Bottle It Up And Go 2:46 Trk 3 Disc 1
Tommy McClennan
Recorded: Wednesday Nov 22, 1939 Chicago, Illinois
RCA Studio A, A&R - Lester Melrose
Tommy McClennan - vocal & guitar
Album: RCA Bluebird Recordings 1939-1942
RCA 07863, 67430-2 (BMG Music) 1997
*Note at end
Yes, yas
Got to bottle it up an go
Got to bottle it up an go
Now, 'em high-power women
(guitar)
Yeah
Now, she may be old
Ninety year
She ain't too old
For the shift them gears
She gots (guitar)
'Got to do what, tell me 'gain?'
'Got to bottle it up and go'
Now, them high power women
Yeah!
Now, I told my girl
Week 'fore last
The gate she jus' came in
Just a little too fast
She had to bottle it up an go
She had to bottle it up an go'd
An them high-power women
(guitar)
Yes, yeah
Now, the nigger and the white man
Playin', set 'em up
Nigger beat the white man
Was scared to pick it up
'He had the bottle up and do what?'
Had to bottle it up and go
And them high-power women
(guitar)
Yeah
Now, look-a-here, baby
You stay last night?
Ain't none a yo' business
You don't do me right
'You got t'
(guitar)
'Gotta do what?
Tell me again, I don't understand?'
I've got the bottle up and go'd
I ain't gon' bother with 'em
Now, them high-power women
Yeah
Now, nickel is a nickel
A dime is a dime
I don' need no girl
If she want wine
She has to
(guitar)
Had do what?
Had to bottle up and go
And them high-power women
Yeah
Now, my mama killed a chicken
She thought it was a duck
She put him on the table
With the legs stickin' up
He had-a (guitar)
Had to do what?
He had the bottle it up and go'd
An them high-powered women
Sho' got the bottle up and gone
'Yeah, play it man-a
Be-da, bee, bop, bop, bop
Bo, de-dum, be-dum, bop, bop
Bo, bom, bom, bom, bom
Bee-da, bee-um, bop-um, bop-um, bop
Bo, bop-um, bop-um, bop-bop, be-ba
T-dee-da, t-dee-da
T-da-da-da
(guitar)
Yeah!
Uh-huh!
Got the bottle up and go
Got the bottle up and go
Now, you high-power women
Sho' got to bottle 'em up and go

*Note: (Bluebird insert notes by MK Aldin)
(brief & condensed) notes about this song )
Big Bill Broonzy told Tommy not to use the 'n' word
But he got mad at Bill and said, 'Hell no, I'll
Never change my song' Big Bill said he knew
Tommy was right, the way he felt about it because
He had sang the same words in another song of his
Before Tommy was born but knew better than to do
It in the North
The next night Big Bill took Tommy to a party, Tommy
Sang his version of 'Bottle It Up And Go' The song flopped
And Big Bill had to put Tommy out the window and they
Ran 5 miles to one of Big Bill's friend's house