Level: 2/3
Tuning: Open D

Walter "Furry" Lewis was born in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1893. His family moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1900. By 1908, he was playing solo at parties, in taverns, and on the street. He was also invited to play several dates with W. C. Handy's Orchestra. In his travels as a musician, he was exposed to a wide variety of performers, including Bessie Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Alger "Texas" Alexander. Like his contemporary Frank Stokes, he grew tired of traveling and took a permanent job in 1922. His position as a street sweeper for the city of Memphis, a job he held until his retirement in 1966, allowed him to remain active musically in Memphis. He recorded for Vocalion and Victor Records from 1927 to 1930. Furry had a relaxed, almost happy style of playing the blues. He played in a variety of tunings and with and without the slide. "Falling Down Blues" is played in Open D tuning and is typical of Furry's bottleneck/slide approach.

The guitar arrangement is economical with a simple fingerpicking pattern that carries the piece. The tune does make use of hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends.