Geeshie Wiley & Elvie Thomas -" Pick Poor Robin Clean" - (A version of this 1931 record is featured in Ryan Coogler's 2025 hit movie "Sinners")

Old Jazz & Blues Experience, Oct 9, 2014

Recorded circa March 1931 in Grafton, Wisconsin. Geeshie Wiley on vocals and lead guitar, Elvie Thomas on second guitar. This bouncy, raggy tune opens with the chilling lines: "I picked poor robin clean, picked poor robin clean 
-snip-

WARNING- The word "coon" in this song can be considered to be an offensive referent for Black people. As such, using that word as a referent for Black people nowadays is very much frowned upon. 

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a multi-part pancocojams series on the pre-Blues song "Pick Poor Robin Clean" (also given as "Picked Poor Robin Clean"). 

African American vocalist and guitarist Luke Jordan was the first person to record the song "Pick Poor Robin Clean" in 1927. This song may have been sung by Luke Jordan and/or by other people before that date. Interest in this old song has been revived by its inclusion in the 2025 hit Ryan Coogler movie Sinners.

This pancocojams post presents information about Geechie Wiley and showcases a YouTube sound file of Geechie Wiley's and Elvie Thomas'  version of "Pick Poor Robin Clean".

The lyrics of Geechie Wiley's and Elvie Thomas' version of "Pick Poor Robin Clean" are included in this post. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/luke-jordan-pick-poor-robin-clean-take.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases the first recording of "Pick Poor Robin Clean" in 1927 by Luke Jordan.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/larry-johnson-pick-poor-robin-clean.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases the 1970 recording of "Pick Poor Robin Clean" by Larry Johnson.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/ryan-cooglers-2025-sinners-movie.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases the version of the song "Pick Poor Robin Clean" that is part of Ryan Coogler's 2025 movie Sinners.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/online-comments-about-overall-meaning.html for Part V of this pancocojams series. That post presents online excerpts and comments about the meaning of the song "Pick Poor Robin Clean".  

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Geechie Wiley & Elvie Thomas for their musical legacies and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT GEECHIE WILEY & ELVIE THOMAS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geeshie_Wiley
"Geeshie Wiley was an American country blues singer and guitar player who recorded six songs for Paramount Records, issued on three records in April 1930.[1] According to the blues historian Don Kent, Wiley "may well have been the rural South's greatest female blues singer and musician".[2] Little is known of her life, and there are no known photographs of her.[3] She may have been born Lillie Mae Boone (November 14, 1908–July 29, 1950), later Lillie Mae Scott.[4]

Recordings

In April 1930,[1] Wiley, who was of African American heritage, traveled with the singer and guitarist Elvie Thomas from Houston, Texas to Grafton, Wisconsin, to make recordings for Paramount Records. Wiley recorded "Last Kind Words Blues" and "Skinny Leg Blues", singing and accompanying herself on guitar, with Thomas providing additional guitar accompaniment.[5] Thomas also recorded two songs, "Motherless Child Blues" and "Over to My House," with Wiley playing guitar and singing harmony.[6] Some sources suggest that in March 1931 Wiley and Thomas returned to Grafton and recorded "Pick Poor Robin Clean" and "Eagles on a Half."[6][7]"...

****
LYRICS FOR THE GEECHIE WILEY & ELVIE THOMAS VERSION OF "PICK POOR ROBIN CLEAN

" [Spoken]

Thomas: Hello there, Geeshie

Wiley: Hello there, Slack

Thomas: What are you doing down here?

Wiley: I'm just down here trying to play these boys the new Cock Robin

Thomas: Let me hear it, then

 

I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

I picked his head, picked his feet

I woulda picked his body but it wasn't fit to eat

Picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

And I'll be satisfied having a family

 

Lord, did that jaybird laugh when I picked poor Robin clean

Poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

Oh did that jaybird laugh when I picked poor Robin clean

And I'll be satisfied having a family

 

Get off my money, and don't get funny

'Cause I'm a Negra, don't cut no figure

Then old Miss Sadie, she is my baby

(ET sings "Ah, Miss Sadie")

And I'm a hustling coon, that's just what I am

 

You bet I picked poor Robin clean...

I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

I picked his head, picked his feet

I woulda picked his body but it wasn't fit to eat

Picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

And I'll be satisfied having a family

 

Won't be long now

 

I picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

I picked his head, picked his feet

I woulda picked his body but it wasn't fit to eat

Picked poor Robin clean, picked poor Robin clean

And I'll be satisfied having a family"

Source:https://genius.com/Geeshie-wiley-pick-poor-robin-clean-lyrics
-snip-
The referent to "the new cock robin" refers to a contemporary song (in Geechie Wiley & Elvie Thomas' time) that was based on the British nursery rhyme and folk song "Who Killed Cock Robin".  I don't know if anyone has speculated about which particular song Geeshie Wiley was referring to in that comment.   

****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.