Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
B.B. King Lyrics


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The sound that you're listenin' to
Is from my guitar that's named Lucille
I'm very crazy about Lucille
Lucille took me from the plantation
Or you might say brought me fame

I don't think I can just talk enough about Lucille
Sometimes when I'm blue it's seems like Lucille
Tryin' to help me callin' my name

I used to sing spirituals and I thought that
This was the thing I wanted to do
But somehow or another, when I went in the Army
I picked up on Lucille, started singin' blues

Well, now when I'm payin' my dues
Maybe you don't know what I mean when I say payin' my dues
I mean when things are bad with me
I can always, I can always you, you know, like depend on Lucille

Sorta hard to talk to you myself
I guess, I'll let Lucille say
All of a few words and then

You know, I doubt if you can feel it like I do
But when I think about the things that I've gone through
Like, well, for instance, if I have a girlfriend and she's misusin' me
And I go home at night, maybe I'm lonely
Well, not maybe, I am lonely

I pick up Lucille and then ping out those funny sounds
That sound good to me, you know
Sometimes I get to play it where I can't even say nothin'
Look out
Sometimes I think it is cryin'

You know if I can sing pop tunes like
Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr.
I don't think I still could do it
Cause Lucille don't wanna play nothin' but the blues
And I think I'm, I think I'm pretty glad about that
Cause don't nobody sing to me like Lucille, sing Lucille

Well, I'll put it like this, take it easy, Lucille
I like the way Sammy sings and I like the way Frank sings
But I can get a little Frank, Sammy, little Ray Charles
In fact all the people with soul in this

A little Mahalia Jackson in there
One more Lucille, take it easy now

You know, I've met a lot of you months ago
A lot of you wanna know why I call the guitar, Lucille
Lucille has practically saved my life two, three times
No kidding, really has

I remember once I was in an automobile accident
And when the car stopped turnin' over, it fell over on Lucille
And it held it up off of me, really, it held it up off of me
So that's one time it saved my life

The way, the way, I, uh, I came by the name of Lucille
I was over in Twist, Arkansas, I know you never heard of that
But happened and one night, the guys started a ball over there
You know started brawlin', you know what I mean

And the guy that was mad with this old lady
When she fell over on this gas tank that was burnin' for heat
The gas ran all over the floor and when the gas ran all over the floor
The building caught on fire and almost burned me up
Tryin' to save Lucille

Uh, oh, I, I imagine you're still wondering why I call it Lucille
The lady that started the brawl that night was named Lucille
And that's been Lucille ever since to me

One more now, Lucille
Sounds pretty good to me, can I do one more?




Look out, Lucille
Sounds really good, I think I'll try one more, alright

Overall Meaning

In B.B. King's song Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, he shares the story of his guitar, which he named Lucille. He introduces the song by telling the listeners that the sound they are listening to is from his guitar called Lucille. He goes on to express his deep affection for Lucille, explaining that she brought him fame and took him from the plantation. When he feels blue, Lucille seems to try and comfort him by calling his name, indicating that his guitar is his companion and a source of comfort to him.


B.B. King also sheds light on how he became a Blues artist. Initially, he sang spirituals, but when he joined the army, he picked up Lucille and started playing the Blues. He then explains how Lucille has been his constant companion during his challenging times, helping him through when things are bad by allowing him to depend on her. When he's lonely, he can always rely on his guitar to bring him joy, which he expresses by playing those funny sounds.


B.B. King also explains how Lucille saved his life two or three times. During an automobile accident, the car fell over on Lucille, holding it up off him. Another time, when a building caught on fire, he risked his life to save Lucille. He adopted the name Lucille for his guitar after a nightclub brawl that almost claimed his life in Twist, Arkansas. The brawl was caused by a woman named Lucille who had two men fighting over her.


Line by Line Meaning

The sound that you're listenin' to Is from my guitar that's named Lucille I'm very crazy about Lucille Lucille took me from the plantation Or you might say brought me fame
The music that you are enjoying is coming from my beloved guitar named Lucille. I have a great attachment to Lucille since it helped me get out of the hardships of plantation life and gain recognition.


I don't think I can just talk enough about Lucille Sometimes when I'm blue it's seems like Lucille Tryin' to help me callin' my name
I can go on and on talking about my guitar, Lucille. When I'm feeling low, it feels like Lucille is calling out to me and trying to help me through my troubles.


I used to sing spirituals and I thought that This was the thing I wanted to do But somehow or another, when I went in the Army I picked up on Lucille, started singin' blues
I initially wanted to sing spirituals, but my time in the army led me to pick up my guitar, Lucille, and start singing the blues instead.


Well, now when I'm payin' my dues Maybe you don't know what I mean when I say payin' my dues I mean when things are bad with me I can always, I can always you, you know, like depend on Lucille
When I'm going through tough times and having to work hard to make ends meet, I can always depend on my guitar, Lucille, to be there for me.


Sorta hard to talk to you myself I guess, I'll let Lucille say All of a few words and then
It's difficult for me to express myself fully, so I'll let Lucille do the talking and convey my feelings through music.


You know, I doubt if you can feel it like I do But when I think about the things that I've gone through Like, well, for instance, if I have a girlfriend and she's misusin' me And I go home at night, maybe I'm lonely Well, not maybe, I am lonely I pick up Lucille and then ping out those funny sounds That sound good to me, you know Sometimes I get to play it where I can't even say nothin' Look out Sometimes I think it is cryin'
It's hard for you to understand the emotions that I feel when I play Lucille, but it helps me cope with feelings of loneliness and pain. When I play, I can express myself in ways that words cannot, and sometimes it feels like the guitar itself is crying.


You know if I can sing pop tunes like Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr. I don't think I still could do it Cause Lucille don't wanna play nothin' but the blues And I think I'm, I think I'm pretty glad about that Cause don't nobody sing to me like Lucille, sing Lucille
Even if I were capable of singing pop songs like Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr., I wouldn't want to because Lucille only wants to play the blues. I'm glad that Lucille chose me, and no one else can sing to me the way that my guitar can.


Well, I'll put it like this, take it easy, Lucille I like the way Sammy sings and I like the way Frank sings But I can get a little Frank, Sammy, little Ray Charles In fact all the people with soul in this A little Mahalia Jackson in there One more Lucille, take it easy now
Even though I prefer blues, I appreciate the talents of other singers like Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Mahalia Jackson. I can incorporate some of their soulful sounds into my music, but Lucille will always be my guitar of choice.


You know, I've met a lot of you months ago A lot of you wanna know why I call the guitar, Lucille Lucille has practically saved my life two, three times No kidding, really has
Many of you have asked me why I named my guitar Lucille. It's because Lucille has saved my life on two or three separate occasions, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the instrument.


I remember once I was in an automobile accident And when the car stopped turnin' over, it fell over on Lucille And it held it up off of me, really, it held it up off of me So that's one time it saved my life The way, the way, I, uh, I came by the name of Lucille I was over in Twist, Arkansas, I know you never heard of that But happened and one night, the guys started a ball over there You know started brawlin', you know what I mean And the guy that was mad with this old lady When she fell over on this gas tank that was burnin' for heat The gas ran all over the floor and when the gas ran all over the floor The building caught on fire and almost burned me up Tryin' to save Lucille Uh, oh, I, I imagine you're still wondering why I call it Lucille The lady that started the brawl that night was named Lucille And that's been Lucille ever since to me
One time, I was in a car accident, and my guitar, Lucille, saved my life by acting like a cushion between the car and me. The story of how Lucille got its name involves a brawl at a club in Twist, Arkansas. An old lady accidentally knocked over a gas tank, causing a fire that almost destroyed the building. I was trying to save Lucille during the chaos, and the event left such an impression on me that I named my guitar after the woman who started the fight.




Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: B.B. KING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

truesurf

BB King is the "band-aid" for the soul.

myeyesinside out

is my dad's theme song rest in peace Daddy

Bilal El

Mine too ..lol
Peace be upon him

Blues_Boy_King

B.B. King - πŸ™‚ King Of The Blues - πŸ™‚

Mayshell Lumpkins

This music for my folks that passed away because I always heard this music when those collard greens was cooking on holidays

Alberta Davis

It don't get no better then this music

Dean Bembridge

One of my favourite BB King song's of all time πŸŽΈπŸŽΆπŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ Bless him

Michael RA

Currently playing this on Bass at 80 bpm. 35 bpm to go...πŸ˜ƒ

Classic WWE 2k Matches

I’m 29 years old bumping this lol

Evelena

Right on. Real music.

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