At a time when most of his contemporaries are resting on their laurels, Rush continues to be one of the most exciting and creative artists in the R&B/blues arena. Rush's live shows are without parallel, replete with costume changes and comedic sketches acted out with the assistance of his lovely female dancers. In addressing a broad range of matters of the heart, Rush adopts various onstage persona-the adoring lover, the cuckold, the boastful stud-delivering all with a knowing wink that assures the audience that he's in on the joke.
In the context of today's all too predictable and sanitized blues market, it's easy to understand why audiences new to Rush's performances often find them novel or even bewildering. Unique they are, but Rush's signifying, jesting, and double entendré jiving are at the heart of the blues, as exemplified by forbears such as Charley Patton, Memphis Minnie, Louis Jordan, and Howlin' Wolf.
Bobby Rush-it's pronounced as one three-syllable name-calls his music "folk funk," an apt description for a blend that's both decidedly modern and deeply rooted in tradition. Over the decades he has consistently updated his show by incorporating new styles-jump blues, Chicago style deep blues, soul, funk, and even hip-hop-into a fresh mix. At the same time, his original compositions often stem from his dipping into the well of folk wisdom, as exemplified by songs like "What's Good For the Goose is Good for the Gander Too."
The son of a preacher man, Bobby Rush was born Emmet Ellis, Jr., in the north Louisiana town of Homer; he later adopted his stage name out of respect for his father. He built his first instrument, a primitive guitar or "diddley bow," and in his early teens he was donning a fake mustache and appearing at local juke joints as a solo artist. In the mid-'50s he moved up to Chicago, where his bands included Freddie King, Earl Hooker, and Luther Allison, while on jaunts back to his family home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he performed with Elmore James and James' cousin Boyd Gilmore.
Rush began working as a bandleader already as a teenager after realizing that he could control his own destiny if he owned all the equipment. His entrepreneurial flair is legendary among fellow musicians, who fondly recall his working in disguise as the emcee on his own gigs, earning double pay from an unknowing club owner, and his shuffling between three gigs a night with separate bands at West Side nightclubs.
Rush's popularity as a live performer in Chicago set back the development of his recording career, but he began to achieve national acclaim in 1971 following the success of his hit "Chicken Heads" on Galaxy records. Over the next decade he recorded for labels including Jewel, Philadelphia International, Warner Brothers, and toured widely on the "chitlin circuit," the decades old network of clubs that stretches in a rough triangle between east Texas, north Florida, and Chicago.
In the early '80s Rush moved from Chicago to his current home of Jackson, Mississippi, where he recorded a series of albums for the LeJam, Ichiban, and Malaco labels, and gained the title of "king of the chitlin circuit" in the wake of hits including "Sue," "Wearin' It Out," "Ain't Studdin' You," and "Hoochie Man."
In 2003 Rush fulfilled his longtime dream of forming his own label, Deep Rush, recording the CD "Undercover Lover" and capturing the magic of his live show on DVD at the club Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Rush's showmanship is also prominently featured in Richard Pearce's documentary film "The Road To Memphis," broadcast on PBS in September 2003 as part of Martin Scorsese's film series "The Blues."
In the last decade Rush has gained new audiences through performances at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and on festival stages in Europe and Japan. But catch him on an average weekend and he's just as likely to be playing to packed houses in chitlin circuit clubs in places like Nesbit, Mississippi, Macon, Georgia, and Smackover, Arkansas, before mostly black, working class audiences that conventional blues wisdom suggests no longer exist.
Success in the American music marketplace generally entails leaving behind the people that sustained you during your early years, but that's not a price Bobby Rush is willing to pay. As his career takes off in new directions, he's determined to keep it real, presenting the same unadulterated show as he moves from Tokyo to Smackover. Or as he explains in what has become somewhat a mantra of late, "I want to cross over, not cross out."
--Scott Barretta
I Can't Get Enough
Bobby Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the kinda thing i can't explain
Maybe i'm loosing my sanity
Something bout the way your body taste to me
Like a scoop of my favourite ice cream
Since the first day u came to my team
This whole thing has been one big erotic dream
I'm no jodici but i'm a fiend
[Chorus]
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I can't get enough of your love girl
I get so excited when we touch, incredible
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I'm such a fiend for your love
I get so excited when we touch
When u put that thing on me
Ever since u put that thing on me girl i can't get enough
[Verse 2]
I know u just love me but one more round
It's the bout the way you put it down
I used to be a player but now i'm gone
To the tear drop bottom huggin in that thong
U know just how to care of your man
Forget the club bless me with a private dance
Silhouette .......butter girl
Your the shhh that's why i love you
[Hook]
Tell me how do you do that
When you do that
When you wiggle that but for me
How such a mystery
A good feeling
You nicknamed me daddy baby
Why out of all those girls
It had to be you
Now i'm so turned out baby
Why i can't go on without you girl
[Chorus x2]
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I can't get enough of your love girl
I get so excited when we touch, incredible
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I been such a fiend for your love
I get so excited when we touch
When u put that thing on me
Ever since u put that thing on me girl i can't get enough
[Verse 3]
Oo baby i love the way
You kiss me in places i never dreamed
So exotic so erotic oo ah u got it
Oo baby stay the same
Fly and classy that's my lady
So exotic so erotic oo ah you got it
Oo oo oooo oooo baby you got it
[Hook]
Tell me how do you do that
When you do that
When you wiggle that but for me
How such a mystery
A good feeling
You nicknamed me daddy baby
Why out of all those girls
It had to be you
Now i'm so turned out baby
Why i can't go on without you girl
[Chorus x2]
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I can't get enough of your love girl
I get so excited when we touch, incredible
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I'm such a fiend for your love
I get so excited when we touch
When u put that thing on me
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I can't get enough of your love girl
I get so excited when we touch incredible
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
I'm such a fiend
The song "I Can't Get Enough" by Bobby Rush is a romantic and sensual ballad about being utterly consumed by desire for someone. The lyrics are an expression of the singer's intense and insatiable longing for his lover, who has cast a spell on him with her seductive ways that he cannot resist. From the very first day she came into his life, he has been obsessed with her, and every moment they spend together only intensifies his passion.
In the first verse, Bobby Rush sings that he cannot explain the kind of feeling that he has for his lover. It's like he's losing his mind because of how she affects him. Her body tastes like his favorite ice cream, and he has been caught up in an erotic dream since the day she joined his team. He cannot help but want her, and he is just a fiend for her. In the chorus, the singer declares that he can't get enough of her love, and he gets extremely excited when they touch. She has put something on him that is addictive, and he is a fiend for her.
In the second verse, Bobby Rush sings that he used to be a player, but now he only has eyes for his lover. She knows just how to take care of him, and even a private dance from her is enough to make him forget about the club. She is butter-girl, and he loves her for it. In the hook, the singer asks his lover how she does what she does, and why out of all the girls, it had to be her that he is so turned out for. He can't go on without her, and she has nicknamed him daddy baby. In the final verse, Bobby Rush sings that he loves the way his lover kisses him in places that he never dreamed of, and she is exotic and erotic. She is his fly and classy lady, and he can't get enough of her love.
Overall, "I Can't Get Enough" is a song that expresses the overwhelming and all-encompassing feelings of desire and love that one can have for another person. Bobby Rush's silky smooth vocals and the seductive beat of the song make for a perfect combination that oozes sensuality.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the kinda thing i can't explain
There's something about this situation that I can't quite put into words
Maybe i'm loosing my sanity
I might be going crazy because of this intense feeling
Something bout the way your body taste to me
There's a unique flavor that I associate with being with you physically
Like a scoop of my favourite ice cream
It's a sensation akin to eating the most delicious ice cream I can possibly imagine
Since the first day u came to my team
Ever since you joined my group or became my partner in some way
This whole thing has been one big erotic dream
This entire experience feels like an intense sexual fantasy
I'm no jodici but i'm a fiend
I'm not an expert, but I'm obsessed with you sexually
Just want you girl just want you
I have an intense desire for you and nothing else
Ever since you put that thing on me girl
Since the first time we were intimate and you did that specific thing to me
I can't get enough of your love girl
I crave your love and attention constantly
I get so excited when we touch, incredible
When we physically connect, it feels amazing and electrifying
I know u just love me but one more round
I understand that you love me, but I want to have sex with you one more time
It's the bout the way you put it down
It's the way you perform sexually that turns me on
I used to be a player but now i'm gone
I used to be a womanizer, but now I only want to be with you
To the tear drop bottom huggin in that thong
I love the way your thong hugs your buttocks, emphasizing your curves
U know just how to care of your man
You know how to take care of me, both physically and emotionally
Forget the club bless me with a private dance
I don't care about going out to the club, as long as you dance for me in private
Silhouette .......butter girl
Your body's silhouette is so attractive, it reminds me of butter that's melting
Your the shhh that's why i love you
You are amazing and that's why I love you
Tell me how do you do that
Explain to me how you are able to make me feel such intense pleasure
When you do that
When you perform that act
When you wiggle that but for me
When you shake your buttocks for me
How such a mystery
It's a mystery how you are able to make me feel this way
A good feeling
The feeling that you give me is amazing
You nicknamed me daddy baby
You call me daddy because of the dominant role I play in bed
Why out of all those girls
Why did you choose me out of all the other potential partners available to you?
Now i'm so turned out baby
You have turned me on so much that I can't think about anything else
Why i can't go on without you girl
I can't imagine my life without you in it
Oo baby i love the way
I adore the way
You kiss me in places i never dreamed
You kiss me in areas that I never knew were erogenous zones
So exotic so erotic oo ah u got it
You are so unique and sensual, you have that special something
Oo baby stay the same
Don't change, stay exactly the way you are
Fly and classy that's my lady
You are elegant and sophisticated, that's what I love about you
Oo oo oooo oooo baby you got it
You possess that mysterious quality that makes you so attractive
I been such a fiend for your love
I have an insatiable craving for your love and attention
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BLACKACRACKA
I'm a white boy from Tallahassee Florida I had the incredible luck of growing up for the last 20 years about 1500 ft through the woods away from one of the most famous blues venues in this part of the country that was active since about 1950. It was called on the "chitlin" circuit. I got to see Bobby Rush the first time when I was 15 and damn he made me a funky cracka!
@daelove9551
This man came in my job today and I had no idea who he was by face until my coworker acknowledged him..he said today is his birthday and he just turned 90..and when I say Bobby looked good and got around good for his age I would have thought he was bout in 60s or 70s just aging gracefully..
@reginaldturner3570
I'm not HENPECKED... I BEEN PECKED BY THE RIGHT HENNNNNNNNN!!!! LOOK AT IT@ 👀👀
@THEKING-cz2ki
I'm not Hen pick I been pick by the RIGHT Hen.....The KING
@THEKING-cz2ki
I ain't STUDDIN YA...I said Hot DAMM Look at It
@THEKING-cz2ki
@Annie Felton WHAT
@kennethrogers7991
It moves Like it got sense...im not Hen picked
@THEKING-cz2ki
None of your Damn Business it talking to me
@MississippiSoulchic
This is my homeboy and church member! He puts on a great show! I'm young but I love this music. Bobby Rush is the MAN!
@Dud512
Do they let him lead songs?