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.
Give Me My Coat and Shoes
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to please my ear
Yeah that drives me crazy
Girl, I'm gonna ask you one more time
What's on your mind?
Cause the signals hazy
You're not the kind of girl who laughs at me
When I tell you all the things I wanna be
Baby, baby, baby, please don't leave me
Baby, baby, baby, please don't leave me
Baby, baby, baby, please don't leave me out
Oh what would I do
If I couldn't talk to you?
Come on let's go out a while
And find that smile
That you keep on losing
Girl, this world can be so cold
But we'll both grow old
If our words get frozen
I'll be around when you want me
And I'll be quiet when you can't be
I would never leave you lonely
If you'd be my one and only
If you ever had a secret
Yeah you know I could keep it
I gotta sit what can I do
Cause I can't stand the thought
Of a day without you
The lyrics to Buddy Guy and Junior Wells's song Give Me My Coat and Shoes speak of the fear of being left alone by someone you love. The singer in the song pleads with his love interest not to leave him, constantly using the phrase "baby, baby, baby, please don't leave me." He wants to know what's on her mind and hints at the fact that he doesn't want her to say things just to please him. He wants to be with her and make her smile, especially when the world can be so cold. He offers himself as someone who will be there for her no matter what, who will keep her secrets and who cannot stand the thought of a day without her.
The song is full of emotions and the fear of the unknown. The singer desperately wants to remain with his love interest, and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that she remains with him. He would never want to be left alone, especially without her, as he states that he can't stand the thought of a day without her. The song highlights the emotional struggles that people go through in relationships, and how much people are willing to do to ensure that they remain with the ones they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me things that I wanna hear
Don't give me false hope or say anything just to please me
Just to please my ear
Saying anything to make me feel better without meaning it
Yeah that drives me crazy
It irritates me when people do that
Girl, I'm gonna ask you one more time
I want to get a clear answer
What's on your mind?
What are you thinking about?
Cause the signals hazy
I am confused by your mixed signals
You're not the kind of girl who laughs at me
You take me seriously and don't make fun of me
When I tell you all the things I wanna be
When I talk to you about my aspirations
And that's why I plead
I need you to understand my feelings
Baby, baby, baby, please don't leave me
I am afraid of losing you
Oh what would I do
I cannot imagine what I would do
If I couldn't talk to you?
If I couldn't communicate with you
Come on let's go out a while
Let's spend some time together
And find that smile
I want to see you happy
That you keep on losing
You seem to be feeling down lately
Girl, this world can be so cold
The world can be cruel and unkind
But we'll both grow old
Let's face this together and age together
If our words get frozen
If we stop communicating with each other
I'll be around when you want me
I'll be there for you when you need me
And I'll be quiet when you can't be
I'll give you space when you need it
I would never leave you lonely
I don't want you to feel alone
If you'd be my one and only
If you would be my partner for life
If you ever had a secret
If you had something personal to share
Yeah you know I could keep it
I can keep secrets
I gotta sit what can I do
I am helpless and cannot do anything about this situation
Cause I can't stand the thought
The idea of being without you is unbearable
Of a day without you
I cannot imagine my life without you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ALLIGATOR RECRDS/EYEBALL MUSIC
Written by: BUDDY GUY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cora Visser
Real perfect pure and honest blues touch my whole soul.
TheKlrmoto
we gonna lose good stuff like this before long over and over still sounds great thx for the music
Wolffgang Herzog
pure blues amazing
JawboneandJolene
Blues at its best.
C. K. Myers
yeah, it was Paris, in "81" but the way i heard it, there was a couple bottles of wine downed & maybe ah couple of muggles as well, & yes they both inhaled! (Clinton still cracks me up) they walked by a studio, went in, bought some time, & here ya go. what ah afternoon!!! just saw Buddy in Nashville with my son on Aug 3, 2 days after his 80th birthday. spectacular as always, but couldn't help but miss Junior! Peace, DaKwala
Наталья Григорьева
Да, он любит
Boris Deschenes
harmonica in A 2nd position
david nvk
thanks for the gift