Atlanta Special Lyrics - Singles - Bukka White

Atlanta Special 6:03 Trk 20 

Bukka White (Booker T. Washington White) 

Recorded: 1963 Memphis, Tennessee 

Album: Parchman Farm Blues - Roots RTS 33055 

Transcriber: [email protected] 

Bukka -spoken: 

This is song Atlanta Special, here 

Runnin' all down through Georgia 

All down through the south 

An all through the Gulf of Mexico 

When I was a little boy 

I was startin' to catchin' this train 

And I never forget, I fifteen years old. 

I hear'd that train that mo'nin 

That 8:45 was hittin' that rail 

I had my mule goin' to the field 

To do some plowin' for my old grandfather. 

But when this train was comin' down the line 

She picked up wit' it. 

(guitar - comin' down the line) 

I say, 'Whoa!' 

My mule stopped 

I 'cide to leave, I'd try the world 

I eased on out there 

And I caught the old freight train 

That went on down 

All down through Gulf of Mexico 

And ev'rywhere else. 

Oh, I got to thinkin' about Atlanta, Georgia. 

I say, 'I b'lieve I go back where my 

old grandmother live at.' 

Oh, one night I was sittin' down 

Boilin' some corn down on the railroad track. 

I thought about what my old grandmother 

told me years ago. 

Said son: 

'You got to reap what you sew. 

If you don't be a good boy, you gon' 

have bad luck.' 

I made me a record 

(they'll buys it) 

(This way Atlanta, Georgia) 

This song: 

Sings: 

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, left my home 

Mm-mm-mm 

Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord! 

When I fell back in Atlanta, Georgia 

Old lady lived, last name Miss Ester. 

She said, 'Son, I heard one of your records 

about Atlanta, Georgia. 

Said, 'Can you play it, now?' 

I reached back in my guitar case 

and pulled m'old raggedy guitar out. 

So glad to get back home 

I commenced to playin' this song for Aunt Ester. 

Sings: 

Lord, oh Lord, Lord, Lord! 

Mm-mm-mm 

So glad I headed back home 

Old lady starts at me, did I want anything to eat? 

I was sittin' there lookin' out toward the railroad 

track. I never will forget it, she brought me ham 

an egg, an toasted cheese an hot cup-a-coffee. 

When that straight line ten mile a-goin' to 

I dropped my head an I dropped my food. 

I said, 'Now, I got to ride this train back'. 

She said, 'Son, what is wrong?' 

I said, 'Well, Aunt Ester.' 

I said, 'Booker got to go.' 

That train was turnin' tight that mo'nin. 

(guitar- turnin' tight) 

Aunt Ester ask-ed 

'Would I know that train if I could hear it?' 

She said, 'You're too young, you don't 

know nothin' too much about hoboin'. 

I said, 'Well, I tell ya Aunt Ester, if I can 

hear the bell on this train I could tell you 

mo' about it.' 

When that train jumped to the fifteen mile 

curve, a bell will give you a toll like this: 

(guitar- bell tolling) 

Made me thought about when my baby 

got sick n' she died. She's, they called me up. 

When she run in her fifteen mile curve 

She throw'd on the airbrake for la't ten mile. 

(guitar - airbraking) 

So, Aunt E. stops me. 

She says, 'Where you was born at?' 

I said, 'Atlanta, Georgia' 

She said, 'That why you can play that ol' guitar, can't cha!' 

While we was talkin' she heard that train comin' 

into that fifteen mile curve. 

Two old ladies was on that train, cryin' an supperin' 

pullin' down the blind. A man give him a signal 

from the engine to the coach to slow down. 

You could hear him chokin' that train 'specially down 

comin' through Lou'siana like this: 

(guitar - chokin' train) 

When the man throw'd that red light on 

Him sho' know it come, that fifteen mile curve. 

I ease on off back to the station 

I tol' Aunt E stop, thank her for her food. 

She said, 'Son, don't forget what your 

mother, now, used to told you 

Now, she said, Take life easy.' 

I jumped on out there and got in the blind. 

That train jumped on outta town. 

(I was steady jumpin' down) 

(Hauled through Georgia, Lou'siana) 

Right on down to a place he called 

Port Teht (?) 

(That's in Lou'siana) 

(They was strippin' sorghum 

and ev'rything I done got hauled in) 

I get off the freight train 

For a job aks the man for me 

Somethin' to eat 

He said, 'Can you strip sorgham? 

I said, I read about it, but I ain't never did it 

He said, 'If you eat anything, you gon' strip it!' 

I 'cided to do a little piece a-work for him 

He went in there an got me sorghum, molasses 

cornbread, toasted cheese, hot cup a-coffee. 

My train was in the yard 

The train blowed! 

When I hear that train blow, gettin' on 

I said I'm fixin' to stop t'stripin 'em. 

(guitar to end) 

~