Rollin' and Tumblin'
Buddy Guy / Junior Wells Lyrics

The lyrics to Buddy Guy & Junior Wells's song Rollin' and Tumblin' depict the pain and despair of someone who has been through a lot of hardship and is unable to get back on track. The opening lines suggest that the singer has been crying all night long, and is lost and confused when they wake up in the morning. The repetition of the phrase 'rolled and tumbled' seems to suggest that the singer has been through a lot of trouble and turmoil in the recent past, and is still struggling to come to terms with it. The pain is palpable in the delivery and the rawness of the vocals, which adds to the overall emotional intensity of the song.

In the next stanza, the singer imagines a scenario in which they could escape their troubles by diving to the bottom of a river, if only the river was a whiskey and they were a diving duck. The use of this visual metaphor is very powerful, as it highlights the importance of alcohol as a coping mechanism for people going through hard times. The possibility of drowning in the river also alludes to the idea of self-destruction, as the singer seems to be contemplating the idea of giving up altogether.

Finally, the song ends with a note of resignation, as the singer acknowledges that they could have found solace in religion, but whiskey and bad love have prevented them from doing so. The repetition of the phrase 'rolled and tumbled' in the final lines of the song suggests that no matter how much the singer tries to move on, they are still trapped in the cycle of pain and despair.