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.
Catfish Blues
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Notion struck me last night, babe I, I believe I take a stroll out, out west
Take a stroll out, out west, take a stroll out, out west
Take a stroll out west, take a stroll out west
What if I were a catfish, mama?
I said, swimmin' deep down in, deep blue sea
Have these gals now, sweet mama, settin' out
Settin' out hook for, for me, settin' out hook for me
Settin' out hook for me, settin' out hook for me
Well I went down, yeah, down to the church house, yes
Well I called on me to pray
Fell on my knees, now mama, I didn't know, Lord
Not a word to, to say, not a word to, to say, not a word to
Not a word to, not a word to say, not a word to say, not a word to say
Play ?em, man, play ?em a long time
I'm gonna write, write me a letter baby, I'm gonna write it just to see
See my babe, my baby who she's thinkin' of
Little ol' thing on, on me, little ol' thing on, on me, little ol' thing on, on me
Little ol' thing on me, little ol' thing on me, a little thing on me
The lyrics of Buddy Guy & Junior Wells's "Catfish Blues" tell a story of a restless and wandering man who can't seem to find peace. He lays down to try to get some rest but is struck by an idea to take a stroll out west. He wonders what it would be like to be a catfish swimming deep in the blue sea and having women set out hooks for him. The imagery of a catfish represents the man's desire to be free and wild, not tied down to responsibilities or societal expectations.
The man then goes to a church for solace and falls to his knees to pray, but he doesn't know what to say. He is lost and searching for something, but he doesn't know what that something is. The song ends with the man saying he's going to write a letter to his lover to see who she's thinking of.
Overall, "Catfish Blues" is a blues song that captures the restlessness and uncertainty of life. It uses vivid imagery and powerful vocals to convey the emotions of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I laid down, down last night, well I tried to take my rest
After a long day, the singer tried to get some rest
Notion struck me last night, babe I, I believe I take a stroll out, out west
Suddenly inspired, the singer decides to take a walk out west
Take a stroll out, out west, take a stroll out, out west
Repetition of the decision to take a walk
What if I were a catfish, mama?
The artist wonders what it would be like to be a catfish
I said, swimmin' deep down in, deep blue sea
As a catfish, the artist would be swimming in the deep blue sea
Have these gals now, sweet mama, settin' out
Women are setting out hooks to catch the catfish
Settin' out hooks for, for me, settin' out hook for, for me
Repetition of the fact that women are trying to catch the catfish
Well I went down, yeah, down to the church house, yes
The artist describes going to the church
Well I called on me to pray
The artist prayed at the church
Fell on my knees, now mama, I didn't know, Lord
Feeling overwhelmed, the artist didn't know what to say during the prayer
Not a word to, to say, not a word to, to say, not a word to
Repetition of the singer's silence during prayer
Play ?em, man, play ?em a long time
The artist requests that the music be played for a long time
I'm gonna write, write me a letter baby, I'm gonna write it just to see
The singer plans to write a letter to their love interest
See my babe, my baby who she's thinkin' of
The singer wants to know who their love interest is thinking about
Little ol' thing on, on me, little ol' thing on, on me, little ol' thing on, on me
Repetition emphasizing the small amount of attention the singer receives from their love interest
Little ol' thing on me, little ol' thing on me, a little thing on me
Continuation of the artist's realization of their lack of attention from their love interest
Contributed by Anna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dave MacAskill
Two legends. Buddy putting the brakes on,
Ellen Falls
This should have 1 million likes. Thanks for posting.
KASSEBONBON
❤❤❤❤❤