"And those weird China blues,
never go away.
Sad, mad, blues,
for all the while they seem to say. . ."
The above phrase - actually part of the verse - of Brahm and Furber's Limehouse Blues inspired me to learn the whole song. It's a great tune, although it's not often sung. Chu Berry and Django Reinhardt both do really swinging versions of it. I
Ostensibly about the Chinese-run opium dens in the Limehouse section of London, the second verse seeps racism (and I do not sing it, by the way.)
VERSE
Oh! Dearie,
right here in orange blossom land.
I'm weary,
'cause no one seems to understand.
And those weird China blues,
never go away.
Sad, mad, blues,
for all the while they seem to say.
CHORUS
Oh, Limehouse kid
Oh, oh, Limehouse kid
Goin' the way
That the rest of them did
Poor broken blossom
And nobody's child
Haunting and taunting
You're just kind of wild
Oh, Limehouse blues
I've the real Limehouse blues
Can't seem to shake off
Those real China blues
Rings on your fingers
And tears for your crown
That is the story
Of old Chinatown
SECOND VERSE
In Limehouse,
where the yellow chinkies love to play.
In Limehouse,
where you can hear those blues all day.
And they seem all around,
like a long, long, sigh.
Queer, sob sound,
Oh Honey Lamb they seem to cry:
No comments:
Post a Comment