Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City.

[1] Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023.

[3] However, study of Smith's touring itinerary, of testimony of fellow entertainers who toured with her, and of contemporary reports indicates that the song was written in response to the flood that struck Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Day 1926.

The Cumberland River, which flows through the city, rose 56 feet (17 m) above its normal level, still a record as of 2014[update].

The words vary from one performer to another; this opening verse is representative: When it rains five days, and the skies turn dark as night (2×) There's trouble taking place in the lowland that night Marilyn Chin reads and discusses Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" commentary from award-winning poet Marilyn Chin