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.
I Go By Feel
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is what he told me, when I tried to lend a hand.
I go by feel, yes, I go by feel.
The only way I know what's real, I go by feel.
People always ask me about the blues I play.
I say it just comes through me, I don't know no other way.
I go by feel, I go by feel.
Hey, I go by feel.
Sometimes it seems like a mystery,
I just close my eyes and it comes to me.
There's somethin' I don't even understand.
I just open my heart and it flows right through my hand.
Listen to it.
When I'm with a woman, and I wonder if there's love,
All the proof I need is right there in her touch.
I go by feel, the only way I know what's real,
Hey, I go by feel.
I go by feel.
People, I go by feel.
The only way I know if it's real,
Hey, I go by feel.
Go by feel, go by feel
Yes. (Go by feel, go by feel)
That's what I'm talkin' about.
Oo, I go by feel
Oo, I go by feel
Oo, I go by feel
The song "I Go By Feel" by Buddy Guy is about the power of instinct and intuition. The lyrics explore the idea that some things can't be explained logically, and that in order to truly feel something, you have to rely on your instincts. The song begins with the story of a blind man from Mississippi who only knows how to navigate the world by relying on his sense of touch. This becomes a metaphor for the rest of the song, as Guy sings about how he relies on his own sense of "feel" when it comes to music, love, and life in general.
The song emphasizes the idea that sometimes the best way to understand something is to let go of your rational mind and allow yourself to feel it. Guy sings about how the blues just "comes through me," and that he doesn't know any other way to play it. He likens his creative process to a mystery, saying that sometimes he doesn't even understand how the music is flowing through him. However, he knows that he can trust his instincts because they always lead him to what is real.
At the heart of the song is the message that intuition is a powerful tool that can help us navigate the world and find meaning in our lives. Sometimes we get so caught up in analyzing things that we forget to pay attention to how they make us feel. But, as the song suggests, there are some things that can only be understood by tapping into our inner sense of "feel."
Line by Line Meaning
Down in Mississippi, I knew a blind man.
I once met a blind man in Mississippi.
This is what he told me, when I tried to lend a hand.
He shared with me his way of navigating the world.
I go by feel, yes, I go by feel.
He relies on his senses of touch, sound, and intuition.
The only way I know what's real, I go by feel.
He finds the truth in his experiences through his senses.
People always ask me about the blues I play.
The artist is often questioned about his style of music.
I say it just comes through me, I don't know no other way.
He claims that his music is a product of his being, rather than a studied technique.
I go by feel, I go by feel.
The singer's reliance on intuition continues even in his music-making.
Sometimes it seems like a mystery,
The source of his inspiration can be elusively intangible.
I just close my eyes and it comes to me.
Despite this, he trusts in his process of creation.
There's somethin' I don't even understand.
Even though he trusts his process, he is aware of its ineffable nature.
I just open my heart and it flows right through my hand.
He allows himself to be vulnerable and receptive to inspiration.
When I'm with a woman, and I wonder if there's love,
The artist reflects on a romantic relationship.
All the proof I need is right there in her touch.
He trusts his instincts and sensations to recognize feelings of love.
I go by feel, the only way I know what's real,
He applies this same intuition to his relationships and realities.
Hey, I go by feel.
He emphasizes the importance and reliability of his sense of touch.
Go by feel, go by feel
The artist repeats his reliance on intuition.
Yes. (Go by feel, go by feel)
His affirmation of his way of sensing the world.
That's what I'm talkin' about.
He expresses the significance of his point-of-view.
Oo, I go by feel
The singer reiterates his perspective.
Oo, I go by feel
He repeats his reliance on intuition.
Oo, I go by feel
Again, he emphasizes the importance and reliability of his sense of touch.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARY NICHOLSON, TOM HAMBRIDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patty Sharkey
Great double CD. Love both the Rythym disc and the Blues disc!
smartalek180
Another winner.
This man just cannot do wrong.
Thank you for promoting it here -- and in the REAL hifi bitrate that it deserves.
Ya done good.
Valerie Coy
Very good!☺👍😍
YOUTUBE MUSIC CHANNEL
Buddy Guy - I Go by Feel (HQ Sound)
Despina Luigini
Great
Bob Mitchell
Modeled after "The Thrill is Gone" by the great B.B. King. (Influence on peers)
Róże DE Maj
RIP ♡
claudemayers
that is what I was going to say 🌹 Roze
you can see him on June 14 in Des Moines, Iowa at the ole Hoyt Sherman Place 2018 still alive Buddy Guy 😃 One of the greatest guitarists alive - if not the greatest!🎸🎸🎸🎼🎭🎸
Cipher
+Róże DE Maj
He still alive
Blues Rain
I Go by Feel ............