The Key to Sucess Captured by Henry Thomas

Lyrics of Wisdom

Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bite if you got good bait.

Henry Thomas (1874-1950s?). Henry (Ragtime Texas) Thomas was a major pre-war country blues singer and musician. Thomas, born in Big Sandy, Texas, began his musical career as an itinerant songster (minstrel), and recorded twenty-three songs from 1927 to 1929. He accompanied himself with the guitar and the quills, a folk instrument made from cane reeds that sound similar to the quena used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia. Some of his songs are difficult to categorize — they sound more like precursors to blues than like what is now called "blues. " They are, therefore, a rare testimony of the kind of music which preceded the establishment of the blues music in the 19th century.
His best-known influence has been through two songs. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal and The Lovin' Spoonful, and "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by Canned Heat as "Going Up The Country".

Henry Thomas

Fishing blues

Bet you're goin' fishing all of the time
Your baby's goin' fishing too.
Bet your life that your sweet wife
Will catch more fish than you.
Many fish bites if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bite if you got good bait.
I'm a-goin' fishing
Yes I'm goin' fishing
And my baby's goin' fishing too.

I went on down to my favorite fishing hole
Baby, grabbed me a pole and line
Pulled my pole on in, caught a nine pound catfish
And I brought him home for suppertime
Proving any fish bites if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bite if you got good bait.
I'm a-goin' fishing
Yes I'm goin' fishing
And my baby's goin' fishing too.

Baby brother 'bout to run me out of my mind
Saying ``Can I go fishing with you?''
I took him on down to the fishing hole
Now what do you think that he did do?
Pulled a great big fish at the bottom of the pond
Now he laughed and jumped 'cause he was real gone.
Many fish bite if you got good bait
I'm a-goin' fishing
Yes I'm goin' fishing
And my baby's goin' fishing too

Put him in a pot, baby, put him in a pan,
Honey, cook him till he nice and brown
Make a batch of buttermilk hotcakes, mama,
Chew him fast and chomp him on down
Saying ``Any fish bites if you got good bait
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate
Many fish bite if you got good bait
I'm a-goin' fishing
Yes I'm goin' fishing
And my baby's goin' fishing too''