Bottle It Up And Go

Bottle It Up And Go 2:46 Trk 3 Disc 1

Tommy McClennan

Recorded: Wednesday Nov. 22, 1939 Chicago, Illinois

RCA Studio A., A&R - Lester Melrose

Tommy McClennan - vocal & guitar

Album: RCA Bluebird Recordings 1939-1942

RCA 07863, 67430-2 (BMG Music) 1997

*Note at end

Yes, yas

Got to bottle it up an go

Got to bottle it up an go

Now, 'em high-power women

(guitar)

Yeah

Now, she may be old

Ninety year

She ain't too old

For the shift them gears

She gots (guitar)

'Got to do what, tell me 'gain?'

'Got to bottle it up and go'

Now, them high power women

Yeah!

Now, I told my girl

Week 'fore last

The gate she jus' came in

Just a little too fast

She had to bottle it up an go

She had to bottle it up an go'd

An them high-power women

(guitar)

Yes, yeah

Now, the nigger and the white man

Playin', set 'em up

Nigger beat the white man

Was scared to pick it up

'He had the bottle up and do what?'

Had to bottle it up and go

And them high-power women

(guitar)

Yeah

Now, look-a-here, baby

You stay last night?

Ain't none a yo' business

You don't do me right

'You got t'

(guitar)

'Gotta do what?

Tell me again, I don't understand?'

I've got the bottle up and go'd

I ain't gon' bother with 'em

Now, them high-power women

Yeah

Now, nickel is a nickel

A dime is a dime

I don' need no girl

If she want wine

She has to

(guitar)

Had do what?

Had to bottle up and go

And them high-power women

Yeah

Now, my mama killed a chicken

She thought it was a duck

She put him on the table

With the legs stickin' up

He had-a (guitar)

Had to do what?

He had the bottle it up and go'd

An them high-powered women

Sho' got the bottle up and gone

'Yeah, play it man-a

Be-da, bee, bop, bop, bop

Bo, de-dum, be-dum, bop, bop

Bo, bom, bom, bom, bom

Bee-da, bee-um, bop-um, bop-um, bop

Bo, bop-um, bop-um, bop-bop, be-ba

T-dee-da, t-dee-da

T-da-da-da

(guitar)

Yeah!

Uh-huh!

Got the bottle up and go

Got the bottle up and go

Now, you high-power women

Sho' got to bottle 'em up and go.

~

*Note: (Bluebird insert notes by M.K. Aldin)

(brief & condensed) notes about this song )

Big Bill Broonzy told Tommy not to use the 'n' word.

But he got mad at Bill and said, 'Hell no, I'll

Never change my song'. Big Bill said he knew

Tommy was right, the way he felt about it because

He had sang the same words in another song of his

Before Tommy was born but knew better than to do

It in the North...

The next night Big Bill took Tommy to a party, Tommy

Sang his version of 'Bottle It Up And Go.' The song flopped

And Big Bill had to put Tommy out the window and they

Ran 5 miles to one of Big Bill's friend's house.

~