Biography
Eli Framer recorded only two titles, I believe, in Atlanta in 1929. I don't think anything is known about him in the biographical sense, but he is supposed to have been from Alabama. He accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for "Framer's Blues", and does a nifty job of it, with strong thumb-popped bass notes. From his singing, he sounds like he may have been an older man when he recorded. This is a terrific cut, and the extent to which he barely varies his accompaniment ends up giving the whole rendition a sort of "lost in time" quality and cumulative impact. That sense of sameness or repetition is strikingly broken when he goes long at the end of the opening line of his fifth verse. I like the idea of him having his own blues named for him, and think we should all have such songs.
Mama, I'm gwine to the river, set down there by myself
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Say, I'm goin' to the river, babe, gonna set down there by myself
Told the woman I love, she don't want nobody else
Say, if it wasn't for my Mother, then this girl I love
Say, is it wasn't for my Mother, baby, then the girl I love
Give my body to the fishes, Lord, my soul to the Lord above
Say, my Mama fussed with me, when I was young and wild
Say, my Mama fussed with me, when I was young and wild
"Mama, you oughta consider, Mama, Lord, you done been a child."
Well, I ain't gwonna marry, babe, I swear I ain't gwonna settle down
Well, I ain't gwonna marry, babe, I swear I ain't gwonna settle down
Say, I'm gon' stay 'round here, babe, gonna wear these good browns down
Babe, if blues gonna kill me, baby, better take my measure, measure now, Lord,
Blues gonna kill me, baby, take my measure now
Say, the blues gonna kill me, baby, take my measure now
There's a change in the ocean, mama, change in the deep blue sea
There's a change in the ocean, baby, change in the deep blue sea
Say, you take me back, baby, find a change in me
I followed my rider, baby, to her burying ground
Say, I followed my rider, baby, to her burying ground
Say, "Easy, preacher, let her body down."
Edited 1/6 to pick up corrections from uncle bud
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.