever heard.

 

When Johnson came back to Robinsonville in 1932 and people, including Robert’s friends Son House and Willie Brown, heard songs such as Me and Devil Blues, Hell Hound on My Trail and Crossroad Blues, they were shocked that his blues had improved remarkably and many of them believed that Johnson were able to create the greatest blues instead of selling his soul to the devil.

 

In spite of his short life and the fact that he wrote only 29 songs, Robert Johnson’s influence is still enormous on his successors, especially in rock music.

 

Eric Clapton, who was a member of a legendary blues rock band Yard Birds and Cream and who is still active as a solo artist, frequently describes on his interviews that Robert Johnson is the most important blues musician who ever lived and that this is very frustrating for him because his guitar playing is too hard to duplicate.

 

He also said on his liner notes on the leaflet of Robert Jonson’s CD that it was almost as if he had been prepared to receive Robert Johnson, almost like a religious experience, because he had never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson.

 

 In fact, Johnson is little known to the Afro-American mass market, but his blues revealed troubled thoughts that black people have, and captured non-black people’s hearts. Eventually, he was to become considered as the “King of Delta Blues Singers”.  

To Be Continued