Cocaine Blues is a song written by T. J. "Red" Arnall, a reworking of the traditional song "Little Sadie". This song was originally recorded by W. A. Nichol's Western Aces (vocal by "Red" Arnall) on the S & G label, probably in 1947, and by Roy Hogsed and the Rainbow Riders, on May 25, 1947, at Universal Recorders in Hollywood, California.

The song is the tale of a man, Willy Lee, who murders a woman while under the influence of whiskey and cocaine. Willy is caught and sentenced to "ninety-nine years in the San Quentin Pen".

COCAINE & BLUESThe use of cocaine by workers along the Mississippi River leads to its

inclusion in Delta culture and in its music.

Cocaine first began to enter American history and culture in the second half of the 19th Century. It was used as a pain killer by doctors, and as a treatment for morphine addiction. It was even an ingredient in the original recipe for Coca-Cola.

Cocaine caught on as a stimulant in the Mississippi Delta among river laborers. A significant area for cocaine users in history was Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, where it was sold in local drugstores in various forms. Beale Street would soon achieve fame as one of the centers of Blues music, often referred to as “the birthplace of the blues.”

As Cocaine found its way into the local workers and juke joints1, it also found its way into the local music. Drug use and addiction became mirrored in the music.

In both “Little Sadie,” and “Cocaine Blues,” the protagonist shoots his woman. He tries to escape but is caught by the police. The rest of the tale is of his trial and imprisonment. The major difference between “Little Sadie” and “Cocaine Blues” lyrically is the including of cocaine in the latter.

Cocaine Blues has been covered by many musicians in the Folk, Country, and Blues genres, including:• Johnny Cash• George Thorogood• Keith Richards• Merle TravisHank Williams III

ReferencesBarlow, William. "Looking Up At Down": The Emergence of

Blues Culture.

“Cocaine” World Encyclopedia | 2005Teaford, Jon C. “Memphis” Dictionary of American History | 2003 |

"Cocaine Blues"1 Juke joint also called barrelhouse is a term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States.

Early one morning while making the roundsI ________ a shot of cocaine and I ________my woman downI ________right home and I ________to bedI ________that loving 44 beneath my head

________up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun ________a shot of cocaine and away I run________a good run but I run too slowThey overtook2 me down in Juarez, Mexico

Late in the hot joints takin' the pillsIn ________the sheriff from Jericho HillHe ________Willy Lee your name is not Jack BrownYou're the dirty heck that ________your woman down

________yes, oh yes my name is Willy Lee If you've got a warrant3 just a-read it to meShot her down because she made me slowI ________I was her daddy but she ________five more

When I ________arrested I was dressed in blackThey ________me on a train and they took me backHad no friend for to go my bail They slapped my dried up carcass in that county jail

Early next mornin' bout a half past nine I _______ the sheriff coming down the lineUp then he _______as he cleared his throatHe said, "Come on you dirty heck into that district court4"

Into the courtroom my trial began Where I was handled by twelve honest menJust before the jury started out I saw that little judge commence to look about

2 Overtake surpreender.3 Warrant: mandado de prisao. 4 District court: tribunl distrital. São divisões geográficas da justiça federal Americana. Os EUA têm 94 cortes distritais (89 distribuídas pelos 50 estados, sendo ao menos uma por estado, além de uma em Washington DC, e outras quatro em territórios ultramarinhos americanos: Porto Rico, Guam, Ilhas Virgens Americanas e Ilhas Marianas), que são o equivalente à primeira instância da justiça federal no Brasil.

In about five minutes in walked the man Holding the verdict in his right handThe verdict read in the first degree I hollered, "Lawdy Lawdy, have mercy on me"

The judge he smiled as he picked up his pen 99 years in the Folsom pen99 years underneath that ground I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down

Come on you've gotta listen unto me Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be

"Cocaine Blues"

Early one morning while making the roundsI took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman downI went right home and I went to bedI stuck that loving 44 beneath my head

Got up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun Took a shot of cocaine and away I runMade a good run but I run too slowThey overtook me down in Juarez, Mexico

Late in the hot joints takin' the pillsIn walked the sheriff from Jericho HillHe said Willy Lee your name is not Jack BrownYou're the dirty heck that shot your woman down

Said yes, oh yes my name is Willy Lee If you've got a warrant just a-read it to meShot her down because she made me slowI thought I was her daddy but she had five more

When I was arrested I was dressed in blackThey put me on a train and they took me backHad no friend for to go my bail They slapped my dried up carcass in that county jail

Early next mornin' bout a half past nine I spied the sheriff coming down the lineUp then he coughed as he cleared his throatHe said, "Come on you dirty heck into that district court"

Into the courtroom my trial began

Where I was handled by twelve honest menJust before the jury started out I saw that little judge commence to look about

In about five minutes in walked the man Holding the verdict in his right handThe verdict read in the first degree I hollered, "Lawdy Lawdy, have mercy on me"

The judge he smiled as he picked up his pen 99 years in the Folsom pen99 years underneath that ground I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down

Come on you've gotta listen unto me Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be