War Time Blues
1962 · Smash S-1755 · Los Angeles, California
- Artist
- Luke Miles
- Title
- War Time Blues
- Release
- Long Gone / War Time Blues
- Year
- 1962
- Label
- Smash # S-1755
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Genre
- Blues · Texas Blues · Electric Blues
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation — Blues songs
Luke Miles, musician in the Electric Texas Blues genre, thought to be a protégé of Lightnin' Hopkins, having moved to Houston, Texas in the 1950s. He was born on 8 May 1925 in Lachute, Louisiana, USA, and died on 22 November 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. The song "War Time Blues" (Smash Records # S-1755), recorded on 5 February 1962 in Los Angeles, featuring Sonny Terry on harmonica, and Brownie McGhee on acoustic guitar, dealt with the draft in the build-up to escalation in the Vietnam War under JFK, although it's more of a Cold War song, referencing the Russia leader, Никита Хрущев [Nikita Khrushchev]. The narrator expressed reluctance to be drafted, " "When I get my examination card, I want the doctor to tell me I'm too doggone old".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Well you know the war is raging / It's raging more and more everyday / And that's why I'm glad I'm growing older / So I can try to stay away / Man I don't wanna go / When I get my examination card, I want the doctor to tell me I'm too doggone old / Well you know they got the planes / They got them climbing like squirrels / And the fellow they call Khrushchev, got them out of this world / That's why I don't want no army / Oh man, I don't wanna go / Well, when I get my examination card, Willie, oh man, I want the doctor to tell me I'm too doggone old / Go ahead play it Brown, for me / Boy you know how I feel now / Back me up, that's what I'm walking about, play that guitar Willie / You know I wouldn't mind going to the army / But they like to shot and kill / And when I'm dead and gone some woman be drawing my will / That's why I don't want no army, oh man I don't wanna go / When I get my examination card, I want the doctor to tell me I'm too doggone old
Notes
Credited on Discogs as Luke "Long Gone" Miles, Smash Records S-1755, 7" 45 RPM. Discogs release 8863693 is a promo pressing "Long Gone" (2:57) / "War Time Blues" (2:50). Discogs also lists S-1755 as "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" (2:18) / "War Time Blues" (2:50), released Jul 1962 (release 3841404), with Tampa Red ("Tampa Redd") as Written-By at release level (applies to Poodle). Wikipedia lists both couplings in 1962. Justin owns a copy (Smash S-1755, bought 2026-06-01, $8).
About the artist
Luke "Long Gone" Miles was born on 8 May 1925 in Lachute, Louisiana, moved to Houston, Texas in 1952 and to Los Angeles in 1961, where he died on 22 November 1987. [Source: Wikipedia]