00:00Hey everyone, my name is Meryn Bradley and today I'm with Guitar World in New York City and I'm
00:11going to play Memphis Mini's When the Levy Breaks. I have the capo up on the fifth fret and I've got
00:16the guitar tune to open A but Memphis Mini didn't actually play it up here, she played it open.
00:21And although my version will be quite influenced by the original Memphis Mini's, it's also pretty
00:28influenced by a guy called Ari Eisinger, he's from Philadelphia and I just grew up listening
00:33to. I heard him a lot growing up and he's a really amazing version of the song himself.
00:37So yeah, my version will be pretty influenced by his.
00:58If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. And the water's gonna come and I'll have no place to stay.
01:21I said all last night, I said I'm levee and moan. I said all last night, I said I'm levee and moan. Think about my baby and my heavy moan. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain.
01:43If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. And the water's gonna come down and have no place to stay.
01:50Come down and have no place to stay.
01:57Now look here Papa, what am I to do? Look here Papa, what am I to do?
02:16I ain't got nobody to tell my troubles to. Oh, crime won't help you, brain won't do no good. Oh, crime won't help you, brain won't do no good. When the levee breaks, honey, you got to move.
02:41I worked on the levee. I worked so hard to keep the water away. I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me. I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me.
03:06I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me. I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me. I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me.
03:13other man, he'd do for me.
03:22I worked on a levee
03:31Bob up on night and day
03:33I worked on a levee
03:36Bob up on night and day
03:38I worked so hard
03:41To give the water away
03:43I wanted a man
03:46He would do for me
03:48I wanted a man
03:52He wouldn't do for me
03:53I'm going on back now
03:57To my use of me
03:59It's a mean old levee
04:02Got me to weep more
04:04It's a mean old levee
04:07Got me to weep more
04:10Gonna leave my baby
04:13And my happy home
04:15So Memphis Minnie's version of this was played with two guitars, which makes it pretty different to mine, I guess. I think the main guitar part had a lot less fills and stuff like that. But mine's would be, I think, a lot closer to what Ari Eissinger plays. His has a lot of fills as well and it's pretty fast like mine too. Memphis Minnie's was much slower. And I think on the actual original recording, Memphis Minnie didn't actually sing on it.
04:32Memphis Minnie didn't actually sing on it, Kansas Joe, her husband at the time sang on the recording, so that would make it pretty different for me as well I guess. Everything that I play, this is a fingerpicking song and it's also alternating bass as well.
04:54So I always play with my two, my index finger and my middle finger and my thumb as well. And I always tend to anchor my ring finger. And the reason I do that is because my pinky finger I find is too short. I've got a really short pinky finger so it doesn't really reach the thing that well. So yeah, I always anchor my ring finger.
05:19So here's a little bit of the main riff of the song. I'll play it a little slower for you though.
05:24So one cool thing that I do, it's kind of later on in the song, and I actually always do it under the singing, it's like a boogie pattern.
05:50And I use my thumb when I come over the top of the fret like this.
06:01The reason I use my thumb is because I'm usually having to go straight into playing some little lick or a little fill.
06:08So it's just easier than going when you're using your finger.
06:13So that's my version of When the Levy Bricks. Thanks so much to Guitar World for having me. It's been really fun.
06:19If you like what you hear, you can check out my socials, just more on underscore Bradley, or I think it's going to be in the description as well.
06:26So you can check that out. And the song that I played is on my album, I kept these old blues as well.
06:31So you can check that out too. And it's available on other platforms.
06:35You can also get it on vinyl and CD.
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