32-20 blues
| 32-20 blues | |
|---|---|
| Robert Johnson | |
| publication | 1937 |
| length | 2:49 |
| Genre (s) | Delta blues |
| Author (s) | Robert Johnson |
| Label | Vocalion Records |
32-20 Blues is a song by the American Delta Blues singer and guitarist Robert Johnson . The blues song was first recorded by Johnson on November 26, 1936 in San Antonio , Texas and released in 1937 as a single with the B-side Last Fair Deal Gone Down on Vocalion Records .
The recording also appeared after Johnson's untimely death in 1937 on the album King of the Delta Blues Singers and in 1991 on the album The Complete Recordings .
In the dark lyrics, a man threatens his girlfriend (or wife) with violence; threatens Smith and Wesson (Take my 32-20, now, and cut her half in two) with his pistol 32-20 . The lyrical I also accuses the woman twice in the lyrics of infidelity (Ah-ah baby where you stay last night // You got your hair all tangled and you ain't talkin 'right) .
As with many Johnson pieces, the structure and content of the song go back to an older blues song, in this case the 22-20 blues by Skip James . Many musicians have covered the piece, including Muddy Waters , The New York Dolls , Bob Dylan , Eric Clapton , Keith Richards and Gov't Mule .
Individual evidence
- ^ The Complete Recordings, Robert Johnson, text booklet, page 37