Rollin' and Tumblin'

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"Rollin' and Tumblin'" is a blues song first recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern as "Roll and Tumble Blues" (Okeh 8679,1929). Robert Johnson also recorded a version of the song in 1936, under the title "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day" (Wald 2006). The best known version was recorded by Muddy Waters with Big Crawford on bass for the Chess brothers' Aristocrat Records label in 1950. Leonard Chess insisted that Waters record the song after Waters had recorded a version for the rival Parkway label, featuring his band mates Little Walter and Baby Face Leroy (Gordon 2002, 100).

The song is one of the most perennially popular blues songs, with over sixty recorded versions, including versions by Elmore James on a 1960 single, Cream on their 1966 debut, Fresh Cream, Canned Heat on their 1967 eponymous debut, Eric Clapton for his 1992 Unplugged album and 2004's Me and Mr. Johnson, and most recently by Bob Dylan for his 2006 album Modern Times. Dylan claims authorship of the song on most versions of his record. While musically identical to the Muddy Waters version, Dylan's introduces all new verses, though retaining the opening lines.

The song features a simple, percussion driven beat, usually with a distinctive slide guitar accompaniment punctuated by harmonica and vocals. The lyrics consist of verses (but no chorus) which have varied over time from artist to artist. Delta bluesman Johnny Shines recorded a version, called "Red Sun" (1975), with the traditional music but different, prison-themed lyrics. The first line is typically "I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long." The first line of each verse is repeated once, and then followed by a conclusion, the usual 3-line structure for a 12-bar blues lyric.

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