Acrylic Painting "Crow Jane Blues" Original 30" by 40"
Reproduction 12" by 16" with foamcore backing, ready to hang.
Crow Jane Blues is a tradtional eight bar blues song that can be played in a variety of styles including bluegrass. The song was found in Piedmont region (Greenville SC) in the early 1900s and was know by most of the bluesmen from the Piedmont area including Josh White as "Red River Blues", Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Wille Walker, Blind Boy Fuller as "Bye Bye Baby Blues" in 1937. It's also been done by John Cephas (Cephas and Wiggins), Skip James, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Big Joe Williams played the song in the Mississippi Delta region before 1920 and has one of the earliest claims to the song.
The painting depicts the death and burial of Crow Jane with the Red River flowing from "my backdoor to the Rising Sun." Most of the elements found in the lyrics below are also depicted.
Crow Jane Blues Lyrics
CHORUS: Crow Jane, Crow Jane, Don't you hold your head so high,
Cause someday baby, you know you’re gonna die.
Which way, which way, Does that blood red river run?
From my back door, to the Risin' Sun.
I'm gonna buy me a pistol, Long as I am tall,
Shoot Crow Jane just to see her fall.
I dug that woman’s grave, Eight feet in the ground,
Didn’t feel sorry, ‘til I laid her down.
I dug her grave, With a silver spade,
Ain't nobody, gonna take my Crow Jane’s place.
They laid her down, With a golden chain
And every link would cry Crow Jane’s name.