It's Nobody's Fault but Mine

For the song with similar lyrics by Led Zeppelin, see Nobody's Fault but Mine.
"It's Nobody's Fault but Mine"
Single by Blind Willie Johnson
B-side "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"
Released 1927 (1927)–1928
Format 10" 78 rpm record
Recorded Dallas, Texas, December 3, 1927 (1927-12-03)
Genre Gospel blues
Length 3:09
Label Columbia (no. 14303)
Blind Willie Johnson singles chronology
"Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed"
(1927)		 "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine"
(1927)		 "Mother's Children Have a Hard Time"
(1927)

"It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" or "Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a traditional song first recorded by gospel blues artist Blind Willie Johnson in 1927. It is a solo performance with Johnson singing and playing slide guitar.[1] The song has been interpreted and recorded by numerous musicians in a variety of styles.

Lyrics and composition

"It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" tells of a spiritual struggle, with reading the Bible as the path to salvation, or, rather, the failure to read it leading to damnation.

I have a Bible in my home, I have a Bible in my home
If I don't read my soul will be lost ... nobody's fault but mine

Blind Willie Johnson recorded the song in a time when illiteracy was common in the rural South. Blinded as a young child, Johnson was singing this song as a warning to those who had learned to read, but concerned themselves too much with earthly matters, but Johnson tries to point the way to salvation. He admits to having fault, and he blames himself for not taking advantage of the skill he has, reading, and saving himself. The context of this song is strictly religious. It is a melancholy expression of his spirit, as the blues style echoes the depths of his guilt and his struggle.

An early review called the song "violent, tortured and abysmal shouts and groans and his inspired guitar playing in a primitive and frightening Negro religious song".[2] In performing this song, Johnson alternated between vocal and solo slide-guitar melody lines, using a bottleneck (or sometimes a jackknife) on the first and second or sometimes third and fourth strings.[1] He also provided an alternating bass figure with his thumb.

Other recordings

"It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" has been interpreted and recorded by numerous blues and other musicians, usually using the title "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and often with variations in the lyrics or music. English rock band Led Zeppelin recorded "Nobody's Fault but Mine", which is credited to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, for their Presence album. The following lists those versions credited as "Traditional" or to Johnson.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Charters, Samuel (1993). The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (CD booklet). Blind Willie Johnson. Columbia/Legacy. C2K 52835.
  2. ↑ Blakey, D. N. (2007). Revelation: Blind Willie Johnson The Biography. DNB45 Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-4303-2899-5.
  3. ↑ "Blind Willie Johnson – Songs Composed By". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Decca 48000 series Numerical Listing". Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ Kaiser* / Mansfield* – Trimmed & Burning at Discogs (list of releases)
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