Blind Willie Johnson - Mother's Children Have A Hard Time
"Motherless Children" is a blues standard first recorded on December 3, 1927 in Dallas, Texas by Blind Willie Johnson, and later popularised (inter alia) by such names as Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Steve Miller, Eric Clapton, and Lucinda Williams.
The song has an autobiographical theme, as Johnson's mother died when he was young. His father remarried soon after her death, and later the stepmother allegedly blinded the boy with lye after the father found her in bed with another man.
The title of this tune was a garbled translation of someone trying to decipher Johnson's singing, the title should have been "Motherless Children Have A Hard Time."
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
"Motherless Children" is a blues standard first recorded on December 3, 1927 in Dallas, Texas by Blind Willie Johnson, and later popularised (inter alia) by such names as Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Steve Miller, Eric Clapton, and Lucinda Williams.
The song has an autobiographical theme, as Johnson's mother died when he was young. His father remarried soon after her death, and later the stepmother allegedly blinded the boy with lye after the father found her in bed with another man.
The title of this tune was a garbled translation of someone trying to decipher Johnson's singing, the title should have been "Motherless Children Have A Hard Time."
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