Breedloves's Folk Songs

COME ON IN MY KITCHEN

COME ON IN MY KITCHEN
“Come On in My Kitchen” is a blues song by Robert Johnson. Johnson recorded the song
on Monday, November 23rd, 1936 at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas – his first
recording session. The melody is based on a hit record by the string band the Mississippi
Sheiks, Sitting on Top of the World“, (1930). The Sheiks in their song state that “now
she’s gone but I don’t worry, cos I’m sitting on top of the world” and so celebrate having
come to terms with the loss of a woman, but Johnson evokes an altogether darker mood,
with his own lyrics telling a more unresolved and anguished story. His different musical
arrangement on slide guitar (in Open G tuning, capoed) is based on Tampa Red‘s solo
instrumental recording of the same tune with the title “Things ‘Bout Coming My Way No.
2″. This had been a hit for Tampa Red in 1936, and the song had provided earlier hits for
him and Georgia Tom and for Kokomo Arnold in 1935.
Johnson’s recording was released on the Vocalion label as a race record” – cheap records
for the black consumer market. The song was among those compiled on the King of the
Delta Blues Singers LP in the 1960s. (A slower alternate take was also later found and
released on CD collections; this version also has ten extra lines of lyrics.)
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm
You better come on in my kitchen
Babe, it’s goin’ to be rainin’ outdoors.
Ah, the woman I love took from my best friend
Some joker got lucky stole her back again
You better come on in my kitchen
Baby, it’s goin’ to be rainin’ outdoors.
Oh-ah, she’s gone I know she won’t come back
I’ve taken the last nickel out of her ‘nation sack
You better come on in my kitchen
Babe, it’s goin’ to be rainin’ outdoors.
BRIDGE:
(spoken: ‘Baby, can’t you hear that wind howl ‘n’ all?’
‘Oh-y’, can’t you hear that wind would howl?’)
You better come on in my kitchen
babe, it’s goin’ to be rainin’ outdoors.
When a woman gets in trouble everybody throws her down
Looking for her good friend none can be found
You better come on in my kitchen
Babe, it’s gon’ to be rainin’ outdoors
Winter time’s comin’ hit’s gon’ be slow
You can’t make the winter, babe that’s dry long so
You better come on in my kitchen
‘Cause, it’s gon’ to be rainin’ outdoors.

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