Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedTraveling Riverside Blues
Delta Blues1930s118BPM
UnconfirmedKey
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Robert Johnson’s estate), no dispute found for this specific song — and importantly, the famous “Rosedale” line belongs to THIS song, not to “Cross Road Blues,” with which it’s often conflated. The one real litigated case (the 1972 ARC v. Led Zeppelin “Lemon Song” suit) concerned separate Howlin’ Wolf material, carefully distinguished in the Receipts from the non-litigated Johnson lyric borrowing.
Used by independents?
No — no independent use documented so far; only major-label artists.
Quick Facts
Released1937
AlbumKing of the Delta Blues Singers
GenreDelta Blues
LabelColumbia Records
ProducerDon Law (original session)
Recorded atDallas, Texas
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Robert Johnson (estate)
Msbluestrail → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Msbluestrail → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — Led Zeppelin recorded their own properly-credited version (“Page, Plant, Robert Johnson”); the lyrics trace the real route of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad (Rosedale, Vicksburg, Friars Point).
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter of record and no dispute found for this specific song — the one litigated case involved separate material (see Receipts).
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The same-artist song it’s often conflated with — but the “Rosedale” line is actually from THIS song (already in this catalog)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Robert Johnson (estate)
Important nuance — the “Rosedale” line belongs to THIS songThe famous “Goin’ down to Rosedale” line, commonly tied to the crossroads/devil’s-deal legend, actually comes from THIS song — Johnson’s original 1936 “Cross Road Blues” never mentioned Rosedale at all. Cream’s 1968 “Crossroads” borrowed the Rosedale line from THIS separate song and folded it into their Cross Road Blues cover, so the two songs’ legendary content has been popularly conflated.
Public-domain statusNot yet public domain — the same non-PD status as “Cross Road Blues” already established in this catalog, given the shared 1937 recording era.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A Johnson lyric properly credited on Led Zeppelin’s own “Traveling Riverside Blues”
Led Zeppelin’s 1969 “The Lemon Song” (Led Zeppelin II) directly lifted the “squeeze my lemon” lyric from this Johnson song. Led Zeppelin’s own separate recordings of “Traveling Riverside Blues” itself are properly credited as “Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Robert Johnson.” No lyrics reproduced here.
Turn Me On, Dead Man · read it →
IMPORTANT: the 1972 lawsuit was about DIFFERENT material — not this Johnson borrowing
“The Lemon Song” was also separately based on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor.” THAT distinct connection led to a real 1972 lawsuit by ARC Music against Led Zeppelin, settled out of court, with Chester Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf) now credited as a co-writer. This lawsuit concerned the Howlin’ Wolf material specifically — NOT the separately borrowed Robert Johnson lyric.
Turn Me On, Dead Man · read it →
Johnson likely didn’t originate the borrowed lyric either
The “squeeze my lemon” line traces back further to Joe Williams’ 1929 “I Want It Awful Bad,” and was also used by Roosevelt Sykes (1937), Memphis Minnie and Sonny Boy Williamson I — a shared blues lyrical trope predating Johnson himself.
Last.fm (Led Zeppelin wiki) · read it →
The 1972 Led Zeppelin lawsuit — now fully confirmed ($45,123)
The earlier-flagged 1972 suit is now confirmed in detail: ARC Music sued Led Zeppelin over “The Lemon Song,” settling out of court for a specific $45,123, with Howlin’ Wolf’s co-songwriter credit restored. Crucially, that suit concerned Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” (the song’s structure and riff) — NOT the “lemon” lyric borrowed from this Robert Johnson song, which was never itself litigated. (See the new Killing Floor page.)
Wikipedia (Killing Floor) · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Led Zeppelin (credited cover)
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itLed Zeppelin
Who to Contact
TR
Robert Johnson (estate)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse the catalog →
References
Every source cited on this page — 4 in total
Was this page helpful?
Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 4)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass