Johnson's guitar work features an early use of a boogie rhythm pattern, which is seen as a major innovation, as well as a repeating triplets figure.

In 1951, Elmore James recorded the song as "Dust My Broom" and "made it the classic as we know it", according to blues historian Gerard Herzhaft.

I'm goin' to call up in China, just to see if my baby's over there (2×) I'll always believe, my babe's in the world somewhere Kokomo Arnold, whose "Old Original Kokomo Blues" served as the basis for Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago", recorded two songs with similar lines,[5] "Sagefield Woman Blues" in 1934: I believe, I believe I'll dust my broom (2×) So some of your lowdown rounders, lord you can have my room and "Sissy Man Blues" in 1935: I believe, I believe I'll go back home (2×) Lord acknowledge to my good gal, mama, Lord, that I have done you wrong Now I'm going to ring up China yeah man, see can I find my good gal over there (2×) Says the Good Book tells me, that I got a good gal in the world somewhere The melody that Johnson uses is also found in 1934 recordings of "I Believe I'll Make a Change" by Leroy Carr[5] and Josh White.

Music historian Elijah Wald calls the result "a more cohesive lyric than either of the Arnold pieces [and] concentrates on the theme of traveling, and being away from the girl he loves".

I'm 'on' call up Chiney, see is my good gal over there (2×) If I can't find her on Philippine's island, she must be in Ethiopia somewhere The last verse shows Johnson's unusual use of geographical references.

[10] Music writer Thomas Beebee notes that while the world of many blues listeners was limited to the Mississippi Delta, The last stanza of the song raises the stakes, exploding into a fantastic geography—the singer's voice trails a bit behind the guitar line here, as if burdened by the imaginative leap involved ... Mixed with all the bitterness, after all, is a geographic expansiveness that suddenly stretches the thirty miles of Arkansas backroads into a trip around the world.

The recording took place in a makeshift studio in Room 414 at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, and was produced by Don Law.

[31] "Dust My Broom" was one of the earliest songs Elmore James performed regularly while he was still living in the Mississippi Delta in the late 1930s.

[32] Blues historian Ray Topping has suggested that James may have encountered Robert Johnson during this time, when he learned how to play the song.

[34] In August, the duo auditioned "Dust My Broom" for Trumpet owner Lillian McMurry, who signed James to a recording contract.

[34] James, who provided the vocals and amplified slide guitar, is accompanied by Williamson on harmonica, Leonard Ware on bass, and Frock O'Dell on drums.

[38] McMurray denied this and presented a check made out to and endorsed by James the day before the session to show his knowledge of and agreement to participate in the recording.

[37] To record his song, Elmore James used Robert Johnson's first four verses and concluded with one similar to that found in Arthur Crudup's 1949 recording: I believe, I believe my time ain't long (2×) I've got to leave my baby, and break up my happy home James' song also followed Johnson's melody, key, and tempo, but adhered more closely to the chord changes of a typical twelve-bar blues.

[38] Besides the backing musicians, the most notable addition to the song is James' overdriven slide guitar, which plays the repeating triplet figure and adds a twelve-bar solo after the fifth verse.

Compared to Johnson guitar work, Gioia describes them as "more insistent, firing out a machine-gun triplet beat that would become a defining sound of the early rockers".

[40] Music critic Cub Koda notes that, in James' hands, "this may be the most famous blues riff of all time, [n]ext to the four-note intro of Bo Diddley's 'I'm a Man'".

[3] McMurry, who was unaware of prior recordings of the song, arranged to copyright "Dust My Broom" in James' name and subsequently issued the single, with a rendition of "Catfish Blues" by Bobo Thomas as the B-side.

A later session in Chicago produced "I Believe", a "Dust My Broom" knockoff, that became a number nine charting single and the first issued on the new Modern subsidiary Meteor Records in 1953.

[44][d] Topping calls it "a powerful reincarnation of the old broom theme"[44] and Gillett adds that it is "a fine hard driving song".

[48] Following the 1964 UK release of "Dust My Blues",[42] James' slide guitar sound was adopted by many British blues-oriented guitarists.

[48] Ike & Tina Turner recorded a version that was released as a single in 1966, which later reached number 54 on the U.S. Cash Box R&B chart in 1971.