Salty Dog Blues

Song composer(s)

Traditional / Jackson, Charlie / Morris, Wiley / Morris, Zeke

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

No Dead related recordings entered

Other Recordings

Papa Charlie Jackson (192?)
Ethel Waters (192?)
Allen Brothers (193?)
Morris Brothers (194?)
Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 1 - Secular Music : Harold Courlander (1951)
Archie Duff "The Singing Scoolteacher" With The Western Cherokees (1954)
Blind Willie McTell (1956)
Walk Right In : Gus Cannon (Banjo And Vocal With Will Shade) (1962)
Folk Songs & Blues : Mississippi John Hurt (1963)
Elvin Rooks & the Blue Grass Ramblers (1963)
Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall : Flatt & Scruggs (1963)
Eric Darling : Eric Darling (196?)
Fat Mouth : Papa Charlie Jackson (1970)
Lester Flatt & Mac Wiseman (1971)
Earl Scruggs - His Family & Friends : Earl Scruggs (Morris Brothers) (1972)
Greatest Folksingers of 60s : Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs) (1972)
World Of Country Music, Vol. 2 : Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys (1973)
Earl Scruggs Revue : The Earl Scruggs Revue (1973)
On The Southbound : Lester Flatt (1973)
Best Of : Mississippi John Hurt (1974)
Profile - Don Reno : Don Reno & Bill Harrell (1975)
Hard Luck Papa - Old Time Picking Styles & Techniques : Tom Paley (1976)
Deep Shady Grove : Evo Bluestein (197?)
Voices In Bluegrass : Osborne Brothers (1985)
Jack Rabbit : Doug Dillard (1986)
Live At The Bluegrass Festival : Lester Flatt (1986)
Live Broadcast Bluegrass Bonanza - Martha White Biscuit Time : Flatt & Scruggs (198?)
Grassroots To Bluegrass : Mac Wiseman (1990)
1959-1963 : Flatt & Scruggs (1992)
Artist's Choice - The Best Tracks, 1970-1980 : The Earl Scruggs Revue (1998)
Bluegrass at Newport : Various Artists (19??)
Sam & Kirk McGee From Sunny Tennessee : Sam & Kirk McGee (19??)
The Professors (19??)

Performance History

Played by the Hart Valley Drifters at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on November 10th 1962.

Played by the Black Mountain Boys on the 7th March 1964.

Not performed by the Grateful Dead. Occurs only on pre-Dead tapes featuring future members of the dead.

Notes

Credits on recordings sometimes to Wiley & Zeke Morris sometimes to Charlie Jackson. But may well be a traditional song that Jackson adopted.

Sometimes called simply Salty Dog though there are other songs with this title.

Also songs New Salty Blues and New Salty Dog which may well be related.

The lyrics of the version performed by the Black Mountain Boys are as follows;

I was standing on the corner with the low-down blues
Great big hole in the bottom of my shoes
Baby let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

I was down in wild wood sitting on a log
Finger on the trigger [and eye on hog]
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

Now look here Sal I know you
Run down [stocking] and a worn-out shoe
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

I pulled the trigger and the gun said go
Shot fell over in Mexico
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

Now let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog