McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1915 - April 30, 1983) known best as Muddy W… Read Full Bio ↴McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1915 - April 30, 1983) known best as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered the Father of Chicago Blues.
His influence has been enormous across many music genres, blues, rhythm and blues, rock, folk, jazz, and country. Waters helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.
His tours of England in the early 60s marked possibly the first time an amplified, hard-rocking band was ever heard there. The Rolling Stones named themselves after Muddy Waters 1950 song "Rollin Stone" aka "Catfish Blues". Led Zeppelin's biggest hit, "Whole Lotta Love", was based upon the Muddy Waters song "You need Love".
Morganfield was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi and died at the age of 68 on in Westmont, Illinois near Chicago.
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Singer, songwriter, musician and rock pioneer. Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates (some reports say Otha Ellas Bates) on December 30, 1928, in McComb, Mississippi.
Bo Diddley, with his infectious rhythms and strong guitar work, was one of the early pioneers of rock and roll music. At a young age, he was sent to live with one of her cousins, Gussie McDaniel, in Chicago.
McDaniel adopted him and he took her last name. For years, he studied violin. Then after hearing the music of blues legend John Lee Hooker, he switched to the guitar. After working odd jobs and playing on street corners, Diddley started getting gigs at neighbor bars in Chicago. In 1955, he scored a recording contract with Checker, and scored his first R&B hit with the self-titled single "Bo Diddley" and its B-side "I'm a Man." Diddley then reached the top 40 charts with "Pretty Things" in 1956. Other famous songs include "Who Do You Love," "Mona," and "Before You Accuse Me."
A 1979 tour with the punk rock group, The Clash, introduced Diddley to new audiences.
Sometimes called "The Originator," Diddley has inspired countless acts that have followed in his musical footsteps, including Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Doors.
Diddley died of heart failure June 2, 2008, at his home in Archer, Florida.
(2010 A&E Television Networks)

I'M A MAN
Bo Diddley & Muddy Waters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now when I was a little boy,
At the age of five,
I had somethin' in my pocket,
Keep a lot of folks alive.

Now I'm a man,
Made twenty-one,
You know baby,

We can have a lot of fun.

I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.

All you pretty women,
Stand in line,
I can make love to you baby,
In an hour's time.

I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.

I goin' back down,
To Kansas to
Bring back the second cousin,
Little John the conqueroo.

I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.

The line I shoot,
Will never miss,
The way I make love to 'em,
They can't resist.

I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.

Overall Meaning

The song "I'm A Man" by Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters is a classic blues track that speaks of a man's journey from childhood to adulthood. The opening lines of the song talk about the singer's early childhood, when he had something in his pocket that "kept a lot of folks alive," perhaps suggesting that he had a talent or skill that he could use to help others. As he grows older and becomes a man at the age of twenty-one, he speaks to the women and invites them to line up because he can make love to them in an hour's time.

The song's chorus, "I'm a man, I spell M-A-N...man," reinforces the singer's sense of masculinity and also serves to emphasize the words that follow it. The last stanza speaks of the singer's upcoming journey to Kansas to bring back his second cousin, the "conqueroo," suggesting that he's a proud and capable man who can take on any challenge. The final lines speak of his prowess with a line (perhaps a fishing line) and his ability to make love to women who can't resist him.

Overall, "I'm A Man" is a song about masculinity, confidence, and sexual prowess. The singer is proud of who he is and what he can do, and he wants others to know it too.

Line by Line Meaning

Now when I was a little boy,
Back when I was just a young boy...

At the age of five,
...only five years old...

I had somethin' in my pocket,
...I carried something with me...

Keep a lot of folks alive.
...that could save people's lives.

Now I'm a man,
But now that I'm grown up...

Made twenty-one,
...I'm 21 years old...

You know baby,
...hey, sweetheart...

We can have a lot of fun.
...let's have some good times together.

I'm a man,
I am a true man...

I spell M-A-N...man.
...and that's how you spell it, M-A-N...man.

All you pretty women,
Hey there, all you beautiful ladies...