What's The Matter Now Lyrics - First Recordings: The Alan Lomax Portrait Series - Mississippi Fred Mcdowell

What's The Matter Now 4:56 Trk 10 

Mississippi Fred McDowell 

Recorded Sept. 25, 1959, Como Mississippi 

(previously unreleased) 

Fred McDowell - guitar & vocal 

w/unk 'broom sweeping' background 

Album: Portraits The First Recordings 

Rounder CD 1718 

Transcriber: [email protected] 

Note: 2 women on track with spoken comments 

having fun throughout song. (poss. 3rd ,young man) 

#1 prob. standing in back, #2 prob. broomsweeper. 

Unk 1: 'Thought I would stand in the back 

I gotta hear those.' 

Fred begins: 

Well, what's the matter now? 

Unk 1 'She left' 

'Yeah-yeah-yeah' 

'Ooh, what she's doin' 

Lord, I wonder 

Baby, what's the matter now? 

Unk 1 'Lord! Hoo! 

Unk 2 

Unk 1 'She left you' 

Where were you when that 

Little rooster crowed 'fore day? 

Unk 1 'You go'd a-plenty out' 

'You know where I was!' 

Unk 2 'Don't tell!' 

It was soon one mornin' 

Baby, ev'rything was quiet 

(Yeah!) (Hoo!) 

Unk 'Good sound, Fred' 

It was soon one mornin' 

When ev'rything was quiet 

(guitar) 

Unk 1 'On my merry way, like he goin' 

Unk 2 'You better tell him to stop then! 

Unk 2 'I can't stop him!' 

Unk 1 'You better!' 

Lord, bring me my pistol 

Lord, my shotgun, too 

poss Unk 3 'Book him, now' 

Unk 2 

Bring me my pistol 

Bring me my shotgun, too 

Unk 1 'Bet he kill little birdies' 

Unk 1 'Little lambs, too' 

If I meet my baby's nigger 

Ain't no tellin' what he might do 

Unk 1 'He, right' 

Unk 1 'Um-hm' 

(guitar) 

Unk 3 'You ain't know'd his name' 

Well, it's bye-bye, baby 

I ain't got no mo' t'say 

Well, it's bye-bye, baby 

I ain't got no-ooh mo' t'say 

(guitar) 

Unk 1 'Sayin' them, THINGS!' 

Unk 2 'Go ahead 'n pull!' 

Unk 2 'I can't keep doin' this broom! 

Be happy if He Shot Me!' 

'He try then, he see' 

I'd rather see my mama 

You come in sloppy drunk 

(Yes, yes) 

Ruther see my mama 

Come in-in-in sloppy drunk 

Then to see my baby, Lord 

Packin' up her trunk 

Unk 'Who says?' 

Well, it's bye-bye, baby 

Lord, if you call that gone 

Well, it's bye-bye 

If you call that gone. 

(Alright!) 

(Yeah!) 

ha-ha-ha 

~