Taking after their father, who sang gospel music, Bobby Womack and his brothers formed their own group in 1952. In 1954, under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, the group issued the Pennant single, "Buffalo Bill". Bobby Womack was only ten years old at the time. Sam Cooke took an interest in the Womack Brothers, and they recorded for Cooke's SAR record label in the early 1960s. Renamed the Valentinos, and encouraged by Cooke to go in a more secular and commercial direction, they scored a hit with Womack's "It's All Over Now" in 1964; the Rolling Stones' version of the song became a major hit, earning Womack generous royalty payments.
Sam Cooke died in late 1964; Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara, a short time later, creating something of a scandal. Things became even more complicated when his younger brother, Cecil, married Cooke's daughter, Linda. As a session guitarist, Womack worked at producer Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis, and played on recordings by Joe Tex and The Box Tops. Until this point, around 1967, he had had little success as a solo artist, but at American he began to record a string of classic soul-music singles including the 1968 "What Is This" (his first chart hit), "It's Gonna Rain" and "More Than I Can Stand," all of which featured his elegant, understated rhythm-guitar work and his impassioned vocals. During this period he became known as a songwriter, contributing many songs to the repertoire of Wilson Pickett; these include "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover."
After moving to the United Artists label in the early '70s, he released the album Communication, and on an album with guitarist Gabor Szabo introduced his song "Breezin'," which later became a hit for George Benson. He also became known for his interesting taste in cover versions, essaying Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' " as well as "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" and James Taylor's "Fire and Rain'" and "California Dreamin'." Perhaps his most well-known work from this period is as guitarist on Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 There's a Riot Goin' On.
He continued to have hits into the '70s; these include "Lookin' for a Love" (a remake of his 1962 Valentinos single), "Across 110th Street," "Woman's Gotta Have It" (covered by James Taylor in 1976), "You're Welcome, Stop on By," and the masterful "Daylight." All are excellent examples of burnished yet gritty 1970s soul music, and reveal a pop-music sensibility akin to that of Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield.
Bobby Womack's 1981 album The Poet was a surprise hit and contained the hit single "If You Think You're Lonely Now." K-Ci Hailey, a notable admirer of Womack's work, covered "If You Think You're Lonely Now" in 1994. The song is referenced in Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together", a number-one hit in June 2005. Carey sings "I can't sleep at night /When you are on my mind / Bobby Womack's on the radio / Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now.'"
Film director Quentin Tarantino used "Across 110th Street" (which, in a different version, had been the title song of the 1972 movie) in the opening and closing sequences of his 1997 film Jackie Brown.
A 2003 Saab commercial shone a spotlight on Womackâs interpretation of "California Dreamin'".
In 2010, Womack contributed lyrics and sang on "Stylo" alongside Mos Def, the first single from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack.[4] He also provides vocals on the song "Cloud of Unknowing".
In 2010 Bobby Womack appeared on the main pyramid stage at Glastonbury with the Gorillaz.
The Bravest Man in the World Songfacts reports in 2012, Womack's first album of original material since 1994's Resurrection was released. The Bravest Man in the World was produced by Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and XL Recordings boss, Richard Russell.
Womack died on June 27, 2014 at age 70.
Arkansas State Prison
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've served time
3 long years in Arkansas State Prison
To hear all about it
come sit down and listen
I slaved the way
Pickin' cotton till I thought
my back was breakin'
3 meals a day
all I ate was black eyed peas
and long cold cornbread
It was a night near
the time I spent there
more than once I felt a climy hand
upon my shoulder
Mr. Death was
telling me that
I'd never get a minute over
I was man
I refused to brinh along
with Memphis Red
I buffered the guise
madden tres
better left unsaid
He insisted
But I resisted
He wouldn't stop --
I grabbed a shovel
and I opened up his head!
He wouldn't stop --
I grabbed a shovel
and I opened up his head!
All the guards took a good look
at what I done
at what I done -- then hey said
Say your prize boy, your race
has been the run
just for kicks
They set me free
and they brought the dogs
to hunt me down
And then the rains came
and heeled my scent
and my hiding place was never found
I was one they never found
Oooh, I was one they never found
No one knows how many they list as missin'
Ohhhh
I lie in deep in the fields at the
Arkansas State Prison
The song "Arkansas State Prison" by Bobby Womack tells the story of a man who had to serve time in the Arkansas State Prison. The song is very descriptive and illuminates the hardships and brutality of prison life, from the grueling labor of picking cotton under the hot sun to the meager rations of black-eyed peas and cornbread. There's a palpable tension throughout the song as the singer is haunted by the fear of never getting out alive. The chorus with the repeated Na Na NaNaNa NaNa is stirring and haunting, making the listener feel the grim reality of what it would be like to be locked up in such a place.
The song also takes us through the incident that led to the man's eventual release from prison. He was being harassed and bullied by Memphis Red, and in self-defense, he grabbed a shovel and bashed Red's head in. It was a violent scene, but the singer refused to be bullied or pushed around any longer. The guards in the prison set him free as a way of getting rid of him and then sent dogs after him to hunt him down. Miraculously, the rains came and washed away his scent, and the man was never found. He eventually found refuge deep in the fields surrounding the Arkansas State Prison.
Overall, the song is a powerful and poignant statement on the harshness and brutality of prison life, the institutional abuse of power and the struggle for survival in such an environment. It evokes a sense of hopelessness and despair that anyone who has lived through such experiences can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
I've served time
I have been imprisoned
3 long years in Arkansas State Prison
I was in prison in Arkansas for three years
To hear all about it
If you want to know more
come sit down and listen
please sit and pay attention
I slaved the way
I worked very hard
Pickin' cotton till I thought
I worked in the fields picking cotton until
my back was breakin'
my back was hurting
3 meals a day
I was given three meals every day
all I ate was black eyed peas
the only food I had was black-eyed peas
and long cold cornbread
with cold, dry cornbread
It was a night near
on one particular night
the time I spent there
while I was in prison
more than once I felt a climy hand
I was approached by Death multiple times
upon my shoulder
he touched me on the shoulder
Mr. Death was
Death appeared
telling me that
saying to me
I'd never get a minute over
I was going to die soon and not live any longer
I was man
I was tough
I refused to brinh along
I didn't want to involve
with Memphis Red
with another prisoner named Memphis Red
I buffered the guise
I ignored the trick
madden tres
something crazy
better left unsaid
a secret that should not be shared
He insisted
Memphis Red continued to push
But I resisted
but I refused
He wouldn't stop --
he kept going
I grabbed a shovel
I took a shovel
and I opened up his head!
and I killed him by hitting him with the shovel
All the guards took a good look
All the prison guards saw
at what I done
what I had done
-- then hey said
and they said
Say your prize boy, your race
You are a winner, my friend
has been the run
to run away
just for kicks
for no good reason
They set me free
They released me from prison
and they brought the dogs
and they used dogs to track me down
to hunt me down
to find me and bring me back to prison
And then the rains came
It started to rain
and heeled my scent
the rain washed away my smell
and my hiding place was never found
nobody found where I was hiding
I was one they never found
I managed to escape without being caught
Oooh, I was one they never found
I was never caught
No one knows how many they list as missin'
The number of people who disappeared is unknown
Ohhhh
I lie in deep in the fields at the Arkansas State Prison
I am buried in the fields at the prison
Contributed by Scarlett J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.