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.
Broken Hearted Blues
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ice, ice water, ice water in my baby's bed
Yes Lord, it chills on my pillow
Ice, ice water, ice water in my baby's bed
Oh, all of all the good things I have done for you woman
Oh, you know you left me for some other man
Tell her, I been cryin', tell her, cryin' on my knees
Hey, hey, if you ever see my baby
Oh, I want you to tell her, tell her, I been cryin' on my knees
Hey, yes I've been praying to my master
Please phone her back to me
Mercy baby
Mercy woman
Yes, if I had ten million, million, million dollars, woman
You know I would give you, I would give up every, every dime
Yes, if I had ten million, ten million dollars, woman
Oh, I would give up, I would give up ever', ever', every dime
Yes, did you hear me?
Call me daddy one more time
In Buddy Guy's song Broken Hearted Blues, the singer laments the loss of his lover and the cold emptiness that remains in their absence. The opening lines "Lord, it chills on my pillow, Ice, ice water, ice water in my baby's bed" evoke a powerful sense of isolation and loss. The image of the ice water in his baby's bed implies that she has moved on, leaving him with nothing but a cold and empty space to mourn her departure.
The lyrics reflect on the good things the singer has done for his lover, only to be left behind for another man. The lines "Oh, all of all the good things I have done for you woman, Oh, you know you left me for some other man" convey a deep sense of betrayal and sadness. He begs for his lover's return in the lines "Hey, yes I've been praying to my master, Please phone her back to me" and longs to once again hear her call him "daddy" in the final verse.
Overall, Broken Hearted Blues is a deeply emotional and introspective song about the pain of lost love and the longing for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, it chills on my pillow
I feel so cold and alone lying in my bed at night
Ice, ice water, ice water in my baby's bed
My lover has betrayed me by sleeping with someone else in the same bed we shared
Oh, all of all the good things I have done for you woman
I have shown you so much love and kindness, yet you still left me for another man
Oh, you know you left me for some other man
You have broken my heart by choosing someone else over me
Now if you happen to see my baby
If you happen to come across my lover
Tell her, I been cryin', tell her, cryin' on my knees
Let her know that I have been so heartbroken and desperate for her to come back to me that I have been reduced to tears and begging
Hey, hey, if you ever see my baby
Hey, if by any chance you happen to see my lover
Oh, I want you to tell her, tell her, I been cryin' on my knees
Please let her know how much I have been suffering since she left me
Hey, yes I've been praying to my master
I have been asking God for help and guidance during this difficult time
Please phone her back to me
Please help me reunite with my lover by bringing her back to me
Mercy baby
I am pleading with my lover to have mercy on me and come back
Mercy woman
I am begging my lover to show me mercy and return to me
Yes, if I had ten million, million, million dollars, woman
Even if I had an unimaginable amount of wealth
You know I would give you, I would give up every, every dime
I would still willingly sacrifice it all for you and your love
Yes, did you hear me?
I want to make sure you understand the depth of my feelings
Call me daddy one more time
I want my lover to show me affection by calling me a loving nickname
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@craigmccauley3972
Smooth blues!
@chamberilero
the life
@coldbeer5552
Sounds like Zeppelin You Shook Me
@oker59
can't help noticing the type of guitar he's carrying in that picture; I forget what it's called; but, it was kind of popular for blues/rock next to the Gibson back then. Eric Clapton would play it with Cream.
@johnnymusicmaker
It's a Gibson SG it's pretty nice. People do love their Gibson Les Pauls though.
@tatethompson1234
Actually that is a Les Paul Custom, they weren't called SG's yet.
@LaptopLarry330
@@johnnymusicmaker It is also know as the Gibson Les Paul 2 SG.