"Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" (a.k.a. "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues") is a classic

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, ...

song written by

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...

. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the '' de facto'' title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8" (one of his

Blue Yodel The blue yodel songs are a series of thirteen songs written and recorded by Jimmie Rodgers during the period from 1927 to his death in May 1933. The songs were based on the 12-bar blues format and featured Rodgers’ trademark yodel refrains. T ...

s). "George Vaughn", a pseudonym for songwriter George Vaughn Horton, is sometimes listed as co-author. Horton wrote the lyrics for "New Mule Skinner Blues",

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

's second recorded version of the song. The song was discussed in the

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...

2019 documentary miniseries ''

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

'' and Jimmie Rodgers' rendition was on the soundtrack album for the series.

Structure

The song tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

skinner, approaching "the Captain", looking for work ("Good Morning, Captain." / "Good morning, Shine." / "Do you need another muleskinner on your new mud line?"). He boasts of his skills: "I can pop my 'nitials on a mule's behind" and hopes for "a dollar and a half a day". He directs the water boy to "bring some water round". The term "Mule Skinner", slang for

muleteer An ''arriero'', muleteer, or more informally a muleskinner (; ;) is a person who transports goods using pack animals, especially mules. Distribution and function In Latin America, muleskinners transport coffee, maize, maize (corn), cork (mat ...

, is a driver of mules, and has nothing to do with removing the animal's hide.

Tom Dickson's "Labor Blues"

The first verse of the song is similar to Tom Dickson's 1928 recording "Labor Blues" in which the exchange is clearly between a white boss and an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

worker who is quitting the job, not applying for it: :It’s "good mornin’ Captain", ‘e said "good mornin’ Shine", :Said "good mornin’ Captain", said "good mornin’ Shine". :"T’ain’t nuthin’ the matter, Captain, but I just ain’t gwine. :"I don’t mind workin’, Captain, from sun to sun, :I don’t mind workin’, Captain, from sun to sun. :But I want my money, Captain, when pay-day come." "Captain" was a traditional term for the white boss; "Shine" is a derogatory expression for "African-American". After the narrator rebels and quits because he is not being paid, he turns his attention to his "

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

gal" and the remaining lyrics concern their romance. In this

12-bar blues The twelve-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly base ...

recording, muleskinning is not mentioned, and the remaining Dickson lyrics differ from Rodgers', whose other Blue Yodels also used verses previously recorded by Blues musicians, such as

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular and successful blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the "Fat ...

Versions of "Muleskinner Blues"

;1930s *Rodgers' original version was a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

. *

performed this song at his

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

debut on November 25, 1939. The performance can be found on the MCA compilation ''Music of Bill Monroe From 1936-1994'' (1994). ;1940s * Monroe recorded this song as his first solo studio recording on October 7, 1940 for the

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, the song became a hit and one of Monroe's signature songs. *

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 ...

recorded the song in 1944 for Asch Recordings, which can be found on ''Muleskinner Blues: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2'', and on ''Original Folk: Best of Woody Guthrie'' (Music Club Deluxe, 2008). ;1950s *Monroe re-recorded the song in 1950 as "New Mule Skinner Blues" in his first session for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, with new lyrics written by George Vaughn Horton (credited as "George Vaughn"). Monroe apparently never sang the song with Horton's lyrics in concert. *Joe D. Gibson (Jody Gibson) recorded a souped up version titled "Good Morning Captain" on tetra Records which served as a model for The Fendermen. ;1960s *

The Fendermen The Fendermen were an American rockabilly duo, composed of Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, active in the early 1960s. They are best known for the 1960 hit single "Mule Skinner Blues", a cover of a song written by Jimmie Rodgers. Jim Sundquist ( ...

- ''Mule Skinner Blues'' ( Soma Records,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

)
This

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

-based duo reached #5 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ' ...

with their version, featuring abbreviated

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

and strong Fender electric guitar instrumentation. This version is arguably the most widely circulated of recent versions of the song, due to its Billboard chart performance and its subsequent prolific appearances on novelty song collections. The song reached #2 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. *

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 ...

made this song part of his live performance at the Finjan Club, Montreal, Canada in July 1962. *

Grandpa Jones Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and Old-time music, old time/country music, country music singer. He was inducted as a member of the Country Musi ...

- "Muleskinner Blues" recorded some point in the 60's. *

David Wiffen David Wiffen (born 11 March 1942) is an English-Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Two of his songs, "Driving Wheel" and "More Often Than Not", have become cover standards. Early life Wiffen was born in Redhill, Surrey, England.

- ''David Wiffen At The Bunkhouse Coffeehouse, Vancouver BC'' (1965) *The Wildwood Boys, a bluegrass band featuring

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 ...

, Robert Hunter and David Nelson, played the song as part of their live repertoire in 1963. *

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halafta ...

- "Mule Skinner Blues" (

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1964) * A novelty version of the song, "Batskinner" by Robin & The Batmen (Sara 6612, 1966), was inspired by both

version of "Mule Skinner Blues" and the popular ''Batman'' television series. ("Good morning, Commissioner!") *

The Country Gentlemen The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's ...

- '' Live from the Stage of the Roanoake Bluegrass Festival'' (1967) ;1970s *

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer, songwriter and story teller. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adno ...

- '' Johnny Cash Show'' (1971) Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Norman Blake and Randy Scruggs on The Johnny Cash Show, January 6, 1971. *

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

- '' The Best Of Dolly Parton'' (1970) This 1970 recording of the song reached #3 on the U.S. country charts, and earned Parton a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination. (Parton and Bill Monroe would later perform the song together on the 1978 CBS television special ''Fifty Years of Country Music''.) *

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Gui ...

- ''Georgia Sunshine'' (1971)

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

plays on the right channel and takes one guitar solo. *

Stompin' Tom Connors Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, Order of Canada, OC (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) was a Canadian country music, country and folk music, folk singer-songwriter. Focusing his career exclusively on his native Canada, he is credited wi ...

- ''Live at the Horseshoe'' (1971) *Levi's used a variation of this song for its blue jeans commercial using stop motion animation, around 1972. Lyrics included:
"Good Morning, World! Good Morning to you! I'm Wearing my Levi's, Le-hee-hee-hee-vis!" ;1980s *

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 ...

- ''Cold On The Shoulder'' (1984) ;1990s *

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...

- ''

Stay Sick! ''Stay Sick!'' is the fourth studio album (and ninth overall) by the American rock band the Cramps. It was released on February 12, 1990, by Enigma Records, recorded at Music Grinder in Hollywood, self-produced by guitarist Poison Ivy and engine ...

'' (1990) * Sweethearts of the Rodeo - '' Beautiful Lies'' (1996) ;2000s * Scott H. Biram - ''The Dirty Old One Man Band'' (2005) *

Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanne ...

- Ragin' Live ( Rounder, 2005) ;2010s * Marcus Singletary - ''Sings Country Music Standards'' (2013) *

Melinda Schneider Melinda Schneider (born Melinda-Jane Bean; 7 October 1971) is an Australian country music singer. She has been performing since she was three and sang with her mother, yodelling country artist Mary Schneider, on the album ''The Magic of Yodell ...

and

Beccy Cole Beccy Cole (born Rebecca Diane Thompson, 27 October 1972), also known as Beccy Sturtzel, Rebecca Diane Albeck and Bec O'Donovan, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released ten studio albums, w ...

covered the song on their album ''

Great Women of Country ''Great Women of Country'' is the studio album by Australian country music singers Melinda Schneider and Beccy Cole. It was released through Universal Music Australia in 7 November 2014 and peaked at number 9 on the ARIA Charts. Background The ...

'' (2014). *

and The Rage - '' All the Rage'' (2016) *Sore Points recorded and performed the song on

X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox, spanning nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A tenth season of six e ...

SE11E03 (2018)

Charting versions

References

{{authority control Songs about occupations 1930 songs 1931 singles 1941 singles Jimmie Rodgers songs Dolly Parton songs Odetta songs Lonnie Donegan songs The Fendermen songs Woody Guthrie songs Van Morrison songs RCA Records singles Songs written by George Vaughn Horton Songs written by Jimmie Rodgers