Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.
She joined Sammy Green's "Hot Harlem Revue" and toured throughout the South in the 1940's, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state's growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter's energy onto record.
Her big hit came, not from Robey's capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was "Hound Dog," which she recorded in 1952 with the Johnny Otis band and released in February 1953. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama's growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.
Thornton continued to tour the "chitlin' circuit" as fans began to favour newer R&B sounds over blues. For some years, Big Mama suffered in obscurity like most of her fellow bluesmen. Her name gained wider prominence and her career enjoyed a significant resurgence as her song "Ball and Chain" was covered by Janis Joplin, making it a regular number in her repertoire. From that point onward, Thornton would remain a headliner at blues festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the country and even in Europe. She began recording again, and released albums for the Arhoolie, Mercury, and Vanguard labels. Years of hard drinking and living began to take their toll, however, and by the late 1970s her health (and her trademark girth) had declined greatly. She nevertheless performed until her death at the age of 57 on July 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, where she was found dead from natural causes in the boarding house room in which she had been living. Johnny Otis conducted her funeral services, and she was laid to rest in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Life Goes On
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to tell our friends wherever I go
I played a losing game
But life goes on just the same
I was happy right from the start
But now I'm so lonely
Since you broke my heart
Life goes on just the same
I know into each life
There's always, a little rain
But I never, no I'll never understand
Why my life has so much pain
Maybe someday you'll tell me why
Why you had to hurt me
And leave me here to cry
I played a losing game
But life goes on and on just the same
The lyrics of Big Mama Thornton’s song “Life Goes On” express the singer’s feelings of heartbreak and loneliness after being left by a lover. The singer is struggling to understand why their once-happy relationship ended and is left to deal with the pain and confusion on their own. The opening lines of the song, “So you left me, I’ll never know / I hate to tell our friends wherever I go,” convey the singer’s sense of abandonment and the social discomfort they experience as a result. Despite feeling like they’ve “played a losing game,” the singer reflects that life goes on “just the same.” The song suggests that, even in the face of heartbreak and loss, life will continue to move forward.
The singer tries to reconcile the fact that, although there is always a little rain in each life, their life seems to be filled with an excess of pain. The lines “I know into each life / There’s always, a little rain / But I never, no I’ll never understand / Why my life has so much pain” touch on the universal experience of hardship, but also the singer’s own unique struggle to come to terms with what’s happening to them. Despite the uncertainty and hurt they feel, the singer maintains hope that they will eventually receive some kind of explanation or closure. The final lines of the song, “Maybe someday you’ll tell me why / Why you had to hurt me / And leave me here to cry / I played a losing game / But life goes on and on just the same,” bring the song full circle, with the singer looking to the future and holding out hope for resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
So you left me, I'll never know
I don't know why you left me and I'll never find out.
I hate to tell our friends wherever I go
I feel ashamed and embarrassed to tell our mutual friends that we broke up.
I played a losing game
I made mistakes in our relationship that led to its downfall.
But life goes on just the same
Despite our breakup, life continues and I must move on.
I was happy right from the start
In the beginning of our relationship, I was content and fulfilled.
But now I'm so lonely
After our breakup, I feel isolated and alone.
Since you broke my heart
Your actions caused me immense emotional pain.
I know into each life
I understand that everyone experiences difficult times.
There's always, a little rain
Life is not always sunny and enjoyable. There will always be bumps in the road.
But I never, no I'll never understand
Despite this understanding, I can't wrap my head around why I'm going through so much pain.
Why my life has so much pain
I am struggling to come to terms with the amount of emotional pain I am experiencing.
Maybe someday you'll tell me why
I hope that one day you will explain to me why you hurt me and broke up with me.
Why you had to hurt me
I am searching for an explanation for your hurtful actions.
And leave me here to cry
Your actions have left me in a state of sadness and mourning.
But life goes on and on just the same
Even though our relationship ended, life will continue and I must find a way to push forward.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: WILLIE MAE THORNTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sophia
Now THIS is the deep, heavy Blues.. Raw and heart-wrenching.. Damn I adore this woman! Always come back to this song when I need something raw to the bone.. We'll never get anything like this again! God bless you Big Mama and musicians and innovators of the past!
dana Vinyard
This song gives me chills down my whole body !
Blakewater Blues
According to Al Campbell's review on www.allmusic.com:
In the mid- '60s, Big Mama Thornton was a relatively obscure blues singer known mainly for her original recording of "Hound Dog" in 1953, three years before Elvis had a monster hit with it. Due to a lack of gigs, Thornton had a tough time keeping a steady band on the road and would scramble to gather consistently decent musicians. Fortunately, Arhoolie Records' founder and president Chris Strachwitz had witnessed an amazing performance of the era which had Thornton backed by a group of Chicago musicians who included Buddy Guy on guitar. With that performance in mind, Strachwitz was determined to capture that excellence in the studio. He offered the gig to Muddy Waters, whom he met in San Francisco a few days prior to this session. Muddy accepted and brought with him James Cotton (harmonica), Otis Spann (piano), Sammy Lawhorn (guitar), Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (bass), and Francis Clay (drums). What came out at Coast Recorders on April 25, 1966 is presented on this 17-track disc including seven previously unreleased cuts. From the low-down gutbucket blues of "Black Rat," and "Big Mama's Shuffle" (featuring both Thornton and James Cotton engaging in a battle of the harps), to the hazy, late-night atmosphere of "Life Goes On," "Since I Fell for You," and "I Feel the Way I Feel," all of this material is absolutely timeless. One can only imagine what would have happened if Big Mama's hopes of recording a gospel album with this band had been fulfilled.
Joseph Barclay Ross
This song is more gospel than gospel.
Glorina Glorina
When music was from the heart & soul...
You don't don't hear music like this anymore these days.
Gwen Brown
Glorina Glorina ...And to think these untalented kids are making millions, for their (one day old music) and then its forgot about, and these talented, phenomenons didnt make anything is so disheartening, but thank God for their heart and love of/for their craft is why they carried on!!!
Fred Smith
Holy cow, that's the blues ......... thanks for posting!
savagehyena
She is the original DIVA..NOTHING BETTER.. A star in the universe of music.. Never mind your witney's etc . She can and has out done them all.
Joseph Barclay Ross
There's a big difference between soul and sound. Mama had both.
Albie van Walsem
queen of the blues!!! i love her!!!