Sam Chatmon: Make Me A Pallet On the Floor (1978) 

I bet he never would have thought in his wildest dreams 2 million people would watch him sing this

Oh dear, I'm 83 and still pickin'. Seeing Sam I'll keep on.

"Don't never drive a stranger from your door, he may be your best friend, you don't know."

How did you hold a guitar when you were three years old ? I HELD IT

Alan Lomax is the patron saint of American folk music.

That's what my grandma would say in her Arkansas accent when I'd go stay the weekend,let me make you a pallet on the floor, and she would lay some blankets down on the floor for my bed.

None of my northern friends use the term 'pallets'. To us southerners, it means a stack of blankets on the floor to sleep on :)

It may have taken 5 years, but the fact that an Alan Lomax field recording has 561 000 hits sorta restores my faith in humanity.

When he finally started playing (1:46) I sat up and listened very hard. It was like traveling into the past to hear an old language.

Sam Chatmon comes from a musical dynasty. His mother Eliza was a minstrel show performer, and she had several children with different men. Sam Chatmon and his brother Bo Carter (who wrote Corrinna, Corrinna) formed the Mississippi Sheiks. Sam and another brother, Lonnie formed the Bluebird act 'The Chatmon Brothers.' Their father, Henderson Chatmon was a minstrel show fiddler, and likely also the father of Charlie Patton. Though born a slave, Henderson Chatmon was almost certainly the offspring of his Dutch master, and was known to closely resemble his father/master so much that he was sometimes pulled out of the minstrel shows he played for 'being too white'. His complexion did not darken until well into adulthood. He passed these caucausian features on to his sons. Sam's mother, Liza, was also very fair-skinned, and she too believed her father to be a white man of German descent. So for anyone wondering why Sam Chatmon (or Charlie Patton) look caucausian, it's because they were likely of 50% German/Dutch and 50% African descent. Also, Sam states here that his songs pre-dated the Blues, which they did. While the roots of the Blues run deep, pre-dating even the slavery period, "The Blues Music" as popularly understood wasn't commercially marketed until the 1920s. To call Leadbelly or Sam Chatmon "blues musicians" completely negates the bulk of their output, which consisted of field hollers, gospel, folk, jug band, polkas, waltzes, classical and popular standards.

It's 2021, I'm 20 years old, and Sam is still moving hearts and souls even after so many decades.. God bless you Sam... rest in love

Just looking at this man's face says more words than he can express

I saw him perform in 1972. He played a cheap Stella acoustic, the kind you could buy for about $15 in the 1960's, but the sound he got out of it was perfect for the Delta blues he played so well. Also a good singer who could swoop into a nice falsetto when a song called for it.

I'm from north Carolina originally and started out playing blues and folk music when I was about 8 years old. I started doing this because I was introduced to this old man in my neighborhood who played that type of music. I would sit and listen to him play for long hours and my mom didn't want me hanging out with him because he was an elderly alcoholic. He showed me chords for the first time and how to do little licks and hammer-ons and walk-ins. I enjoyed it so much as a kid without realizing how it was going to impact my entire life. As a kid in North Carolina, making a pallet on the floor was nothing new. That's what we called it when you would lay a few blankets on the floor to sleep on. I always slept with my head in the V of my arm. I did this so much that even though I have a shit ton of pillows now, I still sleep in the V of my arm now. I'd give anything to go back to those mornings of waking up on a floor pallet, to a breakfast of fried eggs and liver mush. Those were truly my favorite days. Now I'm still the same kid in love with that music, except for I'm 30 now. I still play blues, folk, and bluegrass. P.S. while I was in middle school I used to swipe these Alan Lomax books from my school and I learned a lot of blues and folk songs from them. I kept those books forever and somehow along the years I either lost them or someone swiped them from me. I hope wherever they are that they are helping someone learn some truly magnificent songs :)

Holy fuck. What a beautiful preservation of a moment in time.

Ain't no three year old knows the true meaning of the blues. Sam: "I reckon I might".

The syncopation of the early blues is so beautiful. Ragtime on guitar :-)

Just found out this is my great grandfather. Wish I could have met him at least once. He's so amazing!! 

He ain't playing that tune... he living it

This is History: the true Peoples History of the United States, not second or third hand commentary. Precious and beautiful. Thank you.

The Lomax family did a great service, recording these American legends. Thank you!

Hoping I can be this cool at that age

As a guitarist I come here constantly to remind myself of where the blues came from, what it means to be an American. Truly inspirational and special. Also listen to how high the action is on that guitar and the tone freaking insane!

thank you Alan Lomax.. for perserving this great music and history

Love how he kicks off the song at 1:25 "Here go dat Pallet on da Flo" and starts in...

When I listen this old voice I imagine that it coming from that times when were revolvers, winchesters, steam trains and long-long dusty roads from end to end of the country... When people were tough like iron but has soft singin souls... I really love a music of old America... Thank You, mr. Chatmon from Russia!

The best parts of America, right here to listen to...

I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who pronounces it, gui- tar.

Reminds me a lot of my family back in West Virginia. I was way too young to understand. Thank you for the video

I love this guy. I'm surprised no one noticed that he's tuned a step and a half down. He's playing in C but the result is A. When the strings are that lose they sound a little out of tune even if the guitar is tuned correctly. I myself am getting old and have tuned down on occasion to compensate for the loss of hand strength.

This is real music,no producers saying what people want to hear,no fancy record execs telling you how to look to sell more records,not even a care if anyone outside of friends hear it,jam on old timer jam on!

❤️❤️❤️ I’m 34 years old and I love music and get tired of listening to the same genres and song from the same time errors. I don’t play any instrument really but just have so much love for listening to music. People think I’m crazy cause My playlist has everything from From rap country blue grass funk reggae rock gospel etc... I think I pretty much have most genres except opera. I can’t get enough music in my life.

You know this fellow had some stories, you can see it in those glorious lines in his face. A real treasure.

From south Carolina,I play blues harmonica,self taught, you are awesome!!!

His face expressions, beard and accent are the most blues thing ever.

And with these old timers, they lived the music that they wrote. I could listen to this all day.

I just knew myself better after listening to Sam Chatmon. What a treasure these soulful pickers are.

My mom used to make me a pallet on the floor. When I first heard this song it was Mississippi Fred McDowell, and it reminded me of my childhood, and always makes me smile. This fellas rendition of it was a real treat

One of the first songs I ever learned on guitar--over 50 years ago Thanks, Rick

The Elderly are so precious and wise!!! They've got so much to teach us!!! Take care of your elder's till their dying days!!! Keep them home with you!!! God Bless!!!

this is a fine piece of gold

This is the coolest old dude who ever lived.

All the music we have lost when people like this leave, we have a lot of the mainstream music of our past. this is the kind of stuff not passed down or very little known the real gems most will never hear, this is the music we need to protect for our future.

This is touching. The blues is soul food, it really is.

this is music that should be kept alive and live forever! why are we going away from this

This video is an absolute treasure of american history

His vocals when he starts singing is absolutely spot on.

obviously the people who gave this thumbs down dont know sh!t about music and tradition. What this man is playing paved the road for rock and roll, pop, and the semi talented artists of today. Artists who cant write songs to save their lives, they have a team of songwriters and the best recording engineers just to put out a song or an album.... This man played music because he loved it, not to get rich and have 12 car garages or be featured every 20 mins on the radio.... He played music because it was a part of him, not to make money. go listen to some robert johnson from the 20's. yes its not perfect, but it IS from the heart. Respect real music and real musicians. You dont have to like every song.... but you should be able to pay it some sort of respect for paving the way.

Id have love to sat and just listened to anything this gentlemen had to say or play may you be at peace sir .

Wow! He sings a bunch of verses that I've never heard as part of "Pallet". That's a true folk musician, he carried a bunch of history around in his head. He probably made up many of those verses himself. What a fantastic bluesman.

Thankful that Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long and others were able to capture these original old blues players/singers.

ole' timers are the "salt" of the earth....such "beacons" for us younger folk on our journey!

Wow......i dunno what else to say as this kinda music is beyond incredible on so many levels

No one played guitar like he did back then. No one does to this day. Like all Icons, he stands alone, like a world onto himself. Like a species that produced a singular flower and one only. My life is better because of yours, Mr. James. Thank you so much for what you endured and for what you made from it.

Greetings from Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada

I was expecting Bluegrass. This is true blues. Thanks, it sounds like he enjoyed his life. Sam could have a pillow and pallet at my place if he were still around. Unfortunately he was my grandfather's age. Gone but not forgotten. I'd even have thrown in a blanket and breakfast (If he liked Eggos & coffee). Great tune. I'll look for more of his music.

Sweet Jesus it’s could make an angel cry...

Amazing. RU-vid - you’ve done it again 🙏

Never have I heard a guitar sound so Beautifull.

Ahh to hear the lyric of human compassion and kindness. The stranger is the friend you don’t know yet.❤️✌🏼😎❤️

Simple man, great music equals the richest person alive. God Bless Sam Chatmon

I was in his company in around 1975 when we stayed In Ken & Phyllis Swerilas house in El Cajon Cal. Boy could that man talk and play music. Absolute one of the highlights in my life in the musical field. RIP Sam Ken &Phyllis.

Giving thanks to the people who recorded it. And to the man playing the guitar and singing most of all.

2.4M as of this date!!!! DAMN!!!!!! I LUV IT!!!!!

This song is about adultery. About making a place to sleep on the floor for a country man who just moved into town. Making it “so your man will never know.” Make it with “one pillow, off your feather bed. And put it on your lovin' daddy's head.” He finished selling his cotton (sharecropper?) and is just walking around town. So make him a pallet on the floor and afterwards send him back to the fields so he can raise some more cotton. Gotta love it, modern music may be lewd and crude, but it doesn’t get much earthier than this. The lyrics without the chorus: Yes, make me down a pallet on your floor. Oh, make it so your man will never know. Don't never drive a strange man from your door. He may be your best friend, you don't know. Just take one pillow, off your feather bed. And put it on your lovin' daddy's head. He's a country man, and he jus' done moved to town. He done sold his cotton, now he is walkin' round. Just make him down, a pallet on your floor. And, send him back to the fields, so he can raise some more.

Makes me miss my Paw Paw and Maw Maw back in Alabama. I slept on many palettes on the flo.

I love it! Brings back memories from my youth.

Beautiful voice.

love it! this man sounds awesome. Love the song. There are so many versions with different lyrics

3.7M god bless him he has an angel's voice

Chills man. Chills This is gold.

Sam Chatmon was a great bluesman.

Thank God for videos like this so we can see what we missed in America’s rich musical past.

First heard this sung by MIssissippi John Hurt years ago still love this music , simple and plain like life in those days

Wonderful. A man of music history.

"You had to carry it with a string around your neck"... And we loved it. LOL!

What an absolutely legend, what I'd have given to spend even just a day with this man, the story's he could tell :(

This video of Sam has more to say than just his song. A lot of great wisdom from a good life Shines from that Happy face of his! No doubt many a story lie underneath that hat he sports too? Much Respect Sir.

What saddens me the most is all the music we have lost, with every person like this that has gone. So much music from our past we will never have the pleasure to listen to. People had real talent for playing instruments before technology.

Why was this so rejuvenating! Listening to this, only but helps me realize - Not much has changed since then, but the cost of living... Dope...

OUTSTANDING!!!...IF you don't see the beauty in this something is wrong with you!

Kinda mind-blowing to think that this song was already old by the time Sam Chatmon learned it. When you really start to think about all the different kinds of music from the years before recordings that are just lost to history...

A real gem! I wish I could play like that! This is an achievement! Thanks for sharing this moment. 🎶🎶

I came to watch this after I sung it at my grandfathers funeral. The only song he requested. Alan is a treasure.

Reading this title, I have a vision in my minds eye, of my sweet long passed on Grandmother, when the family was at their house to visit, when we were trying to decide who was going to sleep where, telling us kids, that she was just going to "make us a pallet on the floor". Basically, a "pallet" was just some blankets on the floor where us kids would all sleep since there was not enough beds and couches to lay on, the adults got those, us kids were on the floor. RIP Grandma.

The swag absolutely pours outta this ol man!!! What a treasure!!!

This is pure gold Anyone who don't like this is an idiot . This man has more talent in his little finger then these modern ones have in their entire body

never heard the song or heard of him before. u reckon u just gotta like a fellah like him though. thx. for sharing so i will be listening to some more Sam Chatmon i guarantee

I’m fascinated by live color video of someone who live so much so long ago. 40 years ago.

All this music will be lost to the RU-vid archives one day :( we all need this music!

Love this so much...reminds me of a song my daddy used to play and sing to us kids called Freight Train.

Such good music by Sam. Love his guitar style. Thanks to those who preserved this music. It makes my day!

This man is a legend.

2021 and I’m 24 yrs old and I just found out about this guy while learning to play guitar myself. I hope this is me one day in the future. Old and still full of soul sitting on a chair and let my fingers go 🤚 🎸

Why did i accidently find this and never heard of this man. Classic and genuine music. Cant find this anymore.

You know I watched this video about 6 or 7 years ago, and Sam's voice and face has never left my memory. Truly an amazing dude. That full step down on that geetar sounds so full.

It's amazing how he stands so cool singing while playing the guitar at the same time. EPIC

I slept on a pallet on the floor many times back n the day.

I just love these good ole boys. 😊😊😊 They have it all goin on.. The good ole boys from the early days really know how to doit.. They have such class.. Ya see boys, this is how it is done.. 😊😊😊😊😊

He reminds of my granddaddy. I miss him so much!