“Troubled, South of Memphis, 3 a.m.”

Rose Hemphill sings & plays acoustic slide guitar on the original recording

with “a scalding intensity,” broken & ferocious at the same time.

It was the physicality with which she plays and the raw vulnerability

with which she sings that first drew me to this recording.

I don’t know of anyone who sings or plays quite like this,

now or ever – frankly.

One of the challenging things about this piece was working with

the voice & guitar as one piece.

There was, obviously, no separation between the two.

It forced me into some unusual creative corners.

Those almost always end up being the most satisfying challenges

to work your way out of.

The line that best defines the song for me is,

“Woke up this morning, didn’t know right from wrong.”

That’s the sound of being completely lost,

and was the thing that kept drawing me back to this recording.

Source Recording:

“Rolled & Tumbled” Rose Hemphill

recorded by Alan Lomax in Senatobia, MS – September, 1959

Musicians

Alan Berliant – bass

Richie Davis – electric guitar

Orbert Davis – muted trumpet

Jim Gailloreto – saxes & clarinet

Larry Glazier – cello

Pete LaBella – violin

Curt Morrison – electric guitar

Steve Mullen – piano, organ, synth & drum programming

John Rice – acoustic slide gtr, lap steel

Rob Stone – harmonica

Jeff Thomas – drums & percussion

Rose Hemphill - vocal & guitar

* “Troubled South Of Memphis, 3 a.m.” contains elements from “Rolled & Tumbled” performed by Rose Hemphill and recorded by Alan Lomax. Used courtesy of the Alan Lomax Archive, under license from Odyssey Productions, Inc.

“Troubled, South of Memphis, 3 A.M.”

(lyrics)

rolled an’ I tumbled,

cried the whole night long,

rolled an’, rolled an’ I – rolled an’, rolled an’ I

rolled an’ I tumbled,

cried the whole night long

got up this mornin’

didn’t know right from wrong

got up, got up this

got up, got up this mornin’

didn’t know right from wrong

what you gonna do

when your troubles be like mine?

gonna stand an’ wring,

gonna wring my hands and cry

what you want with a,

what you want with a woman

she won’t do nothin’ she says,

rolled an’ I tumbled,

cried the whole night long

rolled an’ I tumbled