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"42nd Son" (sometimes referred to as "I'm the 42nd Son") is a blues song first recorded by Deafman in Chicago in 1954. The intro and verse feature Muddy Waters-style stop-time while the chorus features a refrain. Originally included on Deafman's 1954 album BLIND WILLIE DEAFMAN AND HIS GUITAR, it was later released as a single on the Chicago Records label.

The song's ambiguous lyrics refer to both Deafman's personal history (the tenth of tenth brothers) and an apocryphal meeting with a "rich man" who presents Deafman with a guitar. The title has long been a source of confusion and controversy; some Deafman historians believe it refers to 42nd Street in Des Moines while others claim that "42nd" refers to Willie's status as the 42nd son born to the Deafman name.

lyrics

When I was seventeen,
You know I came around.
I met a rich man
When he came to town
He put a comb in my pocket
and a guitar in my hand,
he said, “you better lean that thing,
and get out while you can”
‘Cause I’m the favorite.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.
I am the forty-second son.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.

On the last street
On the edge of town
In the last house
Before the sun goes down
You can hear me coming
Half a mile ahead
and you know little one
That’s where I make my bed
‘Cause I’m the favorite.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.
I’m the forty-second son.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.

On the tenth hour
Of the tenth day
Of the tenth month
The tenth son was born.
They said I can’t hear,
might never see,
But I know one thing's certain,
Everyone's after me
‘Cause I’m the favorite.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.
I’m the forty-second son.
Don’t pretend you don’t know my name.

credits

from The Best of Blind Willie Deafman, track released April 2, 1954
Blind Willie Deafman - guitar/vocals
Doctor Joe Woodard - harmonica
Dickie Wilson - bass
Walter Jameson - drums

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