‘bout Da Blues Poem by Byok Pettersson

The blues spoke out loud, as the very first person, to me
Talkin' ‘bout movin' on and leavin' your troubles behind
That's why the blues should feel like, setting free
One day, a college educated black man, rather refined
Met a lean loose-jointed negro vagrant, swingin' with motion
He was a sittin' over there, in between the police and railway stations
When he heard this gifted black musician, playing his guitar
But, he'd been pulling a knife across the strings, how bizarre
It was the weirdest sound, that he ever, did hear.

Music was being played all down the south coast
Mainly for pleasure, but also for future profit, they'd all boast
But people were throwing coins, at the soles of this dudes feet
He said, it's played by all the blacks, that the whites don't hear
Played all day and night, making some money, just so, to eat
Some would even use a wash bowl, along with some spoons

I wanted to learn me, how to pick that guitar, oh yes indeed
There was a sweet singer of the swamp lands, high on weed
Passing on by here, to put down a few tracks, ‘bout da blues
He'd never stay too long, cos he was wanted by the state
Word had it, he was from a town in Texas, named Fate
He was a black buck, known as, Lead Belly, without any fear
Yep, he did become that infamous, black, murderous minstrel

You gotta take an eight bar phrase
Then simply, make it a twelve bar phrase
Now ya got ya selves, da ole fashioned blues
You'd know a lot more about the blues, by meeting the people
Than you would, all listening to it from home or relying on the news
Or seated around a knob on the radio dial, like all laypeople
The uptight white cats from LA, didn't hear those sort of tones
Even after sitting, right beside the famous UK Rolling Stones

In the meantime, mainstream USA, sat up and twirled
As they all smashed through, the southern racial barrier
So everyone could be happier, let's forget about the exterior
The British had heard it and went full steam, they told the world
Letting y'all know, who these great blues music people, really were
Then white America said, ‘Well let me go see', what's so new

When it was all done and finalised
It was only then, that we then realised
That it was so hip hop
For us to put the blues on top
We had the big bop, then the 80s pop
Thru to ZZ Top, along with another MTV flop
Tearing it all up, leaving behind very few clues
Even though, they were just, as bad to the bone
Just as the original good ole blues
Should have always gone.