Level: 2/3
Tuning: Standard

"There's a great big mystery, and it sure is worryin' me. This diddie wa diddie, this diddie wa diddie. I wish somebody would tell me what diddie wa diddie means." This is the first verse of Diddie Wa Diddie. It is a classic ragtime blues, with each break a masterpiece. Blake masterfully heightens the song's rhythmic intensity by rushing to the root of a new chord an eighth-note before the next downbeat- the "stumbling bass". Rev. Gary Davis said Blake had a "sportin' right hand". Combing this with light-hearted vocal style, and the humor, which is reflected in his songs, all add to the sophistication of his sound. Blake recorded Diddie Wa Diddie in 1929. A few years later he recorded Diddie Wa Diddie No.2.

Many, many musicians have tried to imitate Blake's playing on this song, i.e. Ry Cooder, Hot Tuna, John Jackson. It is played in the key of C using first position chords. The sound is in your right hand. Woody teaches the playing behind the verse and two guitar breaks.