Pick Poor Robin Clean

"Pick Poor Robin Clean" is a folk blues song.

History

The origin of "Pick Poor Robin Clean" is unknown, but it existed as a folk song prior to its first recording. The use of racial slurs in older versions of the lyrics may indicate that the song comes from minstrel shows, although there is no documentation of its use in minstrelsy. ^{[1] [2]}

The first known recordings of the song are by Piedmont blues singer Luke Jordan, who recorded two versions in August 1927. One of two recordings was released as a single by Victor Records. ^[3] The alternate version was later released on a 1970 compilation album, Travellin' This Lonesome Road: A Victor/Bluebird Anthology. ^[4]

Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas recorded it as a single for Paramount Records in March 1930. ^{[1] [5]}

More recent artists recording the song include Larry Johnson for his 1970 album Fast and Funky, ^[6] Erin Harpe for her 2002 album Blues Roots, ^[7] and Tangleweed for their 2008 album Most Folk Heroes Started Out as Criminals. ^[8]

In popular culture

In Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel Invisible Man , the protagonist recalls hearing the song and contemplates the applicability of the lyrics to his own circumstances. ^[9]

In the 2025 movie Sinners , the main antagonists perform the song in an attempt to convince the Black owners of a juke joint that they should be allowed inside. ^[10] The movie's soundtrack album includes a performance of the song by actors Jack O'Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis, as well as the earlier version by Wiley and Thomas.

References

1. Brooks, Daphne A. (Winter 2016). "See My Face from the Other Side". Oxford American .
2. Oliver, Paul (1984). Songsters and Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records. Cambridge University Press. pp. 126–127. ISBN   978-0-521-26942-1.
3. Lornell, Kip (2014). Virginia's Blues, Country, and Gospel Records, 1902-1943: An Annotated Discography. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-8131-6154-9.
4. Cohen, Norm (April 1972). "Folk Music on Records". Western Folklore . 31 (2): 147. doi:10.2307/1498244. JSTOR   1498244.
5. Sullivan, John Jeremiah (April 13, 2014). "The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie". The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
6. Edwards, Gavin (August 30, 2019). "10 Blues Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s that You Never Heard". Rolling Stone . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
7. Blues Roots at AllMusic . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
8. Most Folk Heroes Started Out as Criminals at AllMusic . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
9. Smith, Valerie (1988). "The Meaning of Narration in Invisible Man". In O'Meally, Robert G. (ed.). New Essays on Invisible Man. Cambridge University Press. pp. 34–35. ISBN   978-0-521-31369-8.
10. Zacharek, Stephanie (April 18, 2025). "Sinners Is a Gory and Seductive Vampire Movie". Time . Retrieved March 11, 2026.