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.
Forty Days and Forty Nights
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sun shinin′ all day long but the river keep runnin' dry
She′s my life I need her so, why she left I just don't know
Forty days and forty nights since I sat right down and cried
Keeps rainin' all the time but the river keep runnin′ dry
Lord help me, it just ain′t right, I love this child with all my might
Forty days and forty nights since my baby broke my heart
Searchin' for her everywhere like a blind man in the dark
Forty days and forty nights like a ship out on the sea
Prayin' for her each night that she′d come back home to me
Life is love and love is light, I hope she come back home tonight
Buddy Guy's "Forty Days and Forty Nights" is a blues ballad that describes the emotional distress of a man who has been left by the love of his life. The imagery used in the song sets the tone for the despair felt by the singer, who has been searching tirelessly for his partner since she left him forty days ago. Despite the warmth of the sun shining down on him, the river that flows through his town seems to have dried up, perhaps representing the emptiness he feels since his lover's departure. The singer is hopeful for his partner's return, but the rain that keeps falling sours his hope, adding to the overall melancholy of the song.
The lyrics convey a sense of pleading with a higher power for help in reuniting with his lover, as the man cannot bear the pain of being apart from her any longer. He reflects on how love can change one's life in positive or negative ways, leaving him wondering if his love is worth the pain he currently feels. He compares the experience of searching for his lover to being lost at sea, both dangerous and unpredictable situations.
Overall, "Forty Days and Forty Nights" is a classic blues song that not only showcases Buddy Guy's incredible guitar skills, but also his ability to capture the raw emotions of the human experience, particularly those surrounding love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty days and forty nights since my baby done left this town
It has been 40 days and 40 nights since my lover left town and my heart is longing for her return.
Sun shinin' all day long but the river keep runnin' dry
Even though the sun is shining, my soul feels empty without my lover, much like a river running dry.
She's my life I need her so, why she left I just don't know
My lover was my everything and I cannot understand why she left me.
Forty days and forty nights since I sat right down and cried
It has been forty days and nights since my lover left and I still cry for her every day.
Keeps rainin' all the time but the river keep runnin' dry
Even though it rains constantly, my heart still feels empty without my lover just like a river running dry.
Lord help me, it just ain't right, I love this child with all my might
I need divine intervention as this feels so wrong. I loved my lover with all my heart.
Forty days and forty nights since my baby broke my heart
It has been 40 days and 40 nights since my lover broke my heart and left me broken.
Searchin' for her everywhere like a blind man in the dark
I am searching for my lover everywhere, much like a blind person trying to navigate in the dark.
Love can make a poor man rich or break his heart, I don't know which
Love is a powerful force that can either bring great joy or intense heartache, and I cannot tell which it has brought me.
Forty days and forty nights like a ship out on the sea
It has been 40 days and 40 nights, and I feel adrift in the sea of my emotions like a ship lost at sea.
Prayin' for her each night that she'd come back home to me
I pray each night that my lover will return to me and end this painful separation.
Life is love and love is light, I hope she come back home tonight
Life is centered around love, which brings light into our lives. I hope that my lover will return to me tonight and bring that light back into my life.
Writer(s): Bernard Roth
Contributed by Aaliyah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.