St. James Infirmary Blues

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'''St. James Infirmary Blues''' is a song performed The White Stripes that can be heard on their first album, ''[[The White Stripes (album)|The White Stripes]]''.
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==Releases==
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* ''[[The White Stripes (album)|The White Stripes]]'' (1999)
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== Band Quotes ==
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==Other Appearances==
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* Appeared in the short film ''Six Shooter'' (2004)
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== Trivia ==
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* An American folksong of anonymous origin, this song is often credited to "Joe Primose", a pseudonym for Irving Mills. The song is credited to 'Joe Primrose' in the liner notes of the White Stripes' self-titled debut album.
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* This song has performed by a few of the Stripes' major influences, including Blind Willie McTell and Bob Dylan. The latter used the song's melody in his song titled "Blind Willie McTell".
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* The Stripes' rendition of this song on their debut album includes a version of a verse from "The Unfortunate Rake", which was an 18th century folksong that evolved into several American standards, including "St. James Infirmary Blues" (as well as "Streets of Laredo").
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== Personnel ==
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* [[Meg White]] - Tambourine? and Drums
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* [[Jack White]] - Piano and Lead Vocal
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* Folksong of anonymous origin; credited to "Joe Primrose". Arranged by White/White.
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==Credits==
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===Performers===
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* [[Jack White]]: piano, lead vocals
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* [[Meg White]]: drums, tambourine
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===Production===
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* Most famously recorded by Louis Armstrong, [[Blind Willie McTell]] and Cab Calloway, among countless others.
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* American folksong of anonymous origin, most commonly credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose (a pseudonym for Irving Mills).
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* Arranged by [[Jack White]] and [[Meg White]].
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* Produced by [[Jack White]].
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* Co-produced and engineered by [[Jim Diamond]].
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* Recorded at [[Third Man Studios]], southwest [[Detroit]].
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==Meaning==
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* See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_Infirmary_Blues Wikipedia article on the song].
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==Band Quotes==
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==Trivia==
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* [[Bob Dylan]] used this song's melody in a song entitled "[[Blind Willie McTell]]", who himself recorded a rendition of the song under the title "Dying Crapshooter's Blues". Both artists are major [[influences]] on the White Stripes.
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* Exactly what the hell Jack is singing in the last line of the second verse of this song has been debated. The line in [http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiSTJAME.html the traditional lyrics] that should be here is "Put a twenty-piece jazz band on my tail gate to raise hell as we go along." However, in the White Stripes' rendition, he seems to be singing "Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace." This line, and the entire verse in fact, is a spin on a similar verse from another traditional song, [http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiLAREDST5.html "The Unfortunate Rake"]. Presumably, Jack sang "Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace", but stumbled with the lyrics a bit.
==Lyrics==
==Lyrics==
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<pre>
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''Oh, Coco...''
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<nowiki>
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Well, folks, I'm going down to St. James Infirmary to see my little lady there.<br>
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Well, folks, I'm going down to St. James Infirmary
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She's stretched out on a long, white table. Well, she looks so good, so cold, so fair.<br>
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To see my little lady there
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Let her go, let her go; God bless her, wherever she may be.<br>
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She's stretched out on a long, white table
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You may search this whole wide world over, but you'll never find another sweetheart like me.<br>
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Well, she looks so good, so cold, so fair.
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<br>
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Take apart your bones and put them back together. Tell your mama that you're somebody new.<br>
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Let her go, let her go, God bless her,  
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Feel the breeze blowin', tell them all 'look out, here it comes' -- now I can say whatever I feel like to you.<br>
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Wherever she may be,
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Then get me six crapshootin' pallbearers, let a chorus girl sing me a song.<br>
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You may search this wide world over,  
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Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace! Hallelujah as we go along...<br>
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But you'll never find another sweetheart like me.
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<br>
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Folks, now that you have heard my story; say, boy, hand me another shot of that rye.<br>
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Take apart your bones and put them back together
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And if anyone else should ask you, just tell em' I've got some of those St. James Infirmary blues.<br>
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Tell your mama that you're somebody new
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==External Links==
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Feel the breeze blowin'
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Tell them all 'look out, here it comes'
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Now I can say whatever I feel like to you
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Then get me six crap shootin' Paul Bearers
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Let a chorus girl sing me a song
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Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace
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Hallelujah as we go along  
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Folks, now that you have heard my story,
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Say, boy, hand me another shot of that rye;
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And if anyone else should ask you,
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Just tell em' I've got some of those St. James Infirmary blues.</nowiki></pre>
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[[Category:Songs]]
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[[Category:The White Stripes songs]]
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[[Category:The White Stripes covers]]

Current revision as of 01:38, 29 January 2012

Contents

Releases

Other Appearances

  • Appeared in the short film Six Shooter (2004)

Credits

Performers

Production

Meaning

Band Quotes

Trivia

  • Bob Dylan used this song's melody in a song entitled "Blind Willie McTell", who himself recorded a rendition of the song under the title "Dying Crapshooter's Blues". Both artists are major influences on the White Stripes.
  • Exactly what the hell Jack is singing in the last line of the second verse of this song has been debated. The line in the traditional lyrics that should be here is "Put a twenty-piece jazz band on my tail gate to raise hell as we go along." However, in the White Stripes' rendition, he seems to be singing "Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace." This line, and the entire verse in fact, is a spin on a similar verse from another traditional song, "The Unfortunate Rake". Presumably, Jack sang "Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace", but stumbled with the lyrics a bit.

Lyrics

Oh, Coco... Well, folks, I'm going down to St. James Infirmary to see my little lady there.
She's stretched out on a long, white table. Well, she looks so good, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go; God bless her, wherever she may be.
You may search this whole wide world over, but you'll never find another sweetheart like me.

Take apart your bones and put them back together. Tell your mama that you're somebody new.
Feel the breeze blowin', tell them all 'look out, here it comes' -- now I can say whatever I feel like to you.
Then get me six crapshootin' pallbearers, let a chorus girl sing me a song.
Put a little odds on top of that sweet grace! Hallelujah as we go along...

Folks, now that you have heard my story; say, boy, hand me another shot of that rye.
And if anyone else should ask you, just tell em' I've got some of those St. James Infirmary blues.

External Links

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