| "Mother's Children Have a Hard Time" | |
|---|---|
| Single byBlind Willie Johnson | |
| Recorded | Dallas,Texas, December 3, 1927 |
| Genre | Gospel blues |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter | Blind Willie Johnson[1] |
"Mother's Children Have a Hard Time", also known as "Motherless Children", is agospel blues song recorded byBlind Willie Johnson in 1927. It is a solo performance, with Johnson singing and playing an acousticslide guitar.
Johnson recorded the song during his first session for theColumbia label inDallas,Texas, on December 3, 1927.[2] The lyrics are autobiographical, since Johnson's mother died when he was young. His father remarried soon after her death, and later, the stepmother allegedly threw a caustic solution, which blinded the boy:[2] "Motherless children have a hard time, mother's dead, Well don't have anywhere to go, Wandering 'round from door to door".[3]
Blues researcherSamuel Charters describes Johnson's slide guitar playing as having "a nuance and delicacy that extended and clarified the emotion of his singing", which is supported by his rhythmic fingerpicked bass line.[4] Columbia issued the song on a78 rpm record with the title "Mother's Children Have a Hard Time". Charters notes that this was based on a misinterpretation of Johnson's lyrics and the correct title is "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time".[5]
Following Johnson's original recording in 1927, the song has been covered by many artists, includingEric Clapton on his 1974 album461 Ocean Boulevard under the title "Motherless Children".[6][7]
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