JELLY ROLL
By Clarence Williams


STEVE:This was written by Clarence Williams, who used to play piano for Bessie Smith. And it’s a shuck, but I dig it.


Say ain’t nobody gonna get none of my jelly roll;
Now you can’t get any, not even if it’s gonna save your soul;
Well, my mama, she said today, just before she went away,
She said “Be a good boy, pride and joy,
You know that you’re your mama’s favorite toy;

Well it ain’t no use, for you other ladies hanging ‘round:
I love you dearly, but I just gotta put you down; (way down),
Now your jelly roll sure looks fine,
Let me tell you it don’t stand a chance compared to mine;
You can’t get any, you ain’t gonna have none,
Said none of my Jellyroll!



Bessie Smith was born about 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee and grew up singing in the streets with her brother Andrew after being orphaned by the age of nine. Performing later in minstrel shows and vaudeville, she developed a tough, lusty voice and a taste for risqué lyrics that caught the fancy of her audiences, and still today Bessie Smith is considered the Queen of blues singers.

Translation for Steve’s comment (1950’s and 60’s slang)
It’s a shuck: it is not true; it’s a joke, a tease
but I dig it: but I like the song


“Jelly roll” is a common term in blues for a certain female private part.
In this performance, Steve Mann seems to have been amused by the words of the song. Lest there be any confusion, however, he seems to want everyone (especially the women) to know that he did not mean he himself was unavailable, but did enjoy the teasing humor of the lyrics.

                                                                                                                                    --SM