One Kind Favour

also known as 'One Kind Favor',
'See That My Grave Is Kept Clean'
and 'Two White Horses in a Line'

Lyrics
Song History
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The Rosinators - Will Sneyd, Fliss Premru & Paul Castle

One Kind Favour
by The Rosinators
Paul Castle, acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, vocals
Will Sneyd, fiddle, vocals ; Fliss Premru, fiddle, vocals


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Lyrics/Song history research on other recordings by The Rosinators

Old Joe Clark
Orange Blossom Special
Hank Williams I Saw the Light
In My Time of Dyin'
Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
Cindy's Breakdown (aka Get Along Home Cindy)
Joli Blon (aka Jolie Blonde)
Little Sadie
Poncho's Lament (Tom Waits)

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The Rosinators on the Leftfield Stage, Glastonbury Festival 2005
The Rosinators on the Leftfield Stage, Glastonbury Festival, 2005

"When American roots music deejays rave about bluegrass passion, Cajun verve
and country-gospel authenticity, you know that The Rosinators are the real deal.
From deep in the heart of Balham Alligator territory, the London-based trio have
added their own stamp to the American old time tradition so convincingly that most
of their radio airplay comes from US stations. Formed in 2001, they blazed out of
the traps with dynamic three-part vocal harmonies and fiery twin-fiddle attacks
driven by crackin' guitar picking."
[Acoustic Music Centre - Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Aug 2005]

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Lyrics (as sung by The Rosinators)
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One Kind Favour

1. Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    See that my grave is kept clean

2. Well there's two white horses in a line
    Well there's two white horses in a line
    Well there's two white horses in a line
    Carryin' me to my buryin' ground

3. Well there's three black coaches in the rain
    Well there's three black coaches in the rain
    Well there's three black coaches in the rain
    Empty now from their heavy load

4. Did you ever hear that coffin sound
    Did you ever hear that coffin sound
    Did you ever hear that coffin sound
    Being lowered into the ground

5. Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    Well there's one kind favour I'll ask of you
    See that my grave is kept clean


COUNTRY MUSIC LYRICS - links to Bluegrass,
Cajun, Country Blues and Gospel Country song lyrics

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History / Song Research / Links

Uncut Magazine

Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded the traditional "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" in October 1927, two years before he froze to death on the streets of Chicago. When Jefferson learned the song it was a folk spiritual called "Two White Horses In A Line", also known as "One Kind Favour". He turned it into something entirely his own and although Dylan followed Jefferson's arrangement fairly closely on his debut album, the two versions are also quite different. As Robert Shelton put it: "Blind Lemon's recording is sprightly, sweet and benevolent, while Dylan's is stark and morose".


Handbook of Texas Online

JEFFERSON, BLIND LEMON (1897-1929). Blind Lemon Jefferson, blues musician, son of Alec and Cassie Jefferson, was born in Coutchman, Texas, in July 1897 (an estimated date since no records are available). He was born blind and was known all his life as Blind Lemon Jefferson. Jefferson received no formal education and instead traveled from town to town in the Wortham area, playing his guitar and singing songs, most of which were his own compositions. He later moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and became a well-known figure in the Deep Ellumqv district of Dallas. There he met Huddie Ledbetter (better known as "Leadbelly"), and for a time they played together in some of the brothels of Texas' cities. Leadbelly's "Blind Lemon Blues" was in honor of his friend. Jefferson was discovered by a talent scout for Paramount Records while in Dallas and was taken to Chicago. He made seventy-nine records for Paramount in the 1920s, each estimated to have sold 100,000 copies; he also made two recordings under the "Okeh" label. Recordings included "Matchbox Blues," "Black Snake Moan," and "See that My Grave is Kept Clean." He recorded spirituals under the pseudonym Deacon L. J. Bates. Jefferson is recognized as one of the earliest representatives of the "classic blues" field, considered to be one of the best folk blues singers of the 1920s, and said to have influenced such artists as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Bix Beiderbecker, and to have encouraged Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins when Hopkins was an eight-year-old boy in Buffalo, Texas. It is not definitely known whether Jefferson was married, although one source says he married in 1922 or 1923 and had a son. He died in late December 1929 in Chicago. The exact date and cause of death is unknown because there was no death certificate, but it was reported that he had a heart attack and died on the streets during a snowstorm. Blind Lemon was buried in the Wortham Negro Cemetery, and his grave was marked as an official Texas historical monument in 1967. Jefferson was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1980.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Alan B. Govenar, Meeting the Blues (Dallas: Taylor, 1988). Alan Lomax, Folk Songs of North America (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1960). Robert Santelli, Big Book of the Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia (New York: Penguin Books, 1993). Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.

Marilynn Wood Hill



One of the most widely covered songs in blues history, it has also been recorded by the following (among others) :

Bela Lam & His Greene County Singers (1927)
The Carter Family (19??)
Lightnin' Hopkins (1959)
Tom Dutson (1959)
Walter "Furry" Lewis (19??)
Dave Van Ronk (1961)
Bob Dylan (1962)
Liz Getz (1966)
Hobart Smith
The Grateful Dead (1973)
Stefan Grossman (1977)
Jo Ann Kelly (1977)
Peter Paul and Mary
Robert Lowery (1989)
John Hammond Jr (1992)
Diamanda Galas (1992)
Lou Reed
Michael Bloomfield
Cliff Perry & Laurel Bliss (1994)
Bill Monroe/Monroe Brothers (1997)
The Staples Singers
Chrome Cranks
Canned Heat
and many more

Links

History of Blind Lemon Jefferson's Headstone

The headstone and markers on Lemon Jefferson's grave took nearly 70
years to be put in place. Here are a couple of articles on the efforts to
mark Lemon Jefferson's grave and see that it is "Kept Clean".

Blind Lemon Jefferson: His Life, His Death, and His Legacy

Blind Lemon Jefferson: His Life, His Death, and His Legacy
(Paperback) by Robert L. Uzzel (from Amazon.com)

Book Description
Between 1926 and his untimely death in 1929, Blind Lemon Jefferson was
the largest-selling black blues singer in the United States. Blind from birth,
Lemon wandered the streets of Wortham, Groesbeck, Marlin, and Kosse in
Central Texas, playing his guitar and soliciting contributions with his tin cup.
In 1912 he caught a train for Dallas, where he performed in the famous Deep
Ellum district. He was discovered by a talent scout for Paramount Records
and taken to Chicago in 1925.

Between 1926 and 1929, Lemon recorded more than a hundred titles and
traveled extensively. His musical influence was widespread, affecting white
and black musicians alike and extending to musical forms other than the blues.

Note: If you have any comments about this page or can suggest additional
links or stories to add to this research, please write to Paul Castle 


Lyrics/Song history research on other recordings by The Rosinators

Old Joe Clark
Orange Blossom Special
Hank Williams I Saw the Light
In My Time of Dyin'
Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
Cindy's Breakdown (aka Get Along Home Cindy)
Joli Blon (aka Jolie Blonde)
Little Sadie
Poncho's Lament (Tom Waits)
Stay Connected - Join the mailing list
Choose a **Free Download** by The Rosinators
Email Address:



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