Bo Carter, master of the single entendre

This week I've been listening to a double CD of prewar recordings by country blues guitarist/singer Bo Carter. His playing and his voice are both excellent for the genre, but the thing that stands out (ahem) most about his music is the subject matter and the language. Anybody who knows the first thing about the blues knows the double entendre is one of its standard lyrical devices, and anyone familiar with Robert Johnson's music knows the famous line "you can squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg." But Bo Carter takes this stuff waaaayyy over the top.

  Here's a sampling of  song titles:

(Let Me Put My) Banana in Your Fruit Basktet
Pigmeat is what I Crave
Cigarette Blues ("Smoke my cigarette all night long ...")
Same Thing the Cats Fight About
Mash That Thing
Twist It, Babe
It's Done Got Wet
Pussy Cat Blues
My Pencil Won't Write No More
Ram Rod Daddy
Pin In Your Cushion
Backache Blues

These are just a few of the songs Carter recorded on the subject of sex. Use your imagination on the titles that are less overt. The titles are raunchy enough, but the complete lyrics to any of them would make a sailor blush. One thing that blows my mind (ahem) is that these tunes were mostly waxed around the time of the Great Depression. The other amazing thing is how damned well he plays and sings on these records. I bet seeing him play live at a juke joint would have been like a religious experience, except of course for all the references to his banana and whatnot.  Not the sort of thing you'd hear on mainstream radio, then or now.