Fat Man Blues
written by: Richard Wall
@writinblues
vocals/music by: Tone Tanner
Well I was sitting in a juke joint
In Clarksdale, Mississippi,
Just minding my own business
And getting high on booze
When in walked this old white boy
Said his accent came from England
Said he’d come to Mississippi
Come to see the delta blues
I said there ain’t no delta blues
No more in Clarksdale, Mississippi,
Cos it ain’t nothin’ but a theme park
For white folks just like you
But if you come along with me
I can take you where it happens
Where life’s like what it was
When they played the real blues
So then I dropped some names
Like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson
And the white boy looked at me
Like something just come loose
He said “those old boys are dead,”
I said, “that’s a matter of opinion,”
And then I made an offer
That he could not refuse
See, the white boy had a poison
That was growing deep inside him
And I knew his clock was ticking
Knew his time would soon run out
So I laid it on the table
Told him I could fix his problem
If he’d come along with me
There was never any doubt
So I took out all the poison
And we met up at the crossroads
And I tuned the white boy’s gittar
And I said the deal was done
Then I took him back in time
To 1930s Mississippi
Where he walked the delta land
And went looking for some fun
Now White Boy he was happy
To be walkin’ Mississippi
What he don’t know didn’t hurt him
He thought he’d nothin’ left to lose
But be careful what you wish for
Cos the devil’s in the detail
And you better read the small print
Of the Fat Man Blues
Richard’s stories reflect his life-long fascination with the dark underbelly of American culture, be it tales of the Wild West, or of the simmering menace of the Deep South, or the poetry of Charles Bukowski, or the writing of Langston Hughes, or the music of Charley Patton, Son House, Johnny Cash, or Tom Waits.
- Christmas Blues - December 24, 2024
- Drivin’ with Mr D - June 6, 2019
- Ghost Of The Blues - August 8, 2018
