Major Special, The

DESCRIPTION: "Oh you come down on this Ramsey, partner, 'specially Ramsey Two, Hmmm, fix it in your mind, buddy, you got your time to do." The Major knows the river too well for convicts to escape. The singer recalls many years in the prison
AUTHOR: J. B. Smith
EARLIEST DATE: 1966 (recorded from J. B. Smith by Jackson)
KEYWORDS: prison hardtimes
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Jackson-WakeUpDeadMan, pp. 163-164, "The Major Special" (1 text)
NOTES [77 words]: All of the songs Jackson recorded from J. B. Smith included a large amount of material unique to Smith, but this one has perhaps the highest proportion of all; there is very little recognizable traditional material. As a result, I have listed Smith as the author.
I almost thought of tagging the piece with the "moniker" keyword, since it refers to several of the prison staff that Smith dealt with. But it doesn't really fit the general form of a moniker song. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: JDM163

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography