acoustic blues
Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and… Read Full Bio ↴Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues forms exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered. Blue notes are sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Blues emerged at the end of the 19th century as an accessible form of self-expression in African-American communities of the United States from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. The use of blue notes and the prominence of call-and-response patterns in the music and lyrics are indicative of African influences. The blues influenced later American and Western popular music, as the blues form became a basic pattern of jazz, rhythm and blues, bluegrass and rock and roll. In the 1960s and 1970s, blues evolved into a hybrid form called blues rock. In the 1990s, punk blues appeared as an outgrowth of the blues rock and punk movements.
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Cross Road Blues
Robert Johnson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above, "Have mercy, now, save poor Bob if you please"

Yeah, standin' at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride
Ooh-ee, I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by

Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down

You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, baby, I'm sinkin' down

And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked East and West
I went to the crossroad, baby, I looked East and West
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress

Overall Meaning

Robert Johnson's song Cross Road Blues is a poignant tale of a man who is desperately seeking help and guidance from the Lord above as he stands at the crossroads in life. The lyrics depict a lonely and despairing man who is searching for salvation, but to no avail. He is sinking down, and nobody seems to know or care about his plight.


The first verse reflects the singer's desperation as he falls on his knees at the crossroad and pleads with the Lord to have mercy and save him. The second verse shows his attempts to flag a ride, but no one seems to recognize him or offer him a helping hand. The third verse reinforces his despair as he realizes that he is sinking down and that his soul is in peril.


Line by Line Meaning

I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
Bob goes to the crossroad, where he prays on his knees. This place is where he hopes to find a resolution to his problems.


Asked the Lord above, "Have mercy, now, save poor Bob if you please"
Bob invokes God to help him find a way out of his difficult situation. He hopes to find mercy and salvation.


Yeah, standin' at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride
Bob tries to hitch a ride, but no one will stop for him. He is alone and struggling.


Didn't nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by
Bob feels like no one recognizes him or his struggles. He is ignored by everyone around him.


Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down
As the sun sets and darkness approaches, Bob feels like he is sinking deeper into despair. He is running out of time and options.


I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down
Bob truly feels like he is sinking into a state of hopelessness. He is struggling to find a way out and is losing faith in himself.


You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
Bob doesn't see a way out of his situation and seems to be giving up. He tells Willie Brown to run away and leave him behind.


That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, baby, I'm sinkin' down
Bob continues to feel helpless and like he is sinking further into despair. He tells the Lord that he is struggling and needs help.


And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked East and West
Bob looks in all directions for a way out of his predicament. He is desperate and willing to try anything to find a solution.


Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress
Bob doesn't have anyone to turn to for help or support. He is alone in his struggles and feels like he has no one to rely on.




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Robert Johnson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@ahmetkara7

I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroads
Fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above for mercy, woo-ooh
Save me, if you please
I went down to the crossroads
Tried to flag a ride
Went down to the crossroads
Tried to flag a ride
Nobody seemed to know me, woo-ooh
Everybody passed me by
I am going down to Rosedale
Take my rider by my side
Oh, I am going down to Rosedale
Take my rider by my side
And we can still barrel house, baby, woo-ooh
Up on the riverside
And you can run, you can run
Tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
Tell my friend-boy Willie Brown
Tell him that I am standing at the crossroads, woo-ooh
I believe I am sinking down



@wanderreis

Cross Road Blues
Robert Johnson

I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above
"Have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please"

Yeoo, standin' at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride
Ooo eeee, I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by

Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroad, baby, eee, eee, risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down

You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin'
Lord, babe, I am sinkin' down

And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad, baby, I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
Oh well, babe, in my distress



All comments from YouTube:

@1337Gameplayer

I like how Robert Johnson has his own VEVO...

@matibf2

Vercingétorix yup. now waiting for "VivaldiVevo".

@chickennugget1289

I actually don't believe he sold his soul to the devil. This is just a story made up by Son House.

@VMan29397

@@chickennugget1289 the fact that he mastered the guitar in a ridiculously short amount if time and had a technique ages ahead of anyone else so id say he sold his soul

@chrisvela4860

@@VMan29397 It was probably a gift from God

@unorthodoxparadox2339

@@chrisvela4860 A gift from God? Robert sang about the devil, beating up the women he slept with and even admitted to selling his soul

45 More Replies...

@absinthedream9668

Robert met Ike Zimmerman not the Devil, Ike was a gifted guitarist by all accounts & took Robert under his wing for a year that's where his 'overnight' improvement came from.. the devil myth sure is a good story though.

@willleguitariste5055

No because he was gone for 6 or 7 month not 1 year but i respect your opinion

@adamhcm-v7p

Imagine that if this guy was never born, we would have never heard of something called rock and roll, the legend and the father of the Delta blues

@HerrStaale

I think ur wrong. Rock and roll were always to come out, it came from Blues and was destined to happen. That is my 5 cents. Any deal with "The Man in Charge" as Bob Dylan said- will end in eternal regret and pain

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