Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an American blues music and rock music guitarist, as well as a singer. Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix and other 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered as an important proponent of Chicago blues made famous by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He has influenced both widely known and local blues guitarists.

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.

Me and My Guitar
Buddy Guy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When my baby she left me
She left me with a mule to ride
When my baby she left me
She left me with a mule to ride
When her train left the station
That old mule laid down and died

Man I sent this woman

A brand new twenty dollar bill
Lord I sent that woman
A brand new twenty dollar bill
Now if that don't bring her back
I'm sure this old shotgun will

Lake Michigan ain't no river
Chicago ain't no hill town
Lake Michigan ain't no river
Chicago ain't no hill town
If I feel like this tomorrow
I'm gonna clear out be back down Memphis bound

I'll be standing down on the landing
When the big boat pull off and roll
I'll be standing on the landing
When the big boat pull off and roll
I'll be hopin and I'll be prayin
That I never see your face no more

When my baby left me
She left me with a mule to ride
When my baby she left me
She left me with a mule to ride
When her train left the station
That old mule laid down and died

Lord I sent that woman
A brand new twenty dollar bill
Man I sent my baby
A brand new twenty dollar bill

Now if that don't bring her back
I'm sure my shotgun will

Overall Meaning

The song "My Baby She Left Me" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells is a classic blues song that delves into the heartbreak and desperation of a man who has been left by his lover. The opening lines, "When my baby she left me, she left me with a mule to ride" set the stage for the rest of the song, with the singer feeling abandoned, alone, and directionless. The reference to the mule, which dies soon after the woman leaves, further reinforces the idea that the singer is now without purpose or direction.

The singer expresses his efforts to win his lover back, sending her a brand new twenty-dollar bill and even threatening to use his shotgun. However, it is clear that these attempts are futile and that the singer is resigned to the fact that his love is gone. The lyrics, "I'll be hopin' and I'll be prayin', that I never see your face no more" reveal the depth of the singer's pain and his desperation to move on from the heartbreak.

The final lines of the song, "When my baby she left me, she left me with a mule to ride, when her train left the station, that old mule laid down and died" bring the song full circle, with the singer back where he started: alone and lost without his lover.

Overall, the lyrics to "My Baby She Left Me" are a powerful representation of the feelings of abandonment and desperation that accompany heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

When my baby she left me
My girlfriend left me alone

She left me with a mule to ride
She left me with nothing and no way to move on

When her train left the station
When she left on that train, I was left with nothing

That old mule laid down and died
I had nothing left to keep me going

Lord I sent that woman
I tried to get her back

A brand new twenty dollar bill
I gave her money, hoping she would come back

Now if that don't bring her back
If the money doesn't work

I'm sure this old shotgun will
I'll resort to violence to get her back

Lake Michigan ain't no river
Big bodies of water aren't an obstacle for me

Chicago ain't no hill town
In Chicago, I'm in my comfort zone