Rollin' And Tumblin'

Song composer(s)

Traditional

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

No Dead related recordings entered

Other Recordings

Hambone Willie Newbern (1929)
Baby Face Leroy Foster (1951)
Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon (1959)
Elmore James (1960)
The Real Folk Blues : Muddy Waters (1965)
Classic Delta Blues : Big Joe Williams (1966)
Full Cream : Cream (1966)
Canned Heat : Canned Heat (1967)
The Anthology of British Blues - Me and the Devil : Various Artists (Jo-Anne Kelly) (1968)
After the Rain : Muddy Waters (1969)
Elmore James : Elmore James (1969)
The Progressive Blues Experiment : Johnny Winter (1969)
Gentrys : Gentrys (1970)
McKinley Morganfield A.K.A. Muddy Waters : Muddy Waters (1971)
Old Times New Times : Memphis Slim (1972)
Bound To Sing The Blues : Sparky Rucker (1972)
Malpractice : Dr. Feelgood (1975)
Old Time Music - It's All Around : Bruce Hutton (1978)
One Way Out : Elmore James (1980)
Wizards from the South Side - Various Artists (Muddy Waters) (1982)
Mississippi Blues : Rural L Burnside (1984)
Chess Box : Muddy Waters (1990)
Alone & Acoustic : Buddy Guy/Junior Wells (1991)
Muddy Waters Anthology (1991)
Unplugged : Eric Clapton (1992)
Monterey International Pop Festival Box Set : Various Artists (Canned Heat) (1992)
Complete Recordings 1951-1967 : Howlin' Wolf (1993)
Rollin' and Tumblin' : Various Artists (Muddy Waters) (199?)
Roll and Tumble Blues, The Essential Recordings of Slide Guitar Blues : Various Artists (Hambone Willie Newbern) (199?)

Notes

Lead vocals - Garcia.

Rollin' and Tumblin' is a member of a family of blues songs that goes back well before blues recording began in the early to mid '20's. The first known recording by Hambone Willie Newbern varies somewhat from the song performed by the Dead but there are clear similarities in the melody and lyrics. Here are some of the lyrics from the Newbern version;

An' I rolled an' I tumbled an' I cried the whole night long,
An' I rolled an' I tumbled an' I cried the whole night long,
An' I rolled this mornin' and I didn't know right from wrong.

Did you ever wake up and find your dough roller gone,
Did you ever wake up and find your dough roller gone,
And you wring your hands and you cry the whole day long.

An' I told my woman Lord before I left the town
An' I told my woman before I left the town
Don't you let nobody tear her barrelhouse down.

The song has been adapted by other blues performers to produce new songs. Sleepy John Estes used Newbern's tune for his The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair. The Newbern song was also adapted by Robert Johnson as If I Had Possesion Over Judgement Day which contains verses such as;

And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long,
And I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long,
Boy I woke up this morning, my biscuit-roller gone.

Recordings of this can be found on;

If I Had Possesion Over Judgement Day
King of the Delta Blues Singers : Robert Johnson (1966)
The Complete Recordings : Robert Johnson (1990)
Usin' Man Blues : Robert Lucas (1993)
All Around Man : Lonnie Pitchford (1994)
Charly Blues Masterworks (Box Set) : Various Artists (Robert Johnson) (1994)
Stomp Down Rider : Guy Davis (1995)
Spanks for the Memories : Asylum Street (1996)
All Time Blues Classics : Robert Johnson (1996)
Matchbox Days : Various Artists (1997)

It is the original Newbern version though that seems to have provided further inspiration for blues performers through the years. Elmore James had a hit with Rollin' and Tumblin' in 1960.

Writing credit for recent recordings of the song are often given to Muddy Waters but the first recording of the song involving Waters was that made by Leroy Foster in 1951;

I rolled and I tumbled baby, cried the whole night long,
I rolled and I tumbled baby, cried the whole night long,
Well now I woke up this morning baby, all I had is gone.

Yes I know my baby she going to jump and shout,
Yes I know my baby she going to jump and shout,
Now when the train rolls up and baby come walkin' out.