Cotton Pickers "I WISH I COULD SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE" (1922)

[fillra]

And here are those words:

"Why don't you get off Katie's head?

Why don't you keep out of Katie's bed?

It's a shame this very day She's like a little child at play,

It's a shame how your lyin' on her head,

I thought sure you would kill her dead, Why don't you be nice, boy - and take my advice,

Keep off Katie's head, I mean - get out of Katie's bed."

There's another verse by teenage Louis which I can't trace now, but it was something about sticking a finger up (deceased) Big Katie's ass...

[eldon12000]

Thanks for sharing this. Love it, and the images...thanks also for identifying the well known players!

[fillra]

Clarence Williams, the pianist and bandleader from the 20s, claimed copyright on this along with Armand Piron. There's a (probably true) story by Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory that Louis had a version of this tune going before 1920, composed by himself, and it was copied down by Clarence Williams, and Louis got $50 for it... but no composer-credit. Kid Ory said that the words were "too dirty" to repeat to a jazz interviewer because they related to a murdered New Orleans prostitute, Kate Townsend.

[geofbrit59]

Great video! Cool song, lots of images & information. If you are using Photoshop to clean up labels (like me) try using the rubber stamp tool, you won't be able to see the touch-ups.

[bsgs98]

Thanks for the comment. I use PS Elements (the junior version of Photoshop). I have a clone stamp tool... is that the same as the rubber stamp tool? I save as 640x400 .wmv but YouTube always manages to reduce the quality.

[geofbrit59]

Yes, Same tool. Try it! I don't know the images look nice and clear to me.