Kentucky Blues - Dennis "Little Hat" Jones

Repost of the Texas country blues classic, "Kentucky Blues." All credit goes to the original poster, who is unknown.
Saguin, Texas, is about 38 miles northeast of San Antonio.

Lyrics-
Well whiles we here tryin' to have our fun
'Spose the law jumped up and said, 'Nobody run!'
Well, you know I'm long gone, from Kentucky
Long gone, an' I got away lucky
'Cause I'm gonna leave Saguin,
I'll be just like a submarine

Well, my woman poked her head out from the window a bit
Said, 'Please don't let them kill Mister Little Hat dead'
I said, 'No use worryin', sweet mama, I ain't gonna be here long'
Tell her I love to sing this worryin' song
'Cause I'm gonna leave Saguin,
I'm gonna be just like a submarine

Well an officer, you know the man, they call him Austin Jack
Stopped and put the bloodhounds right on my track
'Cause the bloodhounds just could not catch my scent
You know, they couldn't tell where Little Hat went
'Cause I left Saguin,
People, I was just like a submarine

Well here comes the Santa Fe just puffin' and flyin'
Oughta seen me when I reached up and really caught them blinds
They said, 'There's another long gone - from Kentucky
Long gone - an' he got away lucky
'Cause he left Saguin,
He's just like a submarine'

I want to sing this song, ain't gonna sing no more....
'Cause I'm leavin' San Antonio, I declare I ain't coming here no more

Well, I don't play the dozen and neither the ten
'Cause you keep on talkin', I leads you in
Well you keep on talkin' till it makes me mad
Well I'll tell you 'bout the money that your father had
'Cause I don't play the dozen, I declare man, and neither the ten

Biographical note from "The Handbook of Texas Online"-
JONES, GEORGE [LITTLE HAT] (1899-1981). Blues musician George (Little Hat) Jones was born on a farm near the Sulphur River in Bowie County, Texas, on October 5, 1899, the only child of Felix Jones and his wife. The family farm was purchased by Jones' grandfather, a former slave.

Jones was a talented, though little known, blues musician. He quit school at the age of thirteen, after his father became ill and several crops were destroyed, in order to help out on the farm. During this period his mother bought him his first guitar. Between 1916 and 1929 he probably worked as a menial laborer. He acquired his nickname at a construction job in Garland. Because Jones came to work with a hat from which half the brim had been cut off, his boss called him "Little Hat" Jones and even made out his paychecks this way.

In 1929 Jones was in San Antonio. He first recorded, for Okeh Records, on June 15 of that year, when he cut two records of his own, "New Two Sixteen Blues" and "Two String Blues," and played backup for Texas Alexander. Jones then made a contract with Okeh for three years and recorded "Rolled from Side to Side Blues," "Hurry Blues," "Little Hat Blues," "Corpus Blues," "Kentucky Blues," "Bye Bye Baby Blues," "Cross the Water Blues," and "Cherry Street Blues." He also played in such cities as New Orleans, Galveston, and Austin, and occasionally ventured into Mexico. He was influenced in his guitar playing by Blind Lemon Jefferson and played with T. Texas Tyler and Jimmie Rodgers.qv

In 1937 Jones settled in Naples, Texas, with his second wife, Janie Traylor, and worked at odd jobs. In the years before his death he was employed at the Red River Army Depot. He died on March 7, 1981, and is buried in the Morning Star cemetery in Naples.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Colin Larkin, ed., Encyclopedia of Popular Music (London: Guinness, 1992; 3d ed., New York: Muze, 1998). "George 'Little Hat' Jones," Notables website (http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/nostalgia/Notables.html), accessed January 15, 2003.

Jenny Odintz

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Kentucky Blues
• country blues
• Texas blues
• prewar blues

[MrTriolian]

Great tune from an original artist of the early Country-Blues! Love it!

[biglloyddobbs]

@drdbones SEGUIN, not Sequin.

[drdbones]

It's spelled Sequin...Same place Doug Sahm grew up..

[lawngirl420]

I can't believe I could find this on youtube. Thank you, from the bottom of my soul.

[lordkoos]

Love this song. I had no idea he lived so long, it's a shame no one recorded him again before he died.

[ulbh]

Great! His name was George, tho :)

[MaceGill]

THANKS FOR POSTING THIS!

[mmpresti]

I'm going to leave *Seguin*, Texas.

[zenguitarblues]

great 5*****