Cactus: Parchman Farm

I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
All I ever did was shoot my arm

Be down here for the rest of my life
Be down here for the rest of my life
Be down here for the rest of my life
All I ever did was pull my knife out

Put me down here with a ball n chain
Put me down here with a ball n chain
Put me down here with a ball n chain
Oh Lord they're tryin' to drive my mind insane

Oh bust them rocks baby

That Parchman Farm
Do no harm
That chaka high
That Parchman Farm
Be down here for the rest of my life
All I ever did was pull my knife
That Parchman Farm
That Parchman Farm
That Parchman Farm
That Parchman Farm
Ah yeah
Be down here for the rest of my life

References

Uploaded August 19, 2010 by Roman Tamayo

Wikipedia: Parchman Farm (song)
"Parchman Farm" is the title of a number of songs about Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm, a hard time prison because of the Trusty system which was later outlawed.

There have been a number of blues songs written about Parchman Farm and several Blues musicians were imprisoned there, including Bukka White (who wrote "Parchman Farm Blues"), and Son House. In 1939, folklorist Alan Lomax recorded White and others at the farm for the Library of Congress.

Mose Allison wrote a song called "Parchman Farm", distinct from the earlier blues songs. It has been covered by Blue Cheer (as "Parchment Farm"), Cactus, Rick Derringer, Georgie Fame, The Kingston Trio, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers (who released it as a Decca Records single in 1966), Hot Tuna, and others.

Wikipedia: Cactus (album)
Cactus is the first album by the American hard rock supergroup Cactus, released in 1970 under the Atco label. It includes original songs as well as cover of Mose Allison's version of a blues standard, "Parchman Farm" and another one, Willie Dixon's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover".

Wikipedia: Cactus (band)
Cactus is an American hard rock supergroup, formed in 1970.

Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 and originally featured the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, guitarist Jeff Beck, xylophone player/vocalist Adele Smitchell, and Rod Stewart (also from the already dissolved Jeff Beck Group). However, Beck had an automobile accident and was out of the music scene for over a year and Stewart joined Ronnie Wood in Faces.

Early 1970 Appice and Bogert brought in blues guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express, and singer Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson) from Amboy Dukes.

Some personal notes
I saw Cactus live in 1970 in Buffalo, New York. Jim McCarty, as you can hear on this song, was and still is quite the guitarist. Fabulous band. These guys rocked!

2012-04-16

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