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 Womack’s 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.
Big Bayou
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was determined to get somewhere
I spent all my hard earned money
I had saved to put me there
Big bayou where did you go
To the river that's running slow
And to the Gulf of Mexico
I took a cotton picking job in Memphis
And the people there treated me good
But my luck run bad in Nashville
I had to walked the streets of Hollywood
Big bayou where did you go
To the river that's running slow
Into the Gulf of Mexico
Big bayou carry me home
Gotta get away
Gotta find a way
Gotta get away home
Oh Lord I'm going home
Where the fish jump in the air
You know I don't need a lot of money
Cause I ain't going nowhere
Big bayou where did you go
To the river that's running slow
Into the Gulf of Mexico
Big bayou carry me home
Big bayou carry me home
To the river that's running slow
Into the Gulf of Mexico
Big bayou where did you go
I'm gonna catch a southbound
Train home one of these days
In the song "Big Bayou," Bobby Womack sings about his journey of leaving his hometown in search of a better life in the city. He took a long trip and spent all his hard-earned money to get there but had to take up a cotton picking job in Memphis to make ends meet. However, things took a turn for the worse, and he had to walk the streets of Hollywood due to his bad luck in Nashville. "Big Bayou" is a metaphor for his longing for his hometown, and the river running slow represents his desire to return home. He yearns for the serenity of his hometown where the fish jump in the air, and he doesn't need a lot of money to feel content.
The lyrics of "Big Bayou" are an expression of Womack's yearning for home and his struggle to adjust to a new way of life. He misses the comfort and familiar surroundings that he left behind and hopes that the bayou will carry him back home. The bridge of the song emphasizes this yearning as he repeats, "Big bayou carry me home, to the river that's running slow, into the Gulf of Mexico, big bayou where did you go."
Line by Line Meaning
I took a long, long trip to the city
I embarked on a lengthy journey to the city.
I was determined to get somewhere
I was resolute in my determination to make progress in my life.
I spent all my hard earned money
I depleted all the money I had earned through hard work.
I had saved to put me there
I had kept aside this money to enable me to go to the city.
Big bayou where did you go
Where did you disappear to, big bayou?
To the river that's running slow
Did you flow into the sluggish river?
And to the Gulf of Mexico
Did you ultimately reach the Gulf of Mexico?
Big bayou carry me home
Big bayou, take me back to my hometown.
I took a cotton picking job in Memphis
I secured a job picking cotton in Memphis.
And the people there treated me good
The residents of that area treated me decently.
But my luck run bad in Nashville
My luck took a turn for the worse in Nashville.
I had to walked the streets of Hollywood
I had to roam the streets of Hollywood without a definite destination.
Gotta get away
I need to escape my current situation.
Gotta find a way
I need to discover a means of changing my circumstances.
Gotta get away home
I need to return to the place that is truly my home.
Oh Lord I'm going home
I am returning to my real home, dear Lord.
Where the fish jump in the air
I live in a place where the fish leap out of the water.
You know I don't need a lot of money
I do not require a significant sum of money.
Cause I ain't going nowhere
Because I am not intending to move from my true home.
Big bayou carry me home
Big bayou, return me to my place of origin.
To the river that's running slow
Bring me back to the lazy river.
Into the Gulf of Mexico
Take me to the Gulf of Mexico
I'm gonna catch a southbound
I plan to board a train going down South.
Train home one of these days
This train is going to take me back to my true home.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FLOYD GUILBEAU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind