The musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick opined that Hopkins is "the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing its ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act".
Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, and as a child was immersed in the sounds of the blues. He developed a deep appreciation for this music at the age of 8, when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas. That day, Hopkins felt the blues was "in him".[citation needed] He went on to learn from his older (distant) cousin, the country blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander. (Hopkins had another cousin, the Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims, with whom he later recorded.) Hopkins began accompanying Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Jefferson reputedly never let anyone play with him except young Hopkins, and Hopkins learned much from Jefferson at these gatherings.
Hopkins's style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive fingerstyle technique often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, and percussion at the same time. He played both "alternating" and "monotonic" bass styles incorporating imaginative, often chromatic turnarounds and single-note lead lines. Tapping or slapping the body of his guitar added rhythmic accompaniment.
Much of Hopkins's music follows the standard 12-bar blues template, but his phrasing was free and loose. Many of his songs were in the talking blues style, but he was a powerful and confident singer.[citation needed] Lyrically, his songs expressed the problems of life in the segregated South, bad luck in love and other subjects common in the blues idiom. He dealt with these subjects with humor and good nature. Many of his songs are filled with double entendres, and he was known for his humorous introductions to songs.
Hopkins died of esophageal cancer in Houston on January 30, 1982, at the age of 69. His obituary in the New York Times described him as "one of the great country blues singers and perhaps the greatest single influence on rock guitar players.".
Mojo Hand
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And get me a mojo hand
I'm goin' to Louisiana
And get me a mojo hand
I'm gonna fix my woman so
She can't have no other man
Cold ground was my bed last night
Rocks was my pillow too
Cold ground was my bed last night
Rocks was my pillow too
I woke up this morning, I'm wondering
What in the world am I gonna do?
I lay down thinking
Buy me a mojo hand
I lay down thinking
Buy me a mojo hand
I did wanna fix my woman so she can't have no other man
But don't let your woman
Fix you like mine fixed me
Don't let your woman, boy, fix you like mine fixed me
She make a fool about her, oh, about as a fool can be
Now, can't a woman act funny
Ha-ha-ha, when she got another man?
Can't a woman act funny
When she got another man?
You know, she won't look straight at you
Then she's always raisin' sand, sand
Well, I'm going tomorrow
But I won't be gone long
I'm going tomorro
But I won't be gone very long
I'm gonna get me a mojo hand, I'm gonna bring it back home
That's what I'm gonna do
In "Mojo Hand," Lightnin' Hopkins expresses his desire to go to Louisiana and obtain a Mojo Hand, which he believes will help him to control his woman so she won't have any other man. The Mojo Hand referred to in the song is a type of charm or talisman popular in African-American hoodoo or folk magic. It is believed to have magical powers, including the ability to bring good luck, wealth, love or to ward off evil spirit.
Hopkins sings about his experience sleeping on cold ground with rocks as his pillow, leading him to feel lost and unsure of what to do. He then decides to lay down and think about buying a Mojo Hand, stating that he wants to fix his woman so she can't have any other man. However, he warns the listeners not to let their woman fix them like his woman did to him, saying she made a fool of him.
Hopkins acknowledges that a woman can act funny when she has another man, refusing to look straight at you and always raising sand. In the final verse, he concludes by saying he will be going to get a Mojo Hand, but he won't be gone long, and that he will bring it back home.
Several interpretations of the song have been made, with some arguing that it reflects the themes of masculinity and control, while others argue that it is about surviving in harsh conditions. The song has influenced several musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, who covered the song in 1970.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm goin' to Louisiana
I am planning to go to Louisiana
And get me a mojo hand
To get a mojo hand
I'm gonna fix my woman so
I am going to make sure my woman is loyal only to me
She can't have no other man
I don't want her to have another man
Cold ground was my bed last night
I slept on the cold ground last night
Rocks was my pillow too
I used rocks as my pillow
I woke up this morning, I'm wondering
I woke up this morning and I'm confused
What in the world am I gonna do?
I don't know what to do
I lay down thinking
I thought to myself before I slept
Buy me a mojo hand
I want to purchase a mojo hand
I did wanna fix my woman so she can't have no other man
I want to make sure that my woman won't cheat on me
But don't let your woman
But make sure your woman
Fix you like mine fixed me
Doesn't deceive you like my woman deceived me
Don't let your woman, boy, fix you like mine fixed me
Do not be foolish and get deceived like I did by my woman
She make a fool about her, oh, about as a fool can be
She made me look like a fool
Now, can't a woman act funny
Can't a woman behave strangely
When she got another man?
If she has another man in her life?
Can't a woman act funny
Can't a woman behave strangely
When she got another man?
If she has another man in her life?
You know, she won't look straight at you
She avoids eye contact with you
Then she's always raisin' sand, sand
If she avoids eye contact, there's probably a problem brewing
Well, I'm going tomorrow
I'm leaving tomorrow
But I won't be gone long
I will come back soon
I'm gonna get me a mojo hand, I'm gonna bring it back home
I'm going to bring back a mojo hand so that I have power to ensure my woman is loyal
That's what I'm gonna do
That's my plan
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE L LEWIS, MORRIS LEVY, SAM HOPKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind