
Jim’s got us back to body parts, prompting us with "Ankles/Hands/Feet/Fingers/Toes/Wrists." I found what I thought would be the perfect song, Denise LaSalle’s "Feet Don’t Fail Me," then about drove myself crazy trying to find the lyrics. And I couldn’t do it, so I did the next best think: I transcribed them myself. I think I did pretty well, but if you see any errors, let me know.
As I mentioned Friday, when her song "Now Run And Tell That" was #9 on my Friday 5×2, Denise was a blues/R&B/soul/disco singer, songwriter, and record producer, who had been recognized as the "Queen of the Blues" since the death of Koko Taylor. She passed away in 2018, and I don’t know who the reigning queen is. Anyway, "Feet Don’t Fail Me" is on her 1978 album Under The Influence. I’m going to guess that she wrote it.
The lyrics, as well as I could transcribe them:
But I let things get out of hand
I woke up this morning in a bad situation
Lyin’ in the arms of another man
My man, he works real hard,
Never gets home ’til the break of dawn
Now, maybe you try hard, you better run all the way
Maybe I can beat the man home
Come on feet, please don’t fail me
Come on eyes, Lord don’t give me away
Come on man, you better help me think of a reason
For comin’ home, Lord, at the break of day
Listen man, you’d better hurry
And help me think of an alibi
Don’t let me stand there with egg all over my face
‘Cause I know I’m gonna have to tell a lie
Come on eyes, please don’t betray me
If he’s standin’ there when I get home
You gotta help me, look him dead in the face
And convince him that I ain’t done no wrong
Come on feet, please don’t fail me
Come on eyes, Lord don’t give me away
Come on man, you got to help me think of a reason
For comin’ home, Lord, at the break of day
[instrumental break]
Come on feet, please don’t fail me
Come on eyes, Lord don’t give me away
Come on man, you got to help me think of a reason
For comin’ home, Lord, at the break of day
[repeat and fade out]
That’s Song Lyric Sunday, and Song of the Day, for February 23, 2020.
I don’t think I ever heard this before? I like it a lot. Great choice!
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I had used a Denise LaSalle song on Friday, and that was pretty much the first time I had heard of her.
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Love her voice John. Great pick.
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Thanks!
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This one takes me back to Sunday afternoon jam sessions and sipping Jack Daniels! LOL! Excellent share, John. You win the Internet! 😀
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Thanks! Funny thing, as much blues as I listen to, I somehow missed her, and she’s really fantastic.
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She truly is, and another blues artist I learned about at a young age. She was from the same Ole Miss haunts as my dad and he always said “his people knew her people” – you know, that southern thang. LOL! Most people know her for one or two pop and R&B hits, but she’s so much more. 🙂
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I hate it when that happens! She really gets into the nitty-gritty of her wrongdoing and she does it so well. Heck of a song, John!
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Glad you liked it! She was a fantastic singer that somehow I missed.
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Do I need to worry about my transcription work because of you too, John? Great job. I wonder what happened when she got home?
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No, trust me, you can have all the transcription wotk. I did it this time because I wanted to use the song and couldn’t find the lyrics, but from now on, if I can’t find the lyrics, I’m using a different song…
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Great Southern Soul music, thanks for sharing this John.
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Fabulous voice!
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I thought so, too.
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Brilliant song tell a whole story. Such a voice 💜
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She was a very talented lady with an amazing voice.
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Yes indeed 💜
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