0:00:02 > 0:00:03APPLAUSE
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Yee-hoo!
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Mm-hmm.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Whoo!
0:00:24 > 0:00:27# I got the blues so bad it hurt my feet to walk
0:00:28 > 0:00:32# I got the blues so bad it hurt my feet to walk
0:00:33 > 0:00:37# Would not feel so bad but it hurt my tongue to talk
0:00:46 > 0:00:49# Some folk said a worried blues ain't tough
0:00:50 > 0:00:53# Some folk said a worried blues ain't tough
0:00:54 > 0:00:57# But it might not kill ya
0:00:57 > 0:00:58#But it handle you mighty rough
0:01:07 > 0:01:10# I'm gonna jump through the keyhole in your door
0:01:12 > 0:01:15# I'm gonna jump right through the keyhole in your door
0:01:17 > 0:01:20# Jump so fast your old man'll never know
0:01:31 > 0:01:34# Hitch up my buggy Saddle my black mare
0:01:35 > 0:01:38# Hitch up my buggy Saddle my black mare
0:01:40 > 0:01:43# Gonna find my woman on the road somewhere
0:01:51 > 0:01:53# She caught the rumblin'
0:01:53 > 0:01:56# I caught the fallin' down
0:01:58 > 0:01:59# She caught the rumblin'
0:01:59 > 0:02:02# And I caught the fallin' down
0:02:04 > 0:02:07# Turn my back and never look around
0:02:23 > 0:02:25# And I never look around
0:02:30 > 0:02:32# And I never look around. #
0:02:39 > 0:02:41APPLAUSE
0:02:54 > 0:02:57An old boy, Furry Lewis, he wrote that tune
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and I was playing on the street one time
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and someone took me to meet Furry up in a little apartment.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09I think he made that, like, in the Twenties, all accounts.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Ah...
0:03:11 > 0:03:16In the 1920s, the levee broke on the Mississippi River
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and so there was lots of work to be done
0:03:19 > 0:03:21once they got the flood waters down.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23And, you know, really...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Lots of people worked on the levee, building the levees up,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29they're just banks of dirt to hold the water in.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32So, lots of songs was written around that time
0:03:32 > 0:03:34about the hard work on the levee.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I heard Fred McDowell do this tune,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39a long time ago,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42it's called Levee Camp Blues.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01# Yeah, I worked on the levee, baby
0:04:02 > 0:04:06# Till I went stone blind
0:04:11 > 0:04:14# Baby, you ain't gonna do me
0:04:14 > 0:04:19# Oh Lord, like you done poor Shine
0:04:24 > 0:04:28# Yeah, I took your money, baby
0:04:29 > 0:04:32# Yeah, I declare you won't take mine
0:04:38 > 0:04:42# I'm a long line skinner, baby
0:04:42 > 0:04:46# Oh Lord, I got the shortest life
0:04:51 > 0:04:55# Yeah, I'm a long line skinner, baby
0:04:56 > 0:05:00# Yeah, I swear I've got the shortest life
0:05:06 > 0:05:10# How can I drive him?
0:05:10 > 0:05:14# Mule gone stone blind
0:05:20 > 0:05:23# Yeah, I worked old Lou
0:05:24 > 0:05:29# Oh Lord, yeah, I work old Belle
0:05:33 > 0:05:36# Yeah, I worked old Lou
0:05:37 > 0:05:41# Yeah, I swear I work old Belle
0:05:47 > 0:05:50# I cannot find
0:05:50 > 0:05:55# A mule with a shoulder well... #
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Come on, boy.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18# My captain got a wall to bury
0:06:20 > 0:06:24# Whoa Lord, he can't keep time
0:06:27 > 0:06:31# Yeah, my captain got a wall to bury
0:06:32 > 0:06:35# Yeah, I swear he can't keep no time
0:06:48 > 0:06:50# How can I drive him?
0:06:52 > 0:06:56# Mule gone stone blind
0:07:02 > 0:07:05# Mule gone stone blind
0:07:09 > 0:07:13# Mule gone stone blind
0:07:15 > 0:07:18# How can I drive him?
0:07:18 > 0:07:23# How can I drive him? #
0:07:27 > 0:07:29APPLAUSE
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Where's Dan at?
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Goddarnit, can't even find a drummer when you need one!
0:07:52 > 0:07:54LAUGHTER
0:07:54 > 0:07:57There he comes - Dan Magnusson!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Y'all remember Animal on The Muppet Show?
0:08:07 > 0:08:08- LAUGHTER - Yeah!
0:08:08 > 0:08:10That's all I'm gonna say.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14LAUGHTER AND WHISTLING
0:08:16 > 0:08:19A lot of boys rode the trains in the Depression,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22they didn't do it for fun, exactly, you know.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I think at the height of the Depression there was two...
0:08:25 > 0:08:28two or three hundred thousand people riding trains.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Just movin',
0:08:30 > 0:08:35trying to find some work and going here and there and such.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37But I didn't know nothin' about that,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40so when I was a young man, I rode trains,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I didn't know it had gone out of fashion.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44LAUGHTER
0:08:44 > 0:08:45HE LAUGHS
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And, er...
0:08:47 > 0:08:52There was a place down in Memphis...
0:08:53 > 0:08:56..there's a yard there called Johnston Yard
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and where the yard narrows down...
0:08:58 > 0:09:03A yard is a martialling yard, where all the trains are put together
0:09:03 > 0:09:04to go wherever they're goin'
0:09:04 > 0:09:09and then it narrows down to what's called the neck of the yard.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11And going east,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14out of Johnston Yard in Memphis,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17there's a place called Prospect Crossover.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It's got lots of trees, kinda bushes and stuff there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23And the train usually has to stop there,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25cos they got a switcherman who gotta...
0:09:25 > 0:09:27They got trains comin' in and out,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30so if you're afraid to jump on a train when it's movin',
0:09:30 > 0:09:31which I am,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34this is a good place to get on a train.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I just gave you a hint.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42If you ever feel like jumpin' on a train...
0:09:42 > 0:09:44LAUGHTER
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Prospect Crossover off of Mallory,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Neck, Johnston Yard.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50That's all I'm gonna say.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Cos it's illegal.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04# Whoa, waiting for the train
0:10:04 > 0:10:07# Today, yesterday, just the same
0:10:07 > 0:10:09# Whoa, waiting for a train
0:10:09 > 0:10:12# Down at the end of Prospect Lane... #
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Have mercy now.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24# I got my ear down to the ground
0:10:24 > 0:10:27# Listenin' for that rumblin' sound
0:10:27 > 0:10:29# Deliver me from this town
0:10:29 > 0:10:31# Today I'm gonna be homeward bound
0:10:31 > 0:10:34# Hoo-hoo
0:10:34 > 0:10:36# Hoo-hoo
0:10:36 > 0:10:39# Hoo-hoo... #
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I'm gonna get you now.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Yeah!
0:10:50 > 0:10:53# I got my ear down to the ground
0:10:53 > 0:10:56# Listenin' for that rumblin' sound
0:10:56 > 0:11:00# Deliver me from this town Today I'm gonna be homeward bound
0:11:00 > 0:11:03# Hoo-hoo
0:11:03 > 0:11:05# Hoo-woo-hoo
0:11:05 > 0:11:07# Hoo-woo-hoo
0:11:10 > 0:11:12# Whoa, waitin' for the train
0:11:12 > 0:11:14# Today, yesterday, just the same
0:11:14 > 0:11:17# Whoa, waitin' for the train
0:11:17 > 0:11:20# Down at the end of Prospect Lane... #
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Come on, now!
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Well...
0:11:26 > 0:11:29# Down at the end of Prospect Lane
0:11:30 > 0:11:33# Waitin' for the train
0:11:33 > 0:11:36# Waitin' for the train. #
0:11:46 > 0:11:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I'm gonna get naked now.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05LAUGHTER
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Down in the South,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11they got this nasty little bug called a chigger.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Chigger live in the high grass.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21And you get in the high grass and the chigger jump on you
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and the momma leave a little baby on your leg.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And the baby...
0:12:26 > 0:12:31Momma jump off and the baby chew on you for a few days.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33And then the baby leave you.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38And then you gonna know about something called itchin'.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40HE LAUGHS
0:12:40 > 0:12:41This ain't no mosquito bite,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44this is something you're gonna have for weeks.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45You'll be like...
0:12:45 > 0:12:47You get little sores all over you, nasty.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53So, this song is gonna teach you what to do
0:12:53 > 0:12:55if you get into chigger territory.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01And if you don't listen, don't blame me, that's all I wanna say.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03LAUGHTER
0:13:12 > 0:13:14# Leave me alone, little chiggers
0:13:17 > 0:13:20# Don't lay your babies on my leg
0:13:22 > 0:13:25# Leave me alone, little chiggers
0:13:26 > 0:13:29# Of this one thing, the Lord I beg
0:13:30 > 0:13:33# Hear me beg, y'all
0:13:33 > 0:13:36# Hear me beg, y'all
0:13:36 > 0:13:39# I wear my socks up to my knees
0:13:40 > 0:13:43# They still make a motel out of me
0:13:45 > 0:13:48# They come when it hot and it muggy
0:13:49 > 0:13:53# It's so unfair, can't you see?
0:13:53 > 0:13:55# Can't you see, y'all?
0:13:56 > 0:13:57# Can't you see, y'all... #
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Hoh!
0:14:03 > 0:14:05HE GRUNTS
0:14:14 > 0:14:18# I wear my socks up to my knees
0:14:20 > 0:14:23# They still make a motel out of me
0:14:27 > 0:14:29# They come when it hot and it muggy
0:14:31 > 0:14:34# It's so unfair, can't you see?
0:14:35 > 0:14:36# Can't you see, y'all?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39# Can't you see, y'all?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43# Can't you see...y'all... #
0:14:43 > 0:14:45CHEERING
0:14:54 > 0:14:58So, if you ever get yourself down in the South in the summertime,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01maybe the high grass,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03that's chigger territory.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07So, this is what you gotta do.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11When you get home,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14take off all your clothes!
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Especially your socks!
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Then you put 'em in the washing machine.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28On the hottest cycle you got.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31The lobster cycle.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Then, when you're all naked...
0:15:41 > 0:15:43I'm just picturin' that now.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45LAUGHTER
0:15:47 > 0:15:48I think I got it.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55..you put yourself in the bathtub.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58On the hottest you can stand it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Lobster cycle!
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Cos hot water the only thing known to kill the chiggers!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And that's only if you're lucky.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14And if you're really lucky
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and I mean really lucky...
0:16:18 > 0:16:21# They won't eat you alive, yeah
0:16:21 > 0:16:23# They won't eat you alive
0:16:23 > 0:16:24# They won't eat you alive
0:16:24 > 0:16:28# I wear my socks up to my knees
0:16:29 > 0:16:31# They still make a motel out of me
0:16:34 > 0:16:36# They come when it hot and it muggy
0:16:38 > 0:16:41# It's so unfair, can't you see?
0:16:42 > 0:16:43# Can't you see, y'all?
0:16:44 > 0:16:45# Can't you see, y'all?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49# Can't you see, y'all?
0:16:49 > 0:16:52CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Oh, no.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28CHEERING AND APPLAUSE # I wear my socks up to my knees
0:17:32 > 0:17:36# They still make a motel out of me
0:17:40 > 0:17:45# They come when it hot and it muggy
0:17:48 > 0:17:53# It's so unfair, can't you see?
0:17:55 > 0:17:57# Can't you see, y'all?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01# Can't you see, y'all? #
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Yeah!
0:18:46 > 0:18:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Subtitles by Mark Corrigan Red Bee Media Ltd
0:18:58 > 0:19:01E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk