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.
Now You're Gone
Buddy Guy Lyrics
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Now you're gone
You hurt me bad
I'm all too sad
I didn't know
I love you so
Now you're gone
Now you're gone.
Now you're gone
You had a plan
Another man
Went off to hide
I could have died
(Now you're gone)
Now you're gone
(Now you're gone)
Now you're gone
(Let's go to the bridge right here)
What should I do
My world is blue
It isn't true
My life is through
Now you're gone
Now you gone
I want you back
How do I act
How do I make contact
How do I get respect
Now you gone.
And I never loved nobody
That's been mean to me
I got a heart full of stone
And I hate the misery
And then you
And then you
And then you
And then you came along
You spoiled me with (?)
And now you gone
And now you, you gone
The lyrics of Buddy Guy's song "Now You're Gone" tell a story of heartbreak and regret. The singer is singing about a former lover who has left him for another man, and he is struggling to come to terms with his feelings. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics, with the singer repeating the phrase "now you're gone" several times. He is clearly feeling a deep sense of loss, and the repetition of the phrase emphasizes this feeling.
The second verse of the song reveals that the woman has left the singer for another man, and he is devastated by her betrayal. He sings that he "could have died" when he learned of her infidelity. The sense of hurt and betrayal is palpable in these lyrics, and it is clear that the singer is struggling to cope with his emotions.
The final verse of the song sees the singer grappling with the reality of life without his former lover. He sings that his "world is blue" and that his "life is through" now that she is gone. However, despite the pain he is feeling, he still longs to be with her, asking "how do I make contact?" The final lines of the song reveal that he has never loved anyone else who has been "mean" to him, and that the woman he has lost was a rare source of happiness in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Now you're gone
The person who he loved has left him and he feels the emotional pain of their absence.
You hurt me bad
He has deep emotional wounds from the person leaving him.
I'm all too sad
He is consumed with sadness from the absence of their lover.
I didn't know
He wasn't aware of how deeply he loved the person until they left.
I love you so
He has a strong emotional attachment to the person who left him.
You had a plan
The person who left had a plan for leaving and wasn't honest with him about their intentions.
Another man
The person who left is now seeing someone else.
Went off to hide
They left and did not tell him directly where they were going.
I could have died
His emotional pain was so deep that it felt like physical pain.
What should I do
He is lost and doesn't know how to handle the situation.
My world is blue
He is consumed with sadness and the world is extremely dull to him.
It isn't true
He feels as though his experiences are not real or valid.
My life is through
His life without his lover feels meaningless.
I want you back
He wants his lover to come back to him.
How do I act
He's not sure of how to behave in order to win back his lover.
How do I make contact
He doesn't know how to establish communication with his lover.
How do I get respect
He's not sure of how to regain his lover's respect and affection.
And I never loved nobody
He has never been in love with someone who has hurt him so deeply.
That's been mean to me
He has never been hurt so deeply by the actions of his lover.
I got a heart full of stone
After being deeply hurt, he has become emotionally distant.
And I hate the misery
He cannot stand the emotional pain of being without his lover.
You spoiled me with (?).
He was showered with love and affection by his lover.
And now you gone
His lover has left him and the relationship has ended.
And now you, you gone
The repetition of the line emphasizes his deep sense of loss and heartbreak.
Contributed by Camden N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.