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CARELESS LOVE
(Traditional American - Late 19th/Early 20th Century)
As with many of these "Traditional" blues songs that are very seldom written down
in their original format, the words, and sometimes even the tune, get changed along
the way, depending on the memory or the mood of the person singing it at the time.
"Careless Love" was first known around the beginning of the 20th Century and
there are at least three quite different sets of lyrics associated with the title. In the
early 1920s, it was re-worked by W.C. Handy, Spencer Williams and Martha Koenig
and re-appeared as "Careless Love Blues", again with a different lyric. To make it
more confusing, this version has also been recorded many times under the title of
"Careless Love".
Bessie Smith - 1925
Lonnie Johnson - 1928
Jimmy tarleton - 1931
Lee Wiley - 1934
Blind Boy Fuller - 1937
Joe Turner - 1940
Josh White & Sidney Bechet - 1940
Tex Williams - 1948
The Ravens - 1949
Jean Ritchie - 1954
Claire Austin with Kid Ory - 1954
Charlie Ventura & Mary Ann McCall - 1954
Eddy Arnold - 1955
ChrisBarber's Jazz Band (vocal: Ottilie Patterson) - 1955
Fats Domino - 1956
Teddi King with Al Cohn & His Orch. - 1956
Firehouse Five Plus Two (Instr.) - 1956
Lena Horne - 1957
Nat King Cole (feat. in the film "St. Louis Blues") - 1958
Eartha Kitt with Shorty Rogers & His Giants - 1958
Dinah Washington - 1958
Pearl Bailey - 1958
Pete Seeger - 1958
Ed McCurdy - 1958
Frankie Laine - 1959
Andy Griffith - 1959
Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges (Instr.) - 1959
Hank Hill & The Tennessee Folk Trio - 1960
Shirley Bassey - 1960
Jimmie Skinner - 1960
Connie Francis - 1961
Brook Benton - 1961
Dick Curless - 1961
Ray Charles - 1962
Jimmy Smith - 1963
Rosemary Clooney - 1964
The Highwaymen - 1964
Helen Merrill - 1965
Barbara Dane with Lightning Hopkins - 1966
Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan - 1969
Ray Price - 1971
Jerry Reed - 1972
Big Maybelle - 1973
Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance - 1974
Janis Joplin - 1975
Dr. John - 1981
J.D. Crowe & The New South - 1998
Madeleine Peyroux - 2004
Sue Foley - 2004
Harry Connick Jr. - 2006
Hugh Laurie - 2013
Also recorded by:
Joan Baez; Huddy "Lead Belly" Ledbetter; Odetta; Ethel Waters;
Champion Jack Dupree; Burl Ives; Count Basie; Big Bill Broonzy;
Ute Lemper; The Delmore Brothers; Riley Puckett; Archie Shepp;
Fats Waller; Anita Carter; Golden Gate Quartet; Lonnie Donegan;
Flatt & Scruggs; Mae Mercer; Stanley Brothers; Newton Brothers;
Slim Whitman; Benny Goodman; Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee;
Gene Pitney; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Bill Monroe; Acker Bilk;
........... and many others.
As recorded by HUDDY LEDBETTER:
This is what a girl sing to her boyfriend.....
Now you see what that careless love has done
Now you see what that careless love has done
You see what that careless love has done
Made me love you, now your girlfriend done gone
When I would wear my apron down so low
When I would wear my apron so low
When I would wear my apron so low
I couldn't keep you 'way from my door
I wear my apron up under my chin
Now I wear my apron up under my chin
I wear my apron, oh Lord, up under my chin
You can pass my door, but you won't come in
And you see what that ol' carless love will do
And you see what that ol' carless love will do
You see what that careless love will do
Biggest myst'ry, children your mama and papa, too
You know I love my Mama and my Papa, too
You know I love my Mama and my Papa, too
I love my Mama and I love my Papa, too
But I let them go just to go along with you
Goodbye, goodbye, baby goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, baby goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, you betta never be seen no more
Now you drove me away from your door
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2012)
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As recorded by LONNIE JOHNSON:
Love, oh, love, oh, careless love
Love, love, oh, careless love
You have caused me to weep
You have caused me to moan
You caused me to leave my happy home
Don't never drive a stranger from your door
Don't never drive a stranger from your door
It may be your best friend knockin' on your door
That may be your brother, you will never know
Careless love, look how you carried me down
Careless love, look how you carried me down
You caused me to lose my Mother
And she's layin' in six feet of ground
Careless love, I can't let you carry me down
Careless love, you drove me through the rain and snow
Careless love, you drove me through rain and snow
You have robbed me out of my silver and out of all my gold
I'll be damned if you rob me out of my soul
You worried my Mother until she died
You caused my Father to lose his mind
Now, damn you, I'm goin' to shoot you
And shoot you four or five times
And stand over you until you finish dyin'
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2012)
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As recorded by CHAMPION JACK DUPREE:
Love, oh, love, careless love
Careless love, love, love, love, love, love, careless love
Yes, you caused, you caused me to weep
And you caused, caused me to moan
Yeah, you caused me to lose my happy home
Don't you never drive a stranger from your door
Don't you never, never, never, never, never, never drive a stranger from your
door
Well, it may, it may be your sister or your brother, you'll never know
Don't you never drive a stranger from your door
Careless love, look how you carried me down
Careless love, yeah, yeah, look how, look how you carried me down
Yeah, you caused, you caused my Mother to be six feet in the ground
Careless love, I ain't gonna let you carry me down
(Piano Solo)
Careless love, you drove me through the rain and snow
Careless love, careless love, caeless love, you drove me through rain and snow
Yeah, you robbed, you robbed of me of all, of all my silver and gold
But I'll be damned if I let you rob me of my soul
Rob me of my soul
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2012)
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"CARELESS LOVE BLUES" as recorded by BESSIE SMITH
(with Louis Armstrong, Charlie Green & Fletcher Henderson),
May 26th 1925, New York:
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
You fly to my head like wine.
You wrecked the life of many a poor girl,
And you left me for this life of mine.
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
In your clutches of desire
You made me pray for many too, but,
Then you set my very soul on fire.
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
All my happiness I've left.
You fill my heart with them worried old blues;
Now I'm walkin', talkin' to myself.
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
Trusted you, now it's too late.
You made me so my only dream's dead,
That's why I sing this song of hate.
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
Night and day I weep and moan.
You brought the wrong man into this life of mine,
For my sins and bad judgement I'll atone.
(Transcribed by Peter Akers - July 2012)
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As recorded by OTTILIE PATTERSON with Chris Barber's Jazz Band:
Love, love, careless love,
You fly to my head like wine.
You wrecked the life of many a poor girl,
And you nearly wrecked this life of mine.
If I was a tiny bird,
I would fly from tree to tree.
I'd build my nest so high up in the air
That the bad boys wouldn't worry me.
When I wore my apron long,
Me you saw through frost and snow,
But now my apron strings were thin,
And you pass my door but won't come in.
Love, love, careless love,
In your clutches of desire
You make me break so many a true vow,
And you set my very soul on fire.
(Transcribed by Peter Akers - July 2012)
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As recorded by LEE WILEY, 13th August 1934:
You see what careless love will do
You see what careless love will do
You see what careless love will do
Makes you kill yourself and your lover too
You caused me to weep, you caused me to moan
You caused me to weep, you caused me to moan
You caused me to weep, you caused me to moan
You caused me to leave my happy home
Don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Or you'll surely reap just what you sow
There's many a poor girl led from home
There's many a poor girl led from home
There's many a poor girl led from home
But you can't turn a hard heart like my own
You passed my door and you wouldn't come in
You passed my door and you wouldn't come in
You passed my door and you wouldn't come in
Now you see what careless love will do
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2014)
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As recorded by SHIRLEY BASSEY:
Love, oh love, oh careless love
You fly right to my head like wine
You've wrecked the life of many a gal
And you nearly wrecked this life of mine
If I were a little bird
I would fly from tree to tree
I'd build my nest up in the air
Where the bad boys couldn't bother me
(Orchestral Interlude)
(When she wore her apron low)
When I wore my apron low
(When she wore her apron so low)
'Cause the bad boys never bothered me
Now I wear my apron high
Now I wear my apron high
Now I wear my apron high
And he never, ever passes by
No, he never (No, he never)
No, he never passes by
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2014)
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As recorded by BROOK BENTON:
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Love, oh love, oh careless love, oh careless love
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Don't you see what careless love has done
You made me love you, you made me love you
Then made me cry
You made me love you, you made me love you
Then made me cry
You made me love you, then made me cry
And then carelessly you said "Bye-Bye, Bye-Bye"
(Instrumental Break)
You walked right by my door today
Oh yes, you walked right by my door today, today
You saw me as you passed, you just looked and laughed
Oh, but you walked right by my door today
(Oh-oh-oh-ooohhh) Love, oh love, oh careless love
(Oh careless love) Careless love
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2014)
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As recorded by RAY CHARLES:
I said love, oh love, oh careless love, oh-ooh
Love please tell me
What have I done
For you to hurt me all in fun
Well, you know that I once was blind, but now I see
I said that I once was blind, but now I see
Oh, you know I once was blind, but I'm so glad, so glad I see
That that old love has made a fool of me
Well, you know what a big fool I have been
Let me say what a big fool I have been
Let me say what, oh, what a big fool that I have been
But I'd be, I'd be one all over again
Well, you know if I could ooooooohhhhhh like a mornin' dove
Well, if I could ooooooohhhhhh like a mornin' dove
Well, if I could moan, if I could moan like a mornin' dove
You know I'd moan for ev'ry one in love
That's a-why I say love, woh-woh-oh-oh love, careless love
Wooh, I say love ........... FADE
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2014)
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