Mama Don’t Want It
Lillie Mae, 1931
Nothing appears to be known about Lillie Mae, the writer and singer of this song.
Dixon, Godrich & Rye intimate that the only known four sides recorded by her,
(two on Columbia and two on Okeh ) may have been recorded under a pseudonym.
Again, it is uncertain, but it is thought that, on Mama Don’t Want It, Lillie
Mae was possibly accompanied by Curley Weaver on guitar
– but with the piano player remaining unknown.
The illustration is from the Document Records CD Georgia Blues & Gospel [DOCD-5160].
The CD includes Lillie Mae’s four tracks, together with the five tracks recorded by Lil McClintock,
eleven by Julius Daniels, and four others by George Carter.
1. Says, Johnny in front yard playin’ in the sand,
Pretty little shovel in his hand,
Along come a man doin’ the Cater Street Shimmy
Johnny rolls up an’ says, “Wait just a minute,”
Cho: Mama don’t wan’ it, take it all away from here.
2. Uncle Bud had a date with a big fat gal,
I think her name was Sue,
Uncle Bud got drunk, started actin’ funny,
Gal put him out, took all his money,
3. Now, the reason I love that long tall man,
Tell you the reason why,
Long tall man, he’s always ready,
Little old man dos nothin’ but tread it,†
4. Now, it’s a bootlegger here an’ a bootlegger there,
I used to be one myself,
But I had to go and leave bootleg behind me,
Put me in jail an’ the judge wouldn’t fine me,
5. Don’t come here, mama, with your head hung down,
I cain’t use you now,
I left you papa ’n bin all through the jungle,
Come back home with your eyes full of young ’uns,
† “credit” has been suggested as a alternate possibility for my transcription of “tread it”.
DIXON, Robert M.W., John GODRICH and Howard W. RYE. (1997)
Blues & Gospel Records: 1890-1943. Oxford University Press, Oxford.






