Recorded by Mississippi John Hirt on December 21, 1928 in New York City. He said, when asked about this murder ballad, that he "made it up from hearing people talk. He was a great man, I know that, and he was killed by two men named Bob and Louis. I got enough of the story to write me a song." While black is the color worn both for funerals and for post-funereal mourning among Europeans, in Africa, and among African-Americans in earlier times, dressing in red has been a funerary custom. It is reminiscent of burial with red ochre pigment, which was used among neolithic people. The religious idea behind this custom is that as a baby is born from the mother's womb through blood, so will be reborn occur through blood. Mississippi John Hirt was one of the smoothest blues guitarist that ever recorded. His recordings are well worth listening to. Click here to listen to Mississippi John's recording.