He Roars Like a Lion (Remastered 2002)
Merline Johnson»That's Chicago's South Side (When the Sun Goes Down series)
Old stuffLadies bluesCold coffee
Merline Johnson (born c. 1912) was an African American blues singer in the … Read Full Bio ↴Merline Johnson (born c. 1912) was an African American blues singer in the 1930s and 1940s, billed as The *Yas Yas Girl. Little is known of her life, but she is thought to have been born in Mississippi. She was the aunt of rhythm and blues singer LaVern Baker. She first recorded in Chicago in 1937, on songs including "Sold It To The Devil". Over the next four years she recorded over 90 songs including "Don't You Make Me High", "I'd Rather Be Drunk", and "Love with a Feeling". Unlike Lil Johnson, she did not specialize in suggestive numbers, though she did not eschew them either. Her métier was bar-room blues like "Drinking My Blues Away" and "I Just Keep on Drinking", which she put over in a hard-edged, unwinsome style. She was backed on many of her recordings by top blues and jazz musicians including Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Blind John Davis, Buster Bennett, and Punch Miller. Many of these have been included on later blues compilations. Her final recordings, not issued at the time, were in 1947. Her later life is unknown. "*Yas Yas" was a common euphemism in blues hokum songs for "ass", for example in Blind Boy Fuller's "Get Yer Yas Yas Out" and Tampa Red's "The Duck's Yas-Yas-Yas".
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I don't fool around with women
All's I crave is men
I don't around with women
All's I crave is men
When my best man walks in
That's where my love, begins
Well, ev'rytime I see yo picture
Hangin' in the frame
Well, ev'rytime I see yo picture
Hangin' in the frame
You used to play cards, daddy
But you didn't no the game
Well, he roars like a lion
An he hop like a kangroo
Well, he roars like a lion
An he hop like a kangroo
An if I get that man back
I don't know what I'll do
When my baby left me
I was standin' in my do'
When my baby left me
I was standin' in my door
I was cryin' an beggin'
'Daddy, please don't go'
(piano)
Well, he wrote me a letter
Nothin' in it but a note
Well, he wrote me a letter
Nothin' in it but a note
I sat right down and wrote him
You know I ain't no billy goat.
The lyrics to Merline Johnson's song "He Roars Like A Lion" speak about the singer's preference for men over women as she sings "I don't fool around with women, all's I crave is men." The singer expresses her desire for a man who walks in and how her love for him begins immediately. In the next verse, the singer talks about seeing the picture of her man hanging in the frame, which reminds her that he used to play cards but lost because he didn't know the game.
As the song continues, the singer describes her man as someone who roars like a lion and hops like a kangaroo, which could represent his strength and agility respectively. She also mentions that she doesn't know what she will do if she gets this man back. Towards the end of the song, the singer talks about her heartbreak as her baby left her, and she was standing at the door, crying and begging. She receives a note from her man, which contains nothing but a sentence. In response, she writes back, telling him that she's no billy goat.
Overall, the song touches on themes such as love, heartbreak, and preferences, which were probably taboo subjects at the time of the song's release. The lyrics portray the singer as a strong, independent woman with a clear desire and preference for men. The song also uses animal metaphors to describe the singer's man, highlighting his strength and agility.
I don't fool around with women
I don't engage in romantic or sexual relationships with women
All's I crave is men
I only desire romantic or sexual relationships with men
When my best man walks in
When my preferred romantic or sexual partner (who is male) enters the room
That's where my love, begins
That's when my romantic or sexual attraction begins
Well, ev'rytime I see yo picture
Every time I see your photograph
Hangin' in the frame
Displayed in a picture frame
You used to play cards, daddy
You used to deceive me, dad
But you didn't no the game
But you didn't know how to play me
Well, he roars like a lion
He loudly and confidently asserts himself
An he hop like a kangroo
He moves with a bouncy, lively energy
An if I get that man back
If I regain the affection of that man
I don't know what I'll do
I'm uncertain of how I'll react or behave
When my baby left me
When my previous romantic partner (who is male) ended our relationship
I was standin' in my do'
I was standing in my doorway
I was cryin' an beggin'
I was crying and pleading
'Daddy, please don't go'
I called out to my previous romantic partner with a term of endearment, asking him not to leave
Well, he wrote me a letter
He communicated with me through written correspondence
Nothin' in it but a note
It contained only a brief message
I sat right down and wrote him
I promptly wrote him a response
You know I ain't no billy goat.
You know I am not easily fooled or deceived.
Contributed by Jonathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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