Oh, I'm so alone.
Hey daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, now.
No, no, no!
No, no, no!
Alright!
Alright!
Oh, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!

Hon, when I'm sittin' round late in the evenin', child,
Wonderin' why, why, why did I ever leave, whoa, yeah.
Sit around, I'm a-wonderin'
Why, why did I ever leave,

Hey, I gotta know now.
Well, I went out searchin' for somethin', baby,
I left it behind me, honey, now I see, yeah.
Well alright, well alright.

Well I guess I move once too often, babe,
An' I woke up and found myself alone.
Whoa, I guess I moved just one too many times,
Woke up an' found myself alone,

Hey, I don't like it!
Cold sheets made me realize
Catch me, daddy, 'cause I'm movin' on.
Hey, hey, whoaaa!

Come on up, come on up, come up I've got to move on
Come on up, because I've got to go
Because you know I got to find me my baby, yeah
I got to find me my baby, yeah

You know I got to find me my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I've got to find me my man, come on,
Come, take it on down, take it on down now,

A little softer babe, said a little softer babe,
S-s-s-softer now, you like it like that,
Said I like it like that,
Feels so good to me, feels so good to me, yeah, yeah

I like it like that, yeah I like it like that.
Honey, I want to kneel till I get to ya,

I want to tell you something baby
I want to tell you something baby now
I want to tell you about my baby, Lord
Tell you 'bout my man.

You know, I want ya, need ya, I gotta have ya
'Cause I want ya need ya, 'cause I gotta have ya
'Cause this my-my-my-my-my-my-my-man
My-my-my-my-my-my-my-man now.

Said I want you I need you, babe I've gotta have you,
I want you I need you, babe I've gotta have you,
I've been lonely in the morning
Hon, I've been lonely at night.

I've been lonely in the afternoon
I said, "Janis, you know it ain't right".

Baby, it's time you would hold me
Yeah, hey, comin' home, babe,
Yeah, hey, comin' home, babe,
Yeah, yeah, comin' home, babe
Yeah, yeah, comin' home, babe
Yeah, yeah, comin' home, baby.
Whoa!

Oh, I might take a plane, baby,
Oh, I might take a train, baby.
Oh, I guess I might finally walk in there,
'Cause I gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,

I say alright!
Yeah!
Ooh!
Hey!

I said I'm goin' on down to Brownsville
Gonna take, take, take your ride and roll,
Whoa, if you see me my baby, comin', oh, come on, comin' home,
Alright!

Overall Meaning

The song "Catch Me Daddy" by Janis Joplin depicts a lonely woman who is looking for her lost lover to come back to her. The lyrics conjure up the image of her sitting alone, wondering why she left her man and how she can find him again. She then breaks into frantic pleas to her "daddy" to catch her because she's moving on to find her love. The repetition of "daddy" implies a submissive and possibly erotic relationship, perhaps one of the reasons she is so desperate to find him again. She describes her loneliness in detail and how it has affected her life. The song speaks to the human need for love and companionship, as well as the pain and emptiness of being alone.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was written by a woman named Margaret Lewis, who was a prolific songwriter in the 1960s and 70s. She co-wrote it with a fellow songwriter named Mira Smith. The song was recorded by a number of different artists, but Janis Joplin's version is one of the most memorable. Joplin's raw and powerful voice perfectly captures the emotion of the song, making it one of her most popular tracks. Another interesting fact is that the song contains a number of bluesy guitar riffs and solos, which were performed by a guitarist named John Till. Till was a member of Joplin's band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and he played on a number of her recordings.

Another interesting fact about the song is that it was released on Joplin's posthumous album, "Pearl." Joplin died in 1970, just a few months before the album was released. Despite her untimely death, "Pearl" became a huge commercial success, and it cemented Joplin's legacy as one of the greatest female rock stars of all time. Finally, the chords for "Catch Me Daddy" are as follows: G, C, D, A.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, I'm so alone.
Janis is feeling lonely and is seeking companionship.

Hey daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, now.
Janis is calling out to her lover (who she refers to as daddy) using repetition for emphasis.

No, no, no!
Janis is refusing something, possibly unwanted advances from someone.

No, no, no!
Janis repeats her refusal, possibly trying to make it clear that she's not interested.

Alright!
Janis agrees to something, possibly a change of mind regarding the person she was refusing earlier.

Alright!
Janis repeats her agreement, this time with enthusiasm.

Oh, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Janis is using an exclamation to express her emotions, which may be a mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness.

Hon, when I'm sittin' round late in the evenin', child,
Janis is addressing an unknown person (hon) and describes herself (child) in a state of introspection or contemplation, likely dealing with the aftermath of a conflict or breakup.

Wonderin' why, why, why did I ever leave, whoa, yeah.
Janis is wondering about the reasons why she left someone or something, possibly because of a bad decision or regrettable mistake.

Sit around, I'm a-wonderin'
Janis repeats her previous statement, emphasizing the fact that she's taking time to reflect on her past actions.

Why, why did I ever leave,
Janis reiterates her question about why she made the decision to leave, implying that she's trying to understand her own actions.

Hey, I gotta know now.
Janis is demanding an answer or explanation, indicating that her need for closure is urgent.

Well, I went out searchin' for somethin', baby,
Janis is revealing her motivation for leaving, which was to find something that was missing in her life.

I left it behind me, honey, now I see, yeah.
Janis realizes that she may have already had what she was looking for and now regrets leaving it behind.

Well alright, well alright.
Janis accepts the realization that what she was searching for may have been within her grasp all along and repeats her agreement to it for emphasis.

Well I guess I move once too often, babe,
Janis is admitting that she may have made too many moves or changes in her life, which may have led to the situation she's in now.

An' I woke up and found myself alone.
Janis woke up to find herself alone, possibly realizing that the changes she made did more harm than good.

Whoa, I guess I moved just one too many times,
Janis reiterates her earlier statement, emphasizing that one too many moves or changes led to her being alone.

Woke up an' found myself alone,
Janis repeats her earlier observation, indicating that she's feeling the pain of being alone and alienated from those she loves.

Hey, I don't like it!
Janis declares her dislike for the situation she finds herself in.

Cold sheets made me realize
Janis is using a metaphor to describe her loneliness, implying that the cold sheets represent the emptiness she feels without someone to share her life with.

Catch me, daddy, 'cause I'm movin' on.
Janis is asking her lover to catch her, indicating that she wants to move forward in their relationship and is asking for their support and guidance.

Hey, hey, whoaaa!
Janis expresses her enthusiasm and excitement for the idea of moving forward with her lover.

Come on up, come on up, come up I've got to move on
Janis is asking her lover to join her and help her move forward with her life.

Because you know I got to find me my baby, yeah
Janis reaffirms her desire to find the person she loves and is searching for.

You know I got to find me my baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Janis repeats her earlier statement, indicating that her need to find her lover is urgent and important to her.

I've got to find me my man, come on,
Janis uses a gendered term to describe her lover and is determined to find him no matter what it takes.

I say alright!
Janis agrees to something, which may be a continuation of her search for her lover or something else entirely.

Yeah!
Janis expresses her enthusiasm for the task ahead of her.

Ooh!
Janis makes a sound indicating her excitement or anticipation.

Hey!
Janis is addressing someone (possibly her lover) with enthusiasm and eagerness.

I said I'm goin' on down to Brownsville
Janis is revealing her destination, which may be a place where she hopes to find her lover or something else entirely.

Gonna take, take, take your ride and roll,
Janis is using a metaphor to describe her journey, indicating that she's ready to take whatever comes her way and is determined to make it work.

Whoa, if you see me my baby, comin', oh, come on, comin' home,
Janis is telling her lover that she's coming, indicating that she wants to be with him and is ready to reconcile and move forward.

Yeah, hey, comin' home, babe,
Janis repeats her earlier statement, emphasizing that she's ready to come home and be with her lover.

Yeah, yeah, comin' home, babe
Janis repeats her eagerness to come home to her lover, with excitement and anticipation.

Yeah, yeah, comin' home, baby.
Janis repeats her earlier statements, indicating that she's eager to be with her lover and finds comfort in the idea of being home with him.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID GETZ, JAMES GURLEY, JANIS JOPLIN, PETER ALBIN, SAM ANDREW

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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