He was, however, a talented musician who played saxophone and keyboard, so that in 1978 when his father needed a sax player to fill in on a long road tour, he called on his son. C.J. Thompson quickly embraced the world of zydeco, his father's world, and went on to learn to play the accordion and also decided to have his last name legally changed to Chenier.
As his health began to fail, Clifton Chenier let his son sit in for him, and when he died in 1987, C.J. Chenier became the leader of the Red Hot Louisiana Band. As he told Michael Tisserand, he does not try to imitate his father's playing directly: "I play it the way I play it. All he really told me was to do the best I could do with my own style." But, like his father, the only accordion he plays is the piano accordion, an instrument that allows him more freedom than the button accordions used by most zydeco bands today. He can express himself musically in many styles or combinations of styles–ballads, waltzes, blues, boogie, rock and roll, funk, jazz–it all comes together as C.J. Chenier's fingers race up and down the keyboard, what one reviewer describes as "red hot rhythms and soulful grooves." In addition to his own interpretations of songs from different genres and his father's songs, C.J. Chenier has also written a number of original songs.
Recent albums on Alligator Records are Step It Up! (2001), The Big Squeeze (1996) and Too Much Fun (1995). His first album, My Baby Don't Wear No Shoes, recorded in 1988 and released by Arhoolie on CD in 1992, includes the classic Clifton Chenier song "I'm Coming Home." C.J. Chenier also recorded two albums for the alternative rock label Slash: Hot Rod (1990) and I Ain't No Playboy (1992).
REF: http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/cjchenier.htm
I'm Coming Home
C.J. Chenier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've never changed my way or changed my life
And now I'm coming home
Yeah, I'm coming home
Where I belong
I've been gone to long
I'm coming home
And if you're still around I'd like to go out
For I'm coming home
Yeah I'm coming home
Where I was born
Where my heart belongs
I'm coming home
I've looted life
Through a different time
Seen the sun come up
In the forest sky
Drank the sweetest wine
From a silver cup
Sometimes being deaf, sometimes being blind
Well I don't know who'll meet me at the shore
Many years have gone since I walked out that door
But now I'm coming home
Yeah, I'm coming home
I just hope I find, my piece of mind
I'm coming home
I've always been a-roamin' round this world
And I've never changed my way or changed my life
But now I'm coming home
Yeah, I'm coming home
Where I belong
I've been gone to long
I'm coming home
In C.J. Chenier's "I'm Coming Home," the singer reflects on their years of wandering and the desire to return to their birthplace. The first verse establishes that the singer has spent their life traveling and has never changed their ways – they have lived a life of continual movement, without settling down. The chorus reaffirms that they are finally returning home, where they feel they belong: "I've been gone too long, I'm coming home."
The second verse shifts the narrative focus to the person the singer left behind when they went on their journey. The singer is not sure if their loved one is still around, and if they are, they want to reconnect with them. The chorus repeats the feelings expressed in the first chorus: the singer has been gone for too long and is finally coming home where they feel they belong.
The third verse describes the different experiences the singer has had while traveling: they've experienced many different things, from the beauty of a forest sky at sunrise to drinking wine from a silver cup. However, the singer doesn't seem to fully revel in these experiences, noting that they've been "sometimes being deaf, sometimes being blind." In other words, they haven't always been fully present for these moments. The final chorus is a repetition of the first two, emphasizing that the singer's travels are finally over and they are returning home to find peace of mind where they belong.
Line by Line Meaning
I've always been a-roamin' round this world
I have been traveling around without really settling down.
And I've never changed my way or changed my life
I have lived my life the same way without much deviation.
And now I'm coming home
I have decided to return to the place where I came from.
Yeah, I'm coming home
I am eager to return back to my roots.
Where I belong
The place where I am from is where I truly fit in.
I've been gone to long
It has been a while since I last visited this place.
Well I said goodbye so long ago to you
I parted ways with someone from this place a while back.
And if you're still around I'd like to go out
If that person is still there, I would like to catch up with them.
Where I was born
The place where I came into being.
Where my heart belongs
The place where I feel most at home and comfortable.
I've looted life
I have experienced life in different ways.
Through a different time
I have gone through different phases in my life.
Seen the sun come up
I have witnessed the start of a new day.
In the forest sky
In the wilderness where the sky can be seen clearly.
Drank the sweetest wine
I have enjoyed the best things in life.
From a silver cup
I have had luxury at my disposal.
Sometimes being deaf, sometimes being blind
I have experienced both good and bad times.
Well I don't know who'll meet me at the shore
I don't know who will be there to welcome me.
Many years have gone since I walked out that door
It has been a long time since I left this place.
I just hope I find, my piece of mind
I hope to come back to a peaceful state of mind.
Lyrics © FLAT TOWN MUSIC CO., A DIV. OF SWALLOW PUBLICATIONS, INC., BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLIFTON CHENIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind