When The Blues Was Dues- Blind Willie McTell’s “Rollin’ Mama Blues” 

…They called her Magnolia May(although he later found out, after he had gone to hell and back with her, had done every hellish thing to and with her, and had gone to  heaven with her too he wanted everybody to know, her real  name was Anna Sue Barkin), the highest yella gal in Ma Stover’s negro whorehouse over on Blanchard Street (although Ma kept a few off-hand just off farm white girls, all corn-fed and dewy, dope-heads by the time Ma got them , just to mix things up but you had to know Ma, or special request those girls, and Ma kept them on a separate floor, a separate floor from the high yella girls that Ma was known far and wide for), the girl every guy, especially those foolish college boys from over at State University craved when their monthly daddy checks came in. And Jackson Barr, Junior was no different, no different once one of his frat brothers clued him in to Ma’s, to high yella girls, and to the best way to spent that daddy check walking daddy right over to Ma’s. Right over to Ma’s after stopping at Mr. Henry’s in town for some fine old whiskey, scotch and rye, store bought, and some, uh, cocaine, not store bought, although legal, not store bought since other drugstore establishments insisted on a genuine prescription from a genuine doctor. Mr. Henry had no such scruples. 

And so Jackson Barr headed (with other frat brothers but they don’t count in this story so we will move on) over to Ma’s one hot Saturday night in early June just before the semester was over at State, entered her establishment, took out some walking daddy money, all green and pure, handed his liquors to the man servant and declared to Ma, declared calmly but forthrightly, that he wanted the highest yella girl in her fine establishment. Hence Magnolia May.

 And hence seven kinds of hell and heaven once they had gone up to her room for the very first thing she did was to drop down her dress to show off  her high yella fine wares, all curves and cuddles in the right places, and boldly, not whore boldly although that was her professional, but hey daddy you are in for a treat boldly, asked Jackson Barr, Junior just exactly how did he want his rolling done (what kind of sex, no rough stuff to mar her body, did he want for the clueless). After a finger of scotch and two fingers of coke which he invited her to share with him they jumped on her big fluffy bed and she gave him some head, spitting his jimson into her handkerchief after he exploded in her mouth.    

Two weeks and five hundred miles later Jackson Barr, Senior, Ma Stover, seventeen officials from State, the Texas Rangers, and who knows what else, found Jackson Barr, Junior and Magnolia May in the Imperial Hotel in Austin, Texas after about a million odd-ball incidents, a million liquor drinks, many bindles of dope, and after about twenty pages from the Karma Sutra on the ways that Jackson Barr, Junior wanted his rolling done. They hushed it all up by agreement, and gave Magnolia May a one- way ticket to Chicago, or else. But always after, even with his wife, all curves and cuddles, all white curves and cuddles, sleeping right beside and willing to do some rolling of her own, he kept thinking of that June time, and about maybe heading to Chicago on business some time.               

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Blind Willie McTell Rollin' Mama Blues Lyrics

 

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Now tell me baby
How do you want your rollin' done?
Now tell me baby
How do you want your rollin' done?

I want you to start in the mornin' baby
And roll me with the settin' of the sun

Oh, roll me on my belly baby
Feed me with your chocolate drop
Oh, roll me on my belly baby
Feed me with your chocolate drop

I want you to keep it all for your daddy
And don't give nobody none

Want you to roll me baby
Like the baker rolls his dough
Want you to roll me baby
Like the baker rolls his dough

And if you get some of my lovin'
You won't want your rider no more

Oh, reel and rock me baby
Honey, if it's all night long
Oh, reel and rock me baby
Honey, if it's all night long

You don't have to worry about your lovin'
I'm a deep sea diver and I don't go wrong

Won't you come back baby?
You got me all confused
Won't you come back baby?
You got me all confused

That's why I'm singin'
These barrel house woman blues