Nobody
minstrelsyTitle
Nobody
Date
1906
Genre
Performer
Writer
Bert Williams and Alex Rogers
Recording Label
Columbia Phonograph
Recording Technology
Edison Cylinder
Description
Bert Williams, born in Bahamas, was one of the most popular blackface performers of his day: “Nobody” became his signature song. Modern audiences may find it sad: audiences in 1905 fell out of their seats laughing. This song, which Williams routinely sang in blackface, parodies sentimental songs and what might be called “sad negro” songs, in which characters in blackface sang of their troubles. Instead of “mother’ or wife the singer finds “nobody.” Williams himself parodies and further exaggerates the pitch bending typical of the minstrel show. Notice how he vocally imitates the long slurred note of the trombone, starting at about 52 seconds. Williams managed a comic overstatement of typical minstrel tricks.
Lyrics
When life seems full of clouds an' rain
and I am filled with naught but pain,
who soothes my thumpin' bumpin' brain ?
Nobody
When winter comes with snow an' sleet,
and me with hunger and cold feet,
who says " Ah, here's two bits, go an' eat!"
Nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
When I try hard an' scheme an' plan,
to look as good as I can,
who says " Ah, look at that handsome man!"
Nobody
When all day long things go amiss,
and I go home to find some bliss,
who hands to me a glowin' kiss?
Nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
Nobody, no time!
and I am filled with naught but pain,
who soothes my thumpin' bumpin' brain ?
Nobody
When winter comes with snow an' sleet,
and me with hunger and cold feet,
who says " Ah, here's two bits, go an' eat!"
Nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
When I try hard an' scheme an' plan,
to look as good as I can,
who says " Ah, look at that handsome man!"
Nobody
When all day long things go amiss,
and I go home to find some bliss,
who hands to me a glowin' kiss?
Nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
Nobody, no time!
Type
minstrelsy
Is Referenced By
Bert Williams, born in Bahamas, was one of the most popular blackface performers of his day: “Nobody” became his signature song. Modern audiences may find it sad: audiences in 1905 fell out of their seats laughing. This song, which Williams routinely sang in blackface, parodies sentimental songs and what might be called “sad negro” songs, in which characters in blackface sang of their troubles. Instead of “mother’ or wife the singer finds “nobody.” Williams himself parodies and further exaggerates the pitch bending typical of the minstrel show. Notice how he vocally imitates the long slurred note of the trombone, starting at about 52 seconds. Williams managed a comic overstatement of typical minstrel tricks.