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.
Love Is Like Quicksand
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't stop when you're sinkin' down
Tell me love is like quicksand
Can't stop when you're sinkin' down
My gal lead me down to the suction
And I know, I just can't turn around
An' she always treat me wrong
She's a hardheaded woman
An' she always treat me wrong
She treat me so bad
That's when she make me weep and moan
Hey
She's a hardheaded woman
She always treat me wrong
I'm sick an' down baby
'Cause you always treat me wrong
My hand raised for help
Won't you listen to me weep and moan?
Buddy Guy's blues song "Love Is Like Quicksand" compares love to a dangerous, inescapable trap. The chorus repeats the line "They tell me love is like quicksand, can't stop when you're sinkin' down" to emphasize the idea that once you're in love, it's difficult to get out. The singer's lover has led him down to the suction of quicksand, and he feels stuck and unable to turn around. The verses describe his lover as hardheaded and always treating him wrong, causing him to weep and moan.
The imagery of quicksand is a powerful metaphor for the sinking feeling of being trapped in love. Quicksand is a substance that can appear solid at first but quickly sucks you down when you try to move through it. In the same way, love can feel solid and comforting at first, but then become suffocating and difficult to escape. The singer's sense of being stuck in quicksand is heightened by the repeated line "can't stop when you're sinkin' down", which implies that he's helpless and unable to pull himself out.
The singer's lover is described as hardheaded and always treating him wrong. This suggests that their relationship is unhealthy and one-sided, with the lover not reciprocating the singer's feelings. The repeated line "She always treat me wrong" emphasizes the singer's feelings of hurt and frustration. Despite this, he can't break free from their relationship and continues to sink further into the metaphorical quicksand. The final verse describes the singer raising his hand for help and asking his lover to listen to him weep and moan, implying that he's unable to escape on his own and needs her help.
Line by Line Meaning
They tell me love is like quicksand
People say that love is like quicksand
Can't stop when you're sinkin' down
Once you start sinking in quicksand, it's hard to stop
Tell me love is like quicksand
People keep reminding me that love is like quicksand
Can't stop when you're sinkin' down
Once you start sinking in quicksand, it's hard to stop
My gal lead me down to the suction
My girlfriend led me to fall into the quicksand trap of love
And I know, I just can't turn around
And now I'm aware that I can't just walk away from this relationship
She's a hardheaded woman
My girlfriend is stubborn and difficult
An' she always treat me wrong
And she constantly mistreats me
She treat me so bad
Her treatment of me is very negative
That's when she make me weep and moan Hey
That's when I feel sad and express it through crying and groaning
She's a hardheaded woman
My girlfriend is stubborn and difficult
She always treat me wrong
And she constantly mistreats me
I'm sick an' down baby
I feel exhausted and helpless
Cause you always treat me wrong
Because you constantly mistreat me
My hand raised for help
I'm reaching out for assistance
Won't you listen to me weep and moan?
Can't you hear the sadness and pain in my voice?
Contributed by Bella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.