[Dixielandjazz] Put a Jazz Band on my hearse wagon/St James Infirmary

[Len Nielsen]

St James Infirmary

These are the words to the song, taken from a recording by Phil Harris.

When will I ever stop moanin'...Boy
When will I ever smile
My baby went and lef' me
She'll be gone a long, long while
I feel so blue and heart broken
What am I livin' for
My baby went and lef' me
Never to come back no more.

So I went down to dat St James Infirm'ry
I heard my baby groan
I felt so broken hearted
Baby used to be my own
I tried to keep from cryin'
My heart felt jus' lak lead
She was all I had to live for
I wished that it was me instead.

I went down to ole St James Infirm'ry
All was still as night
My gal stretched out on a cold white table
So cold, so pale, so white
Tho she treated me mean and low down
Somehow I didn't care
My soul is sick and weary
I hope we meet again up there.

(by back up singers)
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be

(Phil solo again)
She could look this wide world over
But she'll never find a SWEET man like me	

When I die I want you to dress me in straight laced shoes
A box backed coat with a Stetson hat
Put a 20 dollar gold piece in my watch chain
So the boys will know I died standing pat.

(spoken words by Phil)
I'll play these!

Louis Armstrong used some of the lyrics from the last part of this 
rendition, at least on one of his recordings. Would I be right in 
guessing that the version below began with the so called West Coast revival?

So then, this brings me to the point of my post.

Were original lyrics written together with the music and if so which 
ones were they? The lyrics are a little different on all of the many 
versions that I have, of this tune. :)

And, if there were no original lyrics when and where did the ones being 
used originate?

Also, is it simply a matter of the lyrics being adapted by jazz 
musicians in the same way that the music is improvised?

Enquiring minds??

Len Nielsen
Victoria Canada




Brian Wood asked about the quote:

"Put a jazz band on my hearse wagon, Raise Hell as I roll along."

See below lyrics to St. James Infirmary Blues. Not sure who first
uttered them.

Cheers,
Steve barbone

St. James Infirmary traditional

  It was down in Old Joe's barroom,
  On the corner by the square,
  The usual crowd was assembled
  And big Joe McKinney was there.

  He was standing at my shoulder.
  His eyes were bloodshot red;
  He turned to the crowd around him,
  These are the very words he said:

  "I went down to the St. James Infirmary
  I saw my baby there,
  She's laid out on a cold white table,
  So so cold, so white, so fair."

chorus
  "Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
  Wherever she may be
  She may search this wide world over
  She'll never find a sweet man like me."

  Oh, when I die, bury me
  In my high top Stetson hat;
  Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
  God'll know I died standin' pat.

  I want six crap shooters for pall bearers.
  Chorus girl to sing me a song.
  Put a jazz band on my hearse wagon.
  Raise Hell as I roll along.

  Roll out your rubber tired carriage,
  Roll out your old time hat.
  Twelve men going to the graveyard
  And eleven coming back.

  Now that I've told my story,
  I'll take another shot of booze.
  And if anyone should happen to ask you,
  I've got those gamblers' blues.


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