SOME SUMMER DAY
Charley Patton

In the last of spring, one brown old day
Oh when he left you, he's gone to stay
And now 'at he's gone, Sally don't you worry,
'cause he still has chance number three.

I'm a-goin to th' station, down at the yard,
catch me a freight train, 'cause times got hard,
And now he's gone, Sally don't you worry,
'cause he still has chance number three.

Some gone a month, some gone a year,
Tell me darling, like I care,
And now he's gone, don't you worry,
Because you still have chance number three.

I have been days, I been gone days,
Why should I worry, and cry and pace?
But now he's gone, I don't worry,
'cause he still has chance number three.

I'm goin to th' station, ....
Coal and water won't help you none,
But now he's gone, I don't worry
Because he still has chance number three.

The happy days, they have gone by,
Why should I worry, take careful stride (?)
But now he's gone, I don't worry
Because he still has chance number three.

Some gotta moan, some gotta yell,
Tell me Harry, gotta lifetime gal?
But now he's gone, I don't worry
'cause he still has chance number three.

SOME SUMMER DAY - PART 1

It was late last spring, one summer day.
Oh when he left here, he's gone to stay.
But now Harvey's gone, darlin' don't you worry.
Because he'd kill again another day.

I'm worried and sinlin', out in the yard.
Catch me a freight train, good times got hard.
But now he's gone, darlin', don't you worry.
Because he'd kill again another day.

Some got a month, some got a year.
Purvis Harvey got lifetime here.
But now he's gone, don't you worry.
Because he'd kill again another day.

I have seen days, I didn't know your name.
Why should I worry and cry in vain?
But now he's gone, I don't worry.
Because he'd kill again another day.

I'm worried and sinkin'
Dry bread and water, won't have to starve.
But now he's gone, I don't worry.
Because he'd kill again another day.

Those happy days, they have gone by.
Why should I worry? Harvey killed poor Shine.
But now he's gone, I don't worry.
Because he'd kill again another -

Some got a month, some got a year.
Purvis Harvey who has got a lifetime here.
But now he's gone, I don't worry.
Because he'd kill again another -

SOME SUMMER DAY
Charley Patton

It was late last spring, one brown old day (or, one summer day)
Oh when he left you, he's gone to stay
And now 'at he's gone, Sally don't you worry, (or, Harry's gone)
'cause he still has chance number three.

I'm a-goin to th' station, down at the yard,
catch me a freight train, 'cause times got hard,
And now he's gone, Sally don't you worry,
'cause he still has chance number three.

Some got a month, some got a year,
Tell me darling, like I care,
And now he's gone, don't you worry,
Because you still have chance number three.

I have seen days, I didn't know your name,
Why should I worry, and cry in vain?
But now he's gone, I don't worry,
'cause he still has chance number three.

I'm goin to th' station, ....
Coal and water won't help you none,
But now he's gone, I don't worry
Because he still has chance number three.

The happy days, they have gone by,
Why should I worry, take careful stride (?) (Possibly, "They killed poor Shine")
But now he's gone, I don't worry
Because he still has chance number three.

Some gotta moan, some gotta yell, (or, Some got a month, some got a year)
Tell me Harry, gotta lifetime gal? (or, Tell me Harry, got lifetime here)
But now he's gone, I don't worry
'cause he still has chance number three.

Note that I still can't justify changing "still has chance number three" to "kill again another day". I'll concede "still has chance" could be wrong but I just can't get, try as I might, "'nother day" for "number three". The last sylable definitely has a long 'e' vowel sound, not a long 'a'. I'll stick by my transcription of the second and fifth verses, but go with your version of the first and fourth verses (I had considered "cry in vain" as a strong possibility before choosing "cry and pace" but I had the first line of the verse wrong anyway). The rest of the differences are pretty much up in the air, except for one thing: I don't hear the name "Purvis Harvey" in the Patton version at all. Oh, and I'm pretty confident in my hearing of the second line of the third verse.

Jon W.

I tried to convince myself that your "take careful stride" should be "take care or strife" but I it takes some sophistry to do it.

Brian, your version sounds like an "event song" about a guy named Purvis Harvey. Sounds like he got a prison sentence(?). There was a time I thought Pattons version was about prison because of the "some got a month, some got a year" line--one of the few I understood before Jon's work.

Can you give us some more information about R.R. MacLeod. I don't know about him either.

Murray

R.R.MacLeod has produced a number of books of transcriptions of pre-war blues lyrics. So far he has transcribed all the songs released on Yazoo LPs 1001 - 1083 (in two separate volumes) and four volumes of songs released on Document CDs.

All these books are in print, published by Edinburgh based publishers PAT.

His transcription of 'Some Summer Day - Part 1' is in his first volume of document transcriptions.

He states under his transcription:

"I am confident about the transcription, though Pat Christensen of the Arkansas Governor's Office and Dwight Harris of Mississippi Department of Archives and History have no record of a Pervis/Purvis Harvey in the State penal systems of the time. The latter suggests it may be a nickname, and I'm inclined towards Harvey being the Christian name, with Purvis his origin, distinct nicknames not being uncommon in a rural population largely sharing half a dozen surnames."

Some of his earlier transcriptions of the Yazoo catalogue aren't always 100% accurate (a fact he readily concedes), but his later ones are usually pretty good. He now uses a dictation machine to slow down the speed of the recordings to make transcriptions easier (I learned this from a BBC radio programme where he was talking with the blues writer Paul Oliver).

Having said that I can't personally give an opinion on the lyrics to this particular song, because I'm in the frustrating situation of not having a copy of it! But I have nothing but admiration for anyone who can even begin to transcribe Charley Patton lyrics, I know just how difficult it is!

I've seen tablature for some Charley Patton songs done by Stefan Grossman in "How to Play Delta Blues Guitar" by Oak Publications, also by Woody Mann in his "Blues Guitar Anthology" book which I believe is also published by Oak. The books ought to be available at any music store that specializes in blues/folk/acoustic music.