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Muddy Waters — Rollin' and Tumblin'
Album: His Best
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1877









Released: 1954
Length: 2:59
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Well, I rolled and I tumbled,
Cried the whole night long.
Well, I rolled and I tumbled,
Cried the whole night long.
Well, I woke up this mornin,
Didn't know right from wrong.
Well, I told my baby,
Before I left that town.
Well, I told my baby,
Before I left that town.
Well, don't you let nobody,
Tear my barrelhouse down.
Well, ahh, mmm-hmmm,
Owww, oww ooo, aww, oww, oh.
Aaa, mmm-hmmm, oww, oh oh oh
Owww, oww ooo, aww, oww, oh.
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, I would dive to the bottom,
Never would I come up.
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, all whiskey and women,
Would not let me pray.
Comments (180)add comment
GREAT TUNE!   He released it one year before I was born.  Thanx RP!   
Hands up who want to know it, but among others Savoy Brown interpretated it. To me more bluesey.
ya know...

brother bob dylan does a real sweet cover of this
1.9.5.4.
 eileenomurphy wrote:

GODLIKE!!! ICONIC!!!




I Agree!!
I have blown half my fortune on Whiskey and Women
The other half....................wasted
I've never been so upset about whiskey before...
The Blues, yeah, but this one really lifts up the skirt and shows the rock and roll underneath.
 jbuhl wrote:
Bill when you get a chance follow this up with Jeff Beck and Imogene Heaps version.
 
When I heard that cut for the first time, I thought "We're done here. There is nothing further for Rock and Roll to accomplish."
 yeshetarchin wrote:
 
 
sho nuff
the father of Captain Beefheart
Yeah, Muddy was married to R.L.'s cousin

 
unclehud wrote:
Heh, heh, heh; I get the transition from RL Burnside to this.

Nice work, sir!
 

Heh, heh, heh; I get the transition from RL Burnside to this.

Nice work, sir!
Yasss! Check out Johnny Winter's version too. The River Was Whiskey.

Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, I would dive to the bottom,
Never would I come up.

Utter distillation of the blues.
 kcar wrote:


According to this site, that $3.50 is worth $26.59 today. So yeah, that was incredible deal. I wonder if Muddy and The Wolf got along...
 
I remember reading that the two men had a "friendly" rivalry but they would take digs at each other.  They were on the same label and Willie Dixon wrote several songs for each of them.
 jbuhl wrote:
Bill when you get a chance follow this up with Jeff Beck and Imogene Heaps version.

 
YES YES YES
Bill when you get a chance follow this up with Jeff Beck and Imogene Heaps version.
Saw Bob Dylan cover this at a show last week. 

He also was CROONING ballads! 

As with alot of his shows, there are always surprises. Cool.  
The Master!
This along with previous Burnside recording is great classic Boogey, it's for dancing to and moving those hips.  Yeah Dylan did this also and I love it with his cracking band.  Dylan is such a deep musicologist.
 idiot_wind wrote:
Bobby Dylan does a nice cover of this song, too. 

 
Well he tries to imitate the Master Waters anyway.  eek.  Not a good result.  
love the guitar work on this. so badass and so influential.
You mean when I was fortunate enough to take in Muddy Waters several times during the 1974-75 period at Fry Foggles in London, Ontario and once at Le Hibou in Ottawa before that, that the man had been going at it since 1947?

OK. I'm impressed.   
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, all whiskey and women,
Would not let me pray.
{#Hearteyes}
Huh-huh a huh huh
Huh-huh a huh huh
well how how a how how, how how a how how how   : )     love it to bits baby
 Boy_Wonder wrote:
Worth $3.50 of anyone's money!!

 



 

According to this site, that $3.50 is worth $26.59 today. So yeah, that was incredible deal. I wonder if Muddy and The Wolf got along...
Muddy Waters is on the playlist, but didn't play. With a voice like his it would be hard to miss.
Replay please.
Bobby Dylan does a nice cover of this song, too. 
 calypsus_1 wrote:

And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long (2×)
A I rose this mornin' mama and I didn't know right from wrong...
And I fold my arms lord and I walked away (2×)
Said 'that's all right sweet mama your trouble gon' come some day'

"Rollin' and Tumblin'" is a blues song first recorded by American singer/guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Chicago blues artists, including by Muddy Waters. Covered too by many rock-oriented artists. For example, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi acoustic performance of Elmore James version of "Rollin' and Tumblin" backstage at the White House for the Red, White, and Blues concert event. Check out Derek Trucks southern chops (side burns).



 
The original is very good but Waters adds the twist to the hook (now famous) that makes the song come alive. Was that his idea?
 ginniet wrote:
I like the Jeff Beck version better.

 
Jeff Beck's cover is the perfect homage to this song and to Muddy.

It rocks these blues. 
If I could rate this a 15, I surely would!
 hayduke2 wrote:
Bleep blop blorp blah blah dude, this earth-bound party boy loves loves loves Muddy

 
That's pure poetry, Hayduke! Thank you!
Bleep blop blorp blah blah dude, this earth-bound party boy loves loves loves Muddy
This version of the song is still good for the ears...  everybody in my alien space craft loves it...
nice to hear the source out here, rather than Clapton and the other pretenders
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a diving duck.
Well, I would dive to the bottom,
Never would I come up.
Nice blues.
I have all the versions I can find of this song and this one cant really be beat. Thanks to all those that try.
I like the Jeff Beck version better.
Grandpa? Is that you?
 ApricotHurlforth wrote:
Awesome. Esp. for the time...
 But...but...this was the music of a period previous to the recording. What do you mean, "for the time"?



And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long (2×)
A I rose this mornin' mama and I didn't know right from wrong...
And I fold my arms lord and I walked away (2×)
Said 'that's all right sweet mama your trouble gon' come some day'

"Rollin' and Tumblin'" is a blues song first recorded by American singer/guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Chicago blues artists, including by Muddy Waters. Covered too by many rock-oriented artists. For example, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi acoustic performance of Elmore James version of "Rollin' and Tumblin" backstage at the White House for the Red, White, and Blues concert event. Check out Derek Trucks southern chops (side burns).


Awesome. Esp. for the time. And I love the Jeff version too.
Many (including myself) would seem to disagree. Blues is an integral part of the lineup and 8.1 is a pretty darn good rating for RP.
 
burdell wrote:
Have to agree. Especially at 8 in the morning. Grating to the ears.


mikeatlarge wrote:
This one makes me stop listening to RP every time. It just doesn't fit into most of RP's otherwise brilliant sets.

 
 


Have to agree. Especially at 8 in the morning. Grating to the ears.


mikeatlarge wrote:
This one makes me stop listening to RP every time. It just doesn't fit into most of RP's otherwise brilliant sets.

 


This one makes me stop listening to RP every time. It just doesn't fit into most of RP's otherwise brilliant sets.
Worth $3.50 of anyone's money!!

 


For a long time I thought this was the original — until I found out today that Muddy Waters' recording is itself a cover of Hambone Willie Newbern's "Roll and Tumble Blues". Bill, playlist the original (and get shot of the frustrating, average Jeff Beck cover!)


Howling Wolf Vs Muddy Waters by bp fallon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bpfallon/

Chess Vs Chess!

Copyright All rights reserved



 Cynaera wrote:

I prefer the Osmonds' version of this song because it has a theremin and a screaming guy in red spandex. {#Roflol} Seriously, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, BB King - they all put a big grin on my face when I listen to their music... I love this song to pieces.

 
Muddy actually DID do some pretty cool stuff with speedy "modern" blues guitarist Johnny Winter in his later daze...


In my Hotel-room nobody takes her knickers off!
A song is not necessarily good, because Muddy is written on the cover!
Artist status aside, this song feels like a visit with grandpappy. Zzzzzz
Ah, such a comforting sound.  

Well, I rolled and I tumbled,
Cried the whole night long.
Well, I rolled and I tumbled,
Cried the whole night long.
Well, I woke up this mornin,
Didn't know right from wrong.
Well, I told my baby,
Before I left that town.
Well, I told my baby,
Before I left that town.
Well, don't you let nobody,
Tear my barrelhouse down.
Well, ahh, mmm-hmmm,
Owww, oww ooo, aww, oww, oh.
Aaa, mmm-hmmm, oww, oh oh oh
Owww, oww ooo, aww, oww, oh.
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, if the river was whiskey,
And I was a divin duck.
Well, I would dive to the bottom,
Never would I come up.
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, I could a had a religion,
This bad old thing instead.
Well, all whiskey and women,
Would not let me pray.

More lyrics: https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/muddy_waters/#share 
Did he say "If the river was Whiskey and I was a Garden Gnome"?
You know, Bobby Dylan does a nice cover of this.

He's a touring this summer. And I will see him in Iowa, South Dakota, and maybe Indiana.

Yeah baby...on the road with Bob.
No.
 Papernapkin wrote:
Didn't Muddy perform at the Grammys with Lady Gago last year?
 
If he did, it was quite a feat since he died in 1983.
You who like this should make the progression from the latest iteration all the way back in years, through Blind Lemon, etc. Interesting to hear each one after the other.

Extra credit:  Compare this with Canned Tuna's version. 
Didn't Muddy perform at the Grammys with Lady Gago last year?
 triskele wrote:
saw him in suburban chicago just a few months before he died...what a privilege
 

Westmont? 

I know one of Muddy's kids grew up there.   
Muddy nailed my morning here in land of strange behaviors
Sounds sooooo good!!
Roots go deep.
Great, needs no embellishment.
 scrubbrush wrote:

could use a drum machine


 
(respectfully)...could use NUTHIN'.  this is perfect as it is.

 unclehud wrote:
Needs synthesizer, heavier drum line, backing strings, three or four backup singers, horns, theremin, Buchla, and a screaming guitar solo from some guy in red sequined spandex pants.

NO IT DOESN'T.  Everybody's covered this song (probably even the Osmonds) so go listen to a different version if your narrow mind can't handle something a little out of the ordinary.
 
I prefer the Osmonds' version of this song because it has a theremin and a screaming guy in red spandex. {#Roflol} Seriously, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, BB King - they all put a big grin on my face when I listen to their music... I love this song to pieces.


. . . eat your heart out Bob Dylan. . . 
 
 DDB61 wrote:

I saw Muddy in the late 70's too - one night when he opened for Eric Clapton in Indy.  Eric wasn't straight that night; Buddy was the better show.

 

Imagine the king opening for the pretender to the throne
diggin this old Muddy version but I recall a pretty kick ass Howlin Wolf of essentially the same chord progression with different lyrics and title...

Bonnie Raitt - Rollin' & Tumblin' (Muddy Waters), Live (1972)
Bonnie Raitt
Sigma Sound Studios
Rainbow Room, WMMR
Philadelphia, PA, US
February 22, 1972

Band Info: Bonnie Raitt - Guitar, piano, vocals; Dan (Freebo) Freeberg - Bass; T.J. Tindle - Guitar, harp; John Davis - Harp



Needs synthesizer, heavier drum line, backing strings, three or four backup singers, horns, theremin, Buchla, and a screaming guitar solo from some guy in red sequined spandex pants.

NO IT DOESN'T.  Everybody's covered this song (probably even the Osmonds) so go listen to a different version if your narrow mind can't handle something a little out of the ordinary.
Well said.

 
aelfheld wrote:

That's why I gave it a 10.
 


 Shesdifferent wrote:
I know everyone loves this guy...but this is the kind of stuff that steers me away from listening to RP
 
That's why I gave it a 10.

goose bumps.
 scrubbrush wrote:

could use a drum machine


 
More Cowbell.

 Giselle62 wrote:

Er, you were in Chicago 1968? Tell us more? Did you see Allen Ginsberg there? PM me?

 
I was 14 and a friend of mine and I went to Grant Park for what was supposed to be a free concert at the shell with Muddy Waters and Sly and Family Stone. I remember really enjoying Muddy Waters. After he left Sly never showed but there was an annoying local DJ that seemed to be riling up the crowd more than he was calming them. Eventually, a riot ensued. Most people were just trying to leave but the cops were hassling and arresting people that were just trying to get away from it. We went to the museum and got in just as they locked the doors and watched until it died down and eventually got home very late. My folks were extremely pissed when they found out I had gone as if I knew there was going to be a riot or something... Found out much later that Sly had been held up at the airport for some bogus charge. We all felt it was done on purpose to invoke what happened. Like why were there cops already there behind the shell in full riot gear hours before the riot started? There were not any more rock type concerts there for a very long time.


I know everyone loves this guy...but this is the kind of stuff that steers me away from listening to RP
scrubbrush wrote:

could use a drum machine

 
And an Auto-Tuner.  {#Roflol}

Next...

 Giselle62 wrote:

Er, you were in Chicago 1968? Tell us more? Did you see Allen Ginsberg there? PM me?

 
NOOOO - don't PM, POST!  I'd love to read about your adventures! (I was twelve in '68, and I was into idiot-music like the Osmonds, Bobby Sherman, and the Raiders.) Didn't appreciate the blues or the bohemians until I got older...

Uh, sorry to butt in...{#Whistle}
saw him in suburban chicago just a few months before he died...what a privilege
 DaveInVA wrote:

I saw him in '68 in Chicago at the Grant Park Band Shell. Showing my age here, eeek!

 
Er, you were in Chicago 1968? Tell us more? Did you see Allen Ginsberg there? PM me?

He got some props during the 60's some of the British blues players brought him back and toured with him—-bringing him wide recognition.

Muddy Waters 1978 3 by ~DeeBeeCooper
David Cooper  ©2010 ~DeeBeeCooper
.


People, take into context the date this was released.  1954. Some of you weren't even born then. I came along two years later, and I missed out on this entire genré of music because my parents were staunch bigots. I missed Ray Charles, Charlie Mingus, Aretha Franklin (they allowed Nat King Cole because he was "close to white.") Muddy Waters played the blues from the roots. Ya know - I'd love to have a "family tree" of blues artists, because we all know Clapton has roots in the blues, but if we track his influences back, we'd see Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and who knows beyond that? (Note to self: Check to see if the ex got the Robert Johnson album...)

I don't always like the blues, but for me, Muddy Waters is up on that pedestal of "Blues Artists That Deserve Recognition And Maybe A Star Somewhere."{#Daisy}


 scrubbrush wrote:

could use a drum machine

 
Pft.  Nothing wrong with this a volume knob can't fix.  10.

could use a drum machine


 BKardon wrote:

Interesting place to be in the Summer of '68.

 
Yes it was a shame the concert later turned into a riot after Sly and the Stoned Family didn't show up as planned after Muddy Waters. Being only 15 then my folks were not at all amused when they found out I was there. They treated me like I had started it or something. Fortunately I was able to get to the museum and get in before they locked the place down.

 DaveInVA wrote:

I saw him in '68 in Chicago at the Grant Park Band Shell. Showing my age here, eeek!
 
Major envy here!
 DaveInVA wrote:

I saw him in '68 in Chicago at the Grant Park Band Shell. Showing my age here, eeek!

 
Interesting place to be in the Summer of '68.

I Love me some Muddy
Yea man!!{#Bananajam}
 plaice3 wrote:

I saw Muddy Waters in the '70s but my only experience with this song is Jeff Beck's rollin' and tumblin'  cover.  This is a wonder! 

 
I saw him in '68 in Chicago at the Grant Park Band Shell. Showing my age here, eeek!

OMG, Bill!  What a set!  Too bad this isn't a Monday morning when the true energy would be most beneficial!
 plaice3 wrote:

I saw Muddy Waters in the '70s but my only experience with this song is Jeff Beck's rollin' and tumblin'  cover.  This is a wonder! 

 
I saw Muddy in the late 70's too - one night when he opened for Eric Clapton in Indy.  Eric wasn't straight that night; Buddy was the better show.

 themotion wrote:
This will be followed by a brief exit from Paradise to listen to Jeff Beck's cover. Both resounding 10's

 
I saw Muddy Waters in the '70s but my only experience with this song is Jeff Beck's rollin' and tumblin'  cover.  This is a wonder! 

Taj Mahal does a nice cover too...
This will be followed by a brief exit from Paradise to listen to Jeff Beck's cover. Both resounding 10's

What a great riff!  Sounds excellent on a $5 guitar with a real glass bottle slide...or at ear splitting volume off a telecaster.  RIP Muddy!
I just saw "Cadillac Records". Undoubtedly the best blues movie ever. Muddy, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Leonard Chess, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, they're all represented. Very well, as a matter of fact.
songbirdfemme wrote:

I think Robert Johnsons version is more heartfelt... but Muddy Waters is original rock and roll!




I'll add a vote for Furry Lewis' version.
Once again this caps off a set that us much better than the sum of its parts (which were great in of themselves).

I think Robert Johnsons version is more heartfelt... but Muddy Waters is original rock and roll! 


gotta love anyone still playing Muddy!!  gotta live the blues to love the blues!! keep bluesin' RP

I know a lot of people have covered this song but Canned Heat was the first band I ever heard do it. I learned the harmonica and slide parts off that album.
Original Godlike !!!!


. . . blows away the Dylan version. . .

One of the top 10 songs in RP's playlist, hands down.
tin roof rustn'!
EssexTex wrote:
Here's where it all began...stunning Jeff Beck and Muddy in the same breath?..come on
Agreed, it is one thing to invent a sound - to live it, breathe it... But, to COPY it, even embellish it is not remotely in the same league!
Here's where it all began...stunning Jeff Beck and Muddy in the same breath?..come on
catrip wrote:
As much as I like Muddy Waters.... Jeff Beck's cover of this is just stratospheric. Can a Muddy Waters cover be better than the original? I won't beat a dead horse. I'll just kick it once.
I must agree. I love the original, and it will always be one of my most appreciated musical recordings, but Jeff Beck's? oh man, "stratospheric" is the best description I've seen. I can listen to that one on repeat forever. Regardless, Muddy's will always get a ten out of ten from me.
I love Muddy, he is a true bluesman... yet, no one has played this song better than Jeff Beck and sang by Imogen Heap in my humble opinion. Any time I hear "rollin & tumblin" from any other player I can't help but compare it to Jeff's version.
DebateG wrote:
Thank goodness I've heard this recently to wash the Bob Dylan cover out of my brain.
My sentiments exactly!
algrif wrote:
This story is not true at all. It was one of Keith Richards' wind-ups. It seems to have been believed by a whole heap of people despite it being repeatedly denied by all the band members (Except Keith, who has told it so many times that his drug befudlled brain thinks it is now true! He has a similar one about Muddy being up a ladder and painting a wall in Chess records. They're all porkies. It's just Keith having fun!)
That's funny, because I asked Muddy about this in 1982--a year before he died--when he played Theatre St. Denis in Montréal, and he said it was true. Maybe he and Keith are playing porkies together.
OK, guilty admission, I prefer the Jeff Beck/Imogen Heap version.
Moak wrote:
Hey, he stole this from Dylan!!
Dylan? Dylan who?