"Little Sadie" (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

780) is a 20th-century

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

traditional

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

. It is also known variously as "Bad Lee Brown", "

Cocaine Blues "Cocaine Blues" is a Western swing song written by Troy Junius Arnall, a reworking of the traditional song " Little Sadie." Roy Hogsed recorded a well known version of the song in 1947. Background The song is the tale of a man, Willy Lee, wh ...

", "Transfusion Blues", "East St. Louis Blues", "Late One Night", "Penitentiary Blues" and other titles. It tells the story of a man who is apprehended after shooting a woman, in some versions his wife or girlfriend. He is then sentenced by a judge. It is most commonly sung to a tune in

Dorian mode The Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek music, Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the mediev ...

Earliest transcription

The earliest written record of the song dates from 1922. This lyric fragment, transcribed in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

, is noted in the 1948 book ''Ozark Folksongs, Vol. II'', under the title "Bad Lee Brown":

Last night I was a-makin' my rounds,
Met my old woman an' I blowed her down,
I went on home to go to bed,
Put my old cannon right under my head. Jury says murder in the first degree,
I says oh Lord, have mercy on me!
Old Judge White picks up his pen,
Says you'll never kill no woman ag'in.

Musical Variations

The first sound recording recording, by

Clarence Ashley Clarence "Tom" Ashley (born Clarence Earl McCurry; September 29, 1895 – June 2, 1967) was an American musician and singer, who played the clawhammer banjo and the guitar. He began performing at medicine shows in the Appalachia, Southern Appalac ...

, was published in 1930, he played the song in "mountain modal" or "sawmill tuning". The most common version in

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

is attributed to T. J. 'Red' Arnall's 1947

Western Swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

recording with W. A. Nichol's Western Aces. This version was covered by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddle player Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusu ...

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His ...

, and

George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s US rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the Bone" and "I Drink Al ...

, among others. The 1970

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

versions are taken from either of Clarence Ashley's recordings. Some versions refer to the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point, North Carolina, High Point and Lexington ...

apprehending the murderer "down in" Jericho, South Carolina (a large rice plantation in the lowlands). Other versions transpose Mexico (or Juarez, Mexico) for Jericho. "Little Sadie" may have been an influence on the 1960s song "

Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is a song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man on the run and planning to escape to Mexico after sho ...

".Kim Beissel. Liner notes to ''

Original Seeds ''Original Seeds: Songs that inspired Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds'' is a various artist compilation, which was initially released in June 1998. It was re-titled as ''Original Seeds Volume 1: Songs That Inspired Nick Cave and the Bad Se ...

Vol. 2: Songs that inspired Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds''. Rubber Records Australia, 2004.

Selected list of recorded versions

*1929 Bad Lee Brown nissued- John Dilleshaw & The String Marvel (OKeh 402406-B) *1929 Little Sadie -

(Columbia 15522-D) *1939 Bad Man Ballad - Willie Rayford, recorded at

Cummins State Farm The Cummins Unit (formerly known as Cummins State Farm) is an Arkansas Department of Corrections prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta region. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, ...

, near

Varner, Arkansas Varner is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Varner is located southeast of Little Rock. History In 1952, Varner had three residents.Download In 1958, Varner, which had five residents, had a crossroads, gas ...

John Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess ...

and Ruby Lomax *1946-1948 Whisky Blues -

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon, referred to universally as Australia's Ki ...

- Regal Zonophone Collection - Slim Dusty (8142472) Very rare. Exact date is not known. *1948 Cocaine Blues -

Roy Hogsed Roy Clifton Hogsed (December 24, 1919, in Flippin, Arkansas - March 1978) was an American country music singer. He is best known for his song " Cocaine Blues", which he took to number 15 on the country music charts in 1948. Although he was act ...

, US Country #15. Music/lyrics attributed to T. J. 'Red' Arnall *1940s Chain Gang Blues -

Riley Puckett George Riley Puckett (May 7, 1894 – July 13, 1946) was an American country music artist, best known as a member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers. His dynamic single-string guitar playing, featuring dramatic bass runs, earned for him an ...

*1940s Bad Lee Brown -

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

and

Cisco Houston Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of traveling and recording together. Houston was a reg ...

*1959 Badman Ballad -

''The Cisco Special!'' album *1960 Transfusion Blues -

''Now, There Was A Song'' album, and on 1968 album ''

At Folsom Prison ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at Folsom State Prison, California, on J ...

.'' *1960 Bad Man's Blunder -

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

''String Along'' album *1960 Whiskey Blues -

''Songs for Rolling Stones'' album *1968 Cocaine Blues -

'' album *1970 Little Sadie -

Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only p ...

*1970 In Search of Little Sadie and Little Sadie -

Self Portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

'' album *1970 Little Sadie -

''Doc Watson on Stage'' (Vanguard VSD 9/10) *1972 Little Sadie -

John Renbourn John Renbourn (8 August 1944 – 26 March 2015) was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo care ...

''Faro Annie'' (Reprise MS2082) *1974 Little Sadie -

Uncle Walt's Band Uncle Walt's Band was an Americana band founded in Spartanburg, South Carolina, by Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood, and David Ball. They were among the most popular acoustic bands in Austin, Texas, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and were parti ...

Blame It on the Bossanova album *1978 Cocaine Blues -

& The Destroyers *1979 Little Sadie -

Tony Rice David Anthony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020) was an American bluegrass guitarist and singer. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. He was inducted into the In ...

Unit, ''Manzanita'' album *1990 Little Sadie -

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...

, b-side ''Under A Stormy Sky'' single *1993 Little Sadie -

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

David Grisman David Jay Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acousti ...

and

, ''

The Pizza Tapes ''The Pizza Tapes'' is an album by Jerry Garcia (acoustic guitar, vocals), David Grisman (mandolin), and Tony Rice (acoustic guitar). It was recorded at Grisman's studio on two evenings in 1993, and features unrehearsed performances of folk and ...

'' album *1996 Little Sadie - Freight Hoppers ''Where'd You Come From, Where'd You Go?'' album *1998 Little Sadie -

The Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas Good, a founding member, died in 2022. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret a ...

''Precious Moments'' album *1999 Little Sadie -

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

''I'll Take Care of You'' album *2001 Little Sadie -

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana (music), Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, ''Remedy (Old Crow Med ...

- ''The Troubles Up and Down the Road'' EP *2004 Little Sadie - The Radiators - '' Earth vs. The Radiators: the First 25'' Live DVD *2005 Little Sadie - John Doyle - "Wayward Son" *2006 Little Sadie -

- ''

Shaken by A Low Sound ''Shaken by a Low Sound'' is the second album of progressive bluegrass group Crooked Still. With repertoire mostly consisting of traditional music, the group sounded original with the combination of Aoife O'Donovan's vocals and the unusual banj ...

'' album; featured in ''

The Last of Us Part II ''The Last of Us Part II'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set four years after '' The Last of Us'' (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apo ...

'' trailer presented at

E3 2018 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 (E3 2018) was the 24th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...

, and also in the final game. *2006 Little Sadie -

Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and only constant member of the punk band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He has also released three solo albums. Graffin obtained his PhD ...

- '' Cold as the Clay'' album. *2011 Little Sadie/White-Wheeled Limousine/Just One More -

Bruce Hornsby Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, folk music, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock music, rock, heartland r ...

and the Noisemakers "Bride of the Noisemakers" album *2013 Little Sadie -

Tim Timebomb Tim Timebomb is a music project by Tim Armstrong, best known as a member of the punk rock band Rancid. Armstrong has recorded a large number of songs – a mixture of cover versions, including Rancid covers, and original songs, including some tra ...

*2016 Little Sadie
Jed Grimes and Rob File
"Casa Negra Sessions Vol 1" EP

References

Other sources

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

780 * Laws Ballad Index I8
The Traditional Ballad Index LI08
* Lyle Lofgre

''Inside Bluegrass'', January 2002

* Miller Jr., E. John; & Michael Cromie ''Folk Guitar'', Quadrangle, (1968), p109 * ''Sing Out! Reprints'', Sing Out, (196?), 9, p35 * Bailey, Hobart. Rosenbaum, Art ''Old-Time Mountain Banjo'', Oak, (1968), p56 {{authority control 1930 songs Bob Dylan songs Woody Guthrie songs Murder ballads