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ST. JAMES' INFIRMARY
(Joe Primrose / Traditional)
An American folk song based on an 18th century traditional English folk song
called "The Unfortunate Rake" (also known as "The Unfortunate Lad" or
"The Young Man Cut Down in His Prime")
It is sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose
(a pseudonym for Irving Mills)
Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Also recorded by:
A la carte Brass & Percussion; Buddy Ace; Nelsen Adelard;
Jamey Aebersold; Henry "Red" Allen; Steve Allen;
Ambrosia Brass Band; Little Pink Anderson; Troy Andrews;
The Animals; Fernest Arceneaux; Baby Gramps; Blue Lu Barker;
Danny Barker; Emile Barnes; Count Basie; David Basse;
Sidney Bechet; Sean Benjamin; Dave Berry; Acker Bilk;
Bobby "Blue" Bland; Blue Note Six; The Blue Saracens;
Buddy Blue; Bluff City Backsliders; James Booker; Boptails;
Bourbon Street Jazz Band; Van Broussard; George "Mojo" Buford;
Eric Burdon; The Butlers; Cab Calloway; Isobel Campbell;
Canadian Brass; Cephas & Wiggins; Eddie Chamblee; Doc Cheatham;
Evan Christopher; Classic Jazz Collegium Orch.; Buck Clayton;
Joe Cocker; Sweet Miss Coffy; Bill Coleman; Gary B.B. Coleman;
Lee Collins; Colorblind James; Ken Colyer; Ray Condo;
Eddie Condon; Harry Connick Sr.; Sonny Criss; Bing Crosby;
Scatman Crothers; Dick Curless; James Dapogny; The Dartells;
Blind John Davis; Wild Bill Davison; Dixie Power Trio;
Dixieland All Stars; The Dixieland Rhythm Kings; Dr. John;
Dukes of Dixieland; Johnny Duncan; Dusty 45's; Roy Eldridge;
Les Elgart; Duke Ellington; Ramblin' Jack Elliott; Empire Brass;
Mike Esposito; Doc Evans; Don Ewell; Georgie Fame; Frances Faye;
Doc Fingers; Howard Fishman Quartet; Robben Ford; Pete Fountain;
Peter Fraize; Red Garland; Erroll Garner; Gale Garnett;
Benny Goodman; Al Grey; Andy Griffith; Arlo Guthrie;
Bobby Hackett; The Harlem Hot Chocolates; Alex Harvey;
Danny B. Harvey; Ted Heath; Erwin Helfer; Alex Hill; Earl Hines;
Sam Hinton; Al Hirt; Art Hodes; Holy Cow; Cisco Houston; Impala;
Independence Jazz Reunion; Linda Ipanema; The Jades;
Papa Bue's Viking Jazzband; Boogaloe Joe Jones; Hank Jones;
Jonah Jones; Mickey Jupp; Stan Kenton; King Curtis; King Oliver;
Nancy King; Kingpin; Valery Kiselyov; John "Spider John" Koerner;
Ronnie Kole; Gene Krupa; Erich Kunzel; Kay Kyser; Frankie Laine;
Tim Lake; Tim Laughlin; Gary Lawrence; ..... and many others.
As recorded by
Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
1928
It was down in Old Joe's barroom,
On the corner by the square,
The usual crowd was assembled
And big Joe McKinney was there.
He was standing at my shoulder.
His eyes were bloodshot red;
He turned to the crowd around him,
These are the very words he said:
"I went down to the St. James Infirmary
I saw my baby there,
She's laid out on a cold white table,
So so cold, so white, so fair."
Chorus
"Let her go, let her go, God bless her;
Wherever she may be
She may search this wide world over
She'll never find a sweet man like me."
Oh, when I die, bury me
In my high top Stetson hat;
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
God'll know I died standin' pat.
I want six crap shooters for pall bearers.
Chorus girl to sing me a song.
Put a jazz band on my hearse wagon.
Raise Hell as I roll along.
Roll out your rubber tired carriage,
Roll out your old time hat.
Twelve men going to the graveyard
And eleven coming back.
Now that I've told my story,
I'll take another shot of booze.
And if anyone should happen to ask you,
I've got those gamblers' blues.
(Transcribed by Bill Huntley - November 2004)
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ST. JAMES INFIRMARY
Janis Joplin / Joe Turner
I went down to old Joe's bar room, on the corner by the square
Well, the drinks were bein' served as usual, and this motley crowd
was there
Well, on my left stood Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot
red
When he told me that sad story, these were the words he said:
I went down to the St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table, so cold, and fine, and
fair
Go ahead!
Let her go, let her go, God bless her, wherever she may be
She can search this world over, never find another man like me
Yes, sixteen coal black horses, to pull that rubber tied hack
Well, it's seventeen miles to the graveyard, but my baby's never
comin' back
Well, now you've heard my story, well, have another round of booze
And if anyone should ever, ever ask you, I've got the St. James
infirmary blues!
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ST JAMES' INFIRMARY (Artie Shaw)
as rec by Artie Shaw &
his Orchestra
(vocal by Oran "Hot Lips" Page)
October 31st 1941
Chicago (live)
I went down to St James' Infirmary,
I saw my baby there,
Stretched out on a long white table,
So cold, so sweet, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be.
She can look this wide world over,
She'll never find another sweet man like me.
Though she treated me mean and lowdown,
Somehow I didn't care.
Well the Lord knows she was a good girl,
And I'll see her again up there.
Now when I die I want you to bury me in gentleman's glove shoes,
A box back suit and a stetson hat.
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So the boys'll know that I died standin' fast.
(Transcribed by Peter Akers - November 2012)
*****************
J'AVAIS DEUX AMIS
Titre original: "St. James' Infirmary"
(Joe Primrose / J. Chaumelle / Joe Primrose) (1965)
Eddy Mitchell (France)
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Le premier s'appelait Buddy
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Et l'autre s'appelait Eddy
Un avion surgissant de l'ombre
S'est écrasé dans un bruit d'enfer
Un avion surgissant de l'ombre
M'a privé de Buddy à jamais
Un taxi aux portes de Londres
Dérapant sur la chaussée mouillée
Un taxi aux portes de Londres
M'a fait perdre Eddy à tout jamais
Le néon s'est éteint trop vite
Et sur eux le rideau est tombé
D'autres noms maintenant s'inscrivent
Mais moi, je n' les oublierais jamais
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Le premier s'appelait Buddy
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Et l'autre s'appelait Eddy.
*****************
Streets of Laredo", also known as the "Cowboy's Lament",
is another famous American ballad derived from the English folk song "The Unfortunate Lad"
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