Way back when I first started the Blind Pig I did a post about how The Deer Hunter uses alternate names for various items. You know like calling little kids ankle biters or crumb crunchers or
calling small dogs like Ruby Sue yappers.
He calls wild turkeys thunder chickens and eggs cackle berries. And when he’s out deer hunting he’s always looking for old mossy which to him means a big buck.
Chuck Berry has a unique way of describing tears in his famous song Memphis Tennessee. He describes them as “hurry home drops on her cheeks that trickled from her eyes.” Seems The Deer Hunter and Chuck Berry have something in common now if I could only get The Deer Hunter to do Chuck Berry’s famous duck walk while the Blind Pig Gang does the song.
We’ve been doing the song, Memphis Tennessee, for years, but we always depended on Guitar Man to do the breaks. Since he went off to college we rarely do the song anymore. But when he was visiting during spring break we got a good video of the song.
I like really like the song. It has great words, great music, and its one of those songs that surprise you. All along you think he’s talking about his girlfriend or wife, in the end you find out he’s talking about his six year old daughter Marie.
Hope you enjoyed the song!
Tipper
22 Comments
pq
June 7, 2013 at 12:22 pmOh my, this made my day. One of my favorite Berry tunes, and I haven’t heard it in years (don’t have anything to play my old cassette tape on). The song is so plaintive, and your gang does it 100% justice. I know what I’ll be humming the rest of the day. Thanks, Tipper!
Phyllis S
April 14, 2013 at 6:10 pmReally enjoyed Memphis Tenn.
Thanks so much!
Ed Ammons
April 14, 2013 at 4:55 pmI noticed that the video didn’t stop at the end of Memphis so I listened to the playlist off and on all day today and enjoyed every one of them. Thanks for the gift of beautiful music, interesting articles and pictures of your wonderful family life.
Janice McCall
April 14, 2013 at 4:42 pmLoved the song. Thank you for sharing your family with us.
dolores
April 14, 2013 at 2:57 pmBravo! That was great listening fun! I had not heard tht tune for a very long time. Thanks!
B. ruth
April 14, 2013 at 2:52 pmTipper,
Loved the song by the Blind Pig Gang…just great and glad to see
Guitar Man sittin’ in again!
I believe you will have to sneak up or sit in Deer Hunters’ tree stand to catch him doin’ the Duck Walk!
Oh yeah, I remember all those Chuck Berry songs…I think I still have a few in my old 45 record case from the 50’s and 60’s…It’s in safe storage, don’t you know, along with other memories of the era…Funny what one thinks they have to keep! Buttt, it is so fun when you find some of the oldies…I actually found an old school paper from 1956 stored with a school book..but it had a special memory in it and I am glad I kept it…That is pretty good only one school paper out of four years high school…now I don’t think that qualifies as a hoarder??
I HOPE NOT!
Thanks Tipper, PS…I listened to several of the song after Memphis. All great!
PS…again…”I was very tired one day, when as a kind of a joke said to my also tired pesky sons, “When are you two ever goin’ to run away from home?”
“NEVER” was the reply from my sweet kids…”Well, I deserved it, I suppose” LOL
My two boys were, “Curtain Climbers”, “Rug Rats”, “Cookie Snatchers” and “Puddle Jumpers”!!
Bradley
April 14, 2013 at 2:05 pmI enjoyed the song. That IS a precious picture of the girls and Ruby Sue! I have always loved your photography Tipper. Of all the photos I have seen on The Blind Pig, my all time favorite was some time back. It was Easter in Appalachia and that picture of Chatter and Aunt Hazel on the sofa is my favorite by far! it has such a presence.
Ken
April 14, 2013 at 1:31 pmTipper,
Now that’s a wonderful re-do of
a Chuck Berry Song. I kept watching
the videos as others did and was
reminded of what I heard Pap say
after a concert. You could just
feel his pride when he told that
you learned the base playing as
quick as anyone he’d ever seen.
And I think you all have a real
Gift to share with us…Ken
Jackie
April 14, 2013 at 1:12 pmTell the deer hunter to be careful where he refers to children by some of those terms. I got some strange looks from a couple of mothers from Mexico when I called their little ones, ‘tricycle motors’.
Jane Bolden
April 14, 2013 at 11:11 amWhat beautiful babies they were!! I could “eat them up”. Loved the song. Pap is really enjoying himself. Grandchildren always cause extra smiles.
Sue Crane
April 14, 2013 at 10:09 amWell, welcome home Guitar Man — looks like you’ve been missed.
Tipper
April 14, 2013 at 10:00 amDon-Glad you liked both songs! What Can Jesus Do is not one Paps songs. I grew up singing it in church but cant think of who wrote it for the life of me-and had no luck searching online either. I’ll ask Pap when I see him later today : )
Tipper
Shirla
April 14, 2013 at 9:19 amThey do the song every bit as good as Chuck does! Pap looks like he’s having fun on this one. Maybe he’s just happy to have the handsome Guitar Man back home for a few days.
Lonnie L. Dockery
April 14, 2013 at 9:04 amGreat job! That’s one of my favorites too. Guitar Man needs to leave those ivy-clad halls of Yale behind more often! I’m sure the Deer Hunter will do the Duck Walk if you will put your camera away–like that’s going to happen! Have you ever noticed he looks a just little bit like Chuck Berry?
Don Casada
April 14, 2013 at 8:34 amI enjoyed the Blind Pig rendition of Memphis TN; it is a fun song.
But I left the video running, and “What Can Jesus Do” came up next. Maybe I just hang around with the wrong crowd, but I’d never heard that song before – I really like it, especially the chorus harmony. Did Pap write it?
Connie Cochran
April 14, 2013 at 8:24 amThat was great, thank you guys 🙂
kat
April 14, 2013 at 8:16 amPicking and singing so good! Your family’s very talented.
kat
April 14, 2013 at 8:14 amGreat pickin and singing.
Tim Mc
April 14, 2013 at 7:53 amReally well done,, even with out the duck walk….loved the pictures of the “crumb crunchers”
puts a smile on your face…
Miss Cindy
April 14, 2013 at 7:39 amVery nice, you guys did a great job on that song. It’s nice to see Guitar man back with you.
That’s a precious picture of Chitter and Chatter. It seems like only yesterday!
Sheryl Paul
April 14, 2013 at 7:25 amYes, the duck walking would be a nice addition.
John
April 14, 2013 at 5:35 amLove the way that Chuck Berry’s lyrics fit the tunes so perfectly; never any need to stretch a syllable over two notes or cram extra words into a line. Unless you’re extremely unlucky and long-suffering I would guess that the Deer Hunter is the nicer human being, even if his duck-walking is not all that it should be.