Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an American blues music and rock music guitarist, as well as a singer. Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix and other 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered as an important proponent of Chicago blues made famous by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He has influenced both widely known and local blues guitarists.

Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays with drumsticks and walks into the audience whilst playing, the latter being a gimmick he picked up from a local blues guitarist at an early age (joining or leaping into the audience has also long been common in both American popular and gospel music, as in the earlier work of Big Jay McNeely or the Dixie Hummingbirds).

Guy grew up in Louisiana where he learned to play guitar. In the early 1950s he began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. Soon after moving to Chicago in 1957, Guy fell under the influence of "Mighty" Muddy Waters. In 1958 he won a record contract with Artistic Records after beating the West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush in a "Head Cutting Contest" at the Blue Flame Club. Soon afterwards he recorded for the Cobra label.

In the early 1960s, Guy was a session guitarist for Chess Records. He recorded on Junior Wells sessions for Delmark Records under the pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966. His career took off during a blues revival period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was sparked by Eric Clapton's request that Guy be part of the '24 nights' all-star blues guitar lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall and Guy's subsequent signing with Silvertone Records.

A Man of Many Words
Buddy Guy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't care what nobody say
I'm a many of a many word
I can speak things to you darlin', my dear
I could swear that you never heard
I rap slow and I know I rap long
Come on mama let me turn you on
Now come on, alright
When I rap my game and call your name

You will never be the same
In the midnight hours when ya dream, my darlin'
I swear you will call my name
I rap strong and I know I rap long
Come on mama let me turn you on
Now, come on
I was hauled off to jail, late last night
With no one to go my bail
I rapped strong to the judge early this mo'nin'
And the judge put the cops in jail
I rap strong and I know I rap long
Come on mama let me turn you on
Now come on
Let me tell ya 'bout that baby
I've got to tell ya
I'm gonna preach about it
I want the world to know about it
I want to know what ya did to me
Let me tall ya
Listen!
Can ya hear me?
I want to know do ya hear me now?

I got to know, do you hear me?
I want to know do ya hear me?

Overall Meaning

The song "A Man of Many Words" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells is a playful and confident expression of the singer's ability to captivate and seduce with their words. They declare themselves as a man of many words and vow to speak to their lover in a way they never have before. The singer's words are described as being able to transform their partner, rendering them unable to resist their charm even in their dreams. The lyrics are filled with bravado, with the singer proclaiming that they can rap strong and long, and even arguing their way out of jail.

Throughout the song, the repetition of the phrase "Come on mama let me turn you on" suggests a sexual energy, as if the singer's words are imbued with the power to arouse and excite. They are confident in their ability to communicate and persuade, using their words as a tool to get what they want. The line "I want to know what ya did to me" adds a hint of mystery to the song and implies that there is more to the singer's story than meets the eye, leaving the listener curious as to what exactly has happened between the singer and their lover.

Overall, "A Man of Many Words" is a fun and flirtatious song that celebrates the power of language and the ability to use words to get what you want. The lyricist creates a persona that is charming, confident, and a little bit mysterious, leaving listeners wanting more.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't care what nobody say
I am unaffected by other people's opinions

I'm a many of a many word
I am a person with a lot to say

I can speak things to you darlin', my dear
I have a unique way of speaking that captivates you

I could swear that you never heard
My words are so intriguing that you may have never heard anything like them before

I rap slow and I know I rap long
I can speak in a slow and deliberate manner, and I can keep going for a long time

Come on mama let me turn you on
I want to captivate you with my words and ideas

When I rap my game and call your name
When I speak with confidence and clarity and address you specifically, you will be moved

You will never be the same
My words will transform you in a significant way

In the midnight hours when ya dream, my darlin'
Even in your dreams, my words will stick with you

I swear you will call my name
You'll never forget the impact my words had on you

I was hauled off to jail, late last night
I had a tough experience recently

With no one to go my bail
Nobody was there to help me out of this tough situation

I rapped strong to the judge early this mo'nin'
I spoke confidently and boldly to the judge about my situation

And the judge put the cops in jail
I was so convincing that the judge ended up punishing the authorities instead of me

Let me tell ya 'bout that baby
I want to talk to you about something important to me

I've got to tell ya
I need to share this with you

I'm gonna preach about it
I feel passionately about this topic and am going to speak from my heart

I want the world to know about it
I am passionate enough about this topic to want to spread awareness to everyone

I want to know what ya did to me
I have a question for you about something you did that affected me

Let me tall ya
Allow me to explain

Listen!
Pay attention to what I'm saying

Can ya hear me?
Are you listening to me?

I want to know do ya hear me now?
I need to know that you're really listening to me

Ooh...oooh....
The passion and emotion behind my words cannot be fully conveyed in writing

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BUDDY GUY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@SvendBosanvovski

Buddy and Junior toured down under when this LP was released. I bought a copy and wore the grooves out. Buddy's fingerstyle break at about 1:30 here blew my mind completely.

@randallkennedy2066

3y↑1

Coolest cat on the planet, Buddy Guy!!!

@j.bustillo6910

8y↑5

This is just so bad ass.

@brownj2

14y↑2

I had never heard this before, it kicks butt

@jonvalinski

14y↑1

Thanks for putting this on here as it is FANTASTIC !!!!!!

@wcoleman99

12y↑4

thanks to the black crowes for using this to do hard to handle which got me into soul and blues music like this

@kristonterbutt7373

4y↑2

Otis Reading wrote and recorded Hard to Handel back in 68. This is what they covered.

@BJGFilms1

11y↑1

Only recently discovered this album. Fantastic!

@ianboelts

13y↑1

his solo is bangin!!!

@mrboogie107

12y↑2

this song sounds exactly as hard to handle=)

@hjeffkennedy1249

I think it's "hard to handle" that sounds exactly like this song! :-)

@bellbrass

3y↑1

The great Jim Gordon on drums.

@TheCapedWanderer

6y↑1

Derek and the Dominoes are the band, and they are groovin'

@chuckpowell122

J Geils Band were the backing band on some of these as well!

@juniorcain9855

5y↑3

@@chuckpowell122 Yes but this track is the one and only Carl Radle & Jim Gordon laying it down. The record was Produced by Eric Clapton. The whole record is awesome

@craigmccauley3972

I met them a long time ago!

@peppinogar

12y

Thanks! it is great

@mellowman2350

Thank You

@jenbo6793

can ya DiG iT ✌🎶♥️

@fidelgrando5208

esta re genial la cancion

@phileesarah

14y

alright~nice post

@papaglenford

12y

wickeeeed

@Rickymolenaar1

8y↑6

Don't know why peps be saying the black crowes used the beat from this when the black crowes are actually covering a song from Otis Redding. Buddy guy and junior wells are the ones using Otis's beat

@filipecarvalho87

11y

is this the version with clapton and dr john?

@hemersonrodrigues506

9y↑2

Joe Bonamassa deu uma renovada então em "A Man of Many Worlds", as duas versões são ótimas. mas prefiro a do Bonamassa.

@rizvif

11y

Listen to Black Crowes Hard to Handle..you've heard the beat before :) but maybe not this song.

@rizvif

11y

Black Crowes Hard to Handle is from this....at least the beat

@CoiKickapoo

rizvif that’s a cover of Ottis Redding I’m sure you know

@olliemasters3552

8y↑5

This is just hard to handle, i love you buddy but you're even playing steve croppers guitar part

@ThisIsNotMyAmerica

12y↑2

Love Buddy Guy, but the Black Crowes covered Otis Redding's song "Hard to Handle" and only borrowed the style from Guy and Wells.

@DoppelgangerShockwave

11y↑1

Shame shame shame, Buddy. Stealing a riff from the late great Otis Redding. That's okay, though. It's still an awesome song. : )

@kristonterbutt7373

I think its the other way around. Otis was borrowing from Buddy. Chess records would never let Buddy record the songs he wrote and played live. Everyone in the late 50's early 60's knew how good Buddy was which is why Clapton produced and played on this song. Recorded 72, Otis Hard to Handel 68 (posthumosly released) . Am sure Buddy played this for years before being finally able to release it on the side, he had a shitty contract with Chess at the time which was why this was released via Atlantic through Vangaurd records.

@DoppelgangerShockwave

@@kristonterbutt7373 It's funny how you knew what song I was referring to even though I never mentioned which song it was. Regardless of whoever composed their song first, I don't believe either intentionally stole from one another. It's just a coincidence. Nothing more, nothing less. Both songs are great, so it doesn't really matter at the end of the day what the truth is.

@DoppelgangerShockwave

@@kristonterbutt7373 By the way, search here on YouTube for: Buddy Guy - Too Hard To Handle. You'll find a video of a great cover of Otis' song from 1973. At around 3:08 the song starts. It's not great quality audio-wise, but a killer cover nonetheless. :)

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