While the lyrics of his songs were usually religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. It is characterized by his slide guitar accompaniment and tenor voice, and his frequent use of a lower-register 'growl' or false bass voice.
According to his death certificate, Johnson was born in 1897 near Brenham, Texas. (Earlier, Temple, Texas had been suggested as his birthplace.) When he was five, he told his father he wanted to be a preacher and then made a cigar box guitar for himself. His mother died when he was young, and his father remarried soon after her death.
Johnson was not born blind. Although it is not certain how he lost his sight, his alleged widow Angeline Johnson told Samuel Charters that when Willie was seven his father beat his stepmother after catching her going out with another man; and that she in spite blinded young Willie by throwing lye in his face.
Johnson made 30 commercial recording studio record sides (29 songs) in five separate sessions for Columbia Records from 1927–1930. On some of these recordings Johnson uses a fast rhythmic picking style, while on others he plays slide guitar. According to a reputed one-time acquaintance, Blind Willie McTell (1898–1959), Johnson played with a brass ring; but the bluesman Tom Shaw, interviewed by Guido van Rijn in 1972, says that he used a knife. However, in enlargement, the only known photograph of Johnson seems to show that there is an actual bottleneck on the little finger of his left hand. While his other fingers are apparently fretting the strings, his little finger is extended straight—which also suggests there is a slide on it as well.
It is believed that Johnson married at least twice. He was married to Willie B. Harris. Her recollection of their initial meeting was recounted in the liner notes for Yazoo Records's album Praise God I'm Satisfied. He was later alleged to have been married to a woman named Angeline. Johnson was also said to be married to a sister of blues artist L. C. Robinson.[citation needed] No marriage certificates have yet been discovered. As Angeline Johnson often sang and performed with him,[citation needed] the first person to attempt to research his biography, Samuel Charters, made the mistake of assuming it was Angeline who had sung on several of Johnson's records. However, later research showed that it was Willie B. Harris.
Johnson remained poor until the end of his life, preaching and singing in the streets of several Texas cities including Beaumont. A city directory shows that in 1945, a Rev. W. J. Johnson, undoubtedly Blind Willie, operated the House of Prayer at 1440 Forrest Street, Beaumont, Texas. This is the same address listed on Johnson's death certificate. In 1945, his home burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home, sleeping on a wet bed in the August/September Texas heat. He lived like this until he contracted malarial fever, and died on September 18, 1945. (The death certificate reports the cause of death as malarial fever, with syphilis and blindness as contributing factors.) In an interview, Angeline said that she tried to take him to a hospital, which refused to admit him because he was blind. Other sources report that the refusal was due to his being black.[citation needed]
According to his death certificate, he was buried in Blanchette Cemetery, Beaumont. The location of that cemetery had been forgotten until it was rediscovered in 2009. His exact gravesite remains unknown; but in 2010, the researchers who had identified the cemetery erected a monument there in his honor.
His father would often leave him on street corners to sing for money. Tradition has it that he was arrested for nearly starting a riot at a New Orleans courthouse with a powerful rendition of "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", a song about Samson and Delilah. According to Samuel Charters, however, he was simply arrested while singing for tips in front of the Customs House by a police officer who misconstrued the title lyric and mistook it for incitement. Timothy Beal argued that the officer did not, in fact, misconstrue the meaning of the song, but that "the ancient story suddenly sounded dangerously contemporary" to him.
Several of Blind Willie Johnson's songs have been interpreted by other musicians, including "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed", "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine", "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground", "John the Revelator", "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond", "Motherless Children" and "Soul of a Man".
"Dark Was the Night" is one of the music tracks on the Voyager Golden Record, copies of which were placed in 1977 on both the unmanned Voyager Project space probes. It is the penultimate track, preceding only the Cavatina from Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 130: the blind musician and the deaf one side by side. The astronomer Timothy Ferris, who worked with Carl Sagan in selecting those tracks, has said:
"Johnson's song concerns a situation he faced many times, nightfall with no place to sleep. Since humans appeared on Earth, the shroud of night has yet to fall without touching a man or woman in the same plight."
In 2012, Voyager 1 left the solar system and entered interstellar space, the first manmade spacecraft so to do. Voyager 2 is expected to do the same around 2016.
Ry Cooder's slide guitar title song and soundtrack music of the Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas (1984) was based on "Dark Was the Night".
"Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" was played in the TV series The West Wing (season 5) episode 13, The Warfare of Genghis Khan. "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" was played in the TV series The Walking Dead (season 5) episode 4 Slabtown.
Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying
Blind Willie Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
My mother often told me, angels bonded your life away
She said I would accomplish, but trust in God and pray
I'm on the King's Highway, I'm travelin' everyday
'Cause I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
My mother, she's in glory, thank God I'm on my way
Father, he's gone too, and sister she could not stay
I'm trusting Him everyday, to bear my burdens away
'Cause I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
I thought when she first left me, I'd pray4 for a little while
Soon it all would be over, and I'd journey on with a smile
But the thought as I get older, I think of what I told her
And I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, well
Blind Willie Johnson's song Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying is a melancholic gospel blues that deals with themes of sorrow, loss, and faith. The song starts with the lines "Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes, When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears." These lines evoke a feeling of helplessness and suggest that the singer is in a state of emotional turmoil. He is overwhelmed with feelings of sadness and seems to be struggling to cope with his pain.
The second verse of the song expands on the singer's upbringing and how his mother had always instilled in him the importance of trusting in God and praying. He talks about traveling on the King's Highway and how he is persevering every day, despite the challenges he faces. The third verse speaks to the singer's experiences of loss, particularly with regards to his mother, father, and sister. He finds solace in his faith, "I'm trusting Him everyday, to bear my burdens away," implying that he believes that God will help him through his loss.
The final verse of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer talks about his own mortality and the thought of meeting his lost loved ones again. He looks back on his life and the promises he made to his departed loved ones and regrets not being able to keep them. The song ends on a note of resignation, with the singer acknowledging that he can't help but cry sometimes, despite his faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
I feel overwhelmed with sadness and tears despite my efforts to hold back my emotions.
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Even though I try to be strong, my emotions get the best of me at times and I break down in tears.
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
My deep sadness and grief are so intense that they become physically manifest in the form of tears.
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Despite my faith and belief in God, I still struggle with overwhelming emotions of sadness and pain at times.
My mother often told me, angels bonded your life away
My mother believed that there was a divine plan for my life, and that I was watched over by angels who guided and protected me.
She said I would accomplish, but trust in God and pray
My mother instilled in me a sense of purpose and hope for the future, encouraging me to put my faith in God and seek divine guidance through prayer.
I'm on the King's Highway, I'm travelin' everyday
I believe that I am on a journey in life, following the path that God has laid out for me, and I must continue to move forward every day.
My mother, she's in glory, thank God I'm on my way
My mother has passed away and is now in heaven, and I am grateful that I am also on a path towards eternal salvation and reconciliation with God.
Father, he's gone too, and sister she could not stay
I have lost my father and sister to death, and their absence has caused me great sadness and pain.
I'm trusting Him everyday, to bear my burdens away
Despite my struggles with grief and sorrow, I am placing my trust in God to help me carry the weight of my hardships and struggles.
I thought when she first left me, I'd pray for a little while
After my mother passed away, I believed that praying and mourning for a short while would be enough to alleviate my grief and allow me to move on.
Soon it all would be over, and I'd journey on with a smile
I hoped that my sadness and pain would fade quickly, and that I would be able to move forward with a sense of contentment and joy.
But the thought as I get older, I think of what I told her
As time passes, I am reminded of the promises and commitments that I made to my mother, and the deep love and connection that we shared.
Well, well
This repetition of the phrase signals a sense of resignation or acceptance of the difficulties that come with life.
Lyrics © ALPHA MUSIC, INC.
Written by: WILLIE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maor
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
My mother often told me, angels bonded your life away
She said I would accomplish, but trust in God and pray
I'm on the King's Highway, I'm travelin' everyday
'Cause I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
My mother, she's in glory, thank God I'm on my way
Father, he's gone too, and sister she could not stay
I'm trusting Him everyday, to bear my burdens away
'Cause I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
I thought when she first left me, I'd pray4 for a little while
Soon it all would be over, and I'd journey on with a smile
But the thought as I get older, I think of what I told her
And I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
When my heart's full of sorrow and my eyes are filled with tears
Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes
Well, well
Andrea R
The most emotional lines for me are: " But the thought as I get older, I think of what I told her
And I just can't keep from crying sometimes." I bet almost every older person has someone they think about when they hear this.
Jason Martin Kennedy
Hello Dorothy. Sorry for intruding in your privacy, I just want to know if you're a fan?
Lukas
I can stop cryinf
Emma e
I don’t know why but hearing Blind Willie Johnson has always made me more emotional than any other music I’ve ever heard
Judith Lustig
Fantastic! It doesn't get more raw or real than this. The girl singing background is perfect complement.
Mike Summers-Smith
It's Willie B. Harris, thought to have been his first wife.
Jason Martin Kennedy
Hello Judith. Sorry for intruding in your privacy, I just want to know if you're a fan?
Christo van der walt
Recorded during the prohibition years. This is more than music, for me it's a reach for free expression in a time when that wasn't always welcomed by people like him. 1st time I played his music on my gramaphone I almost cried, was like having him sing in my living room. Can't get enough, pity the original 78 are so darn expensive!
Brad Lawley
Perfect song for today's times😭
Wendy Robinson
He sure could roar when he sang. Beautiful!