According to blues guitarist and longtime wolf associate hubert sumlin the song uses the killing floor the area of a slaughterhouse where animals are killed as a metaphor or allegory for male female relationships.
Hard time killing floor blues 1930 meaning.
Intrigued by a macabre title hard time killing floor blues he asked the shop s owner to play a nearly pristine 78 with a paramount label.
His guitar playing is noted for its dark minor key sound played in an open d minor tuning with an intricate fingerpicking technique.
A killin floor is old 30 s slang for a slaughter house where the blacks would often have the worst jobs of all.
This song is basically about being poor and having to move from door to door or home to home job to job.
The slow mournful dirge hooked spottswood.
James first recorded for paramount records in 1931 but these recordings sold poorly having been released during the great.
Hard time here and everywhere you go times is harder than ever been before and the people are driftin from door to door can t find no heaven i don t care where they go hear me tell you people just before i go these hard times will kill you just dry long so well you hear me singin my lonesome song these hard times can last us so very long if i ever get off this killin floor i ll never get.
Nehemiah curtis skip james june 9 1902 october 3 1969 was an american delta blues singer guitarist pianist and songwriter.
She at the peak of doing it and you got away now.