Relocating to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, McClinton emerged in a partnership with fellow Texan Glen Clark, performing a combination of country and soul music. They achieved a degree of artistic success, releasing two albums before splitting, with McClinton embarking on a solo career. Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with his composition "Two More Bottles of Wine", and McClinton's "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was covered on the first album of The Blues Brothers, Briefcase full of blues. His 1980 album, The Jealous Kind contained his only Top 40 hit single "Givin' It Up for Your Love".
After a rest period during much of the '80s, McClinton made a welcome return in 1989 with the fiery album Live From Austin, taped during an Austin City Limits appearance. He won a 1991 Grammy for his duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the country charts with the Tanya Tucker duet, "Tell Me About It". He recorded the opening title song "Weatherman" for the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day. The fledgling label Rising Tide offered One of the Fortunate Few in 1997, but the label quickly folded. In addition to releasing two new studio albums in the early 2000s, New West Records issued Delbert McClinton Live in 2003, a compilation of songs from throughout his career.
McClinton is the star of the upcoming musical documentary: "Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey" by Hawaii-based film maker Jay Curlee. The feature includes interviews and performances by McClinton, Marcia Ball, Rodney Crowell, Stephen Bruton, Wayne Toups, Jimmy Hall,Paul Thorn, Jeffrey Steele and Teresa James. Sometime author, musician, sheriff and now Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman also stars. The film will be entered in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and Hawaii International Film Festival.
Too Much
Delbert McClinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've already taken to much
Everybody's gonna have to give some
Or He's gonna give us up.
Take a look at the city
They're all pretty much the same
They all got something called downtown
They all got lots of people
They all got lots of names
They all got different faces
And they're all playing different games.
Too much, Too much
We've already taken too much
We gonna have to open up our heart's just a little
If we ever gonna get in touch.
Lord God it's a pity
Ain't nothin' but a cryin' shame
Everybody wants to take glory
But nobody wants the blame
Now when your journey's over
And you're stading before the Man
How you gonna look Him in the eye
And say, Lord I done it all in Jesus' Name.
Too much...
The song "Too Much" by Delbert McClinton is a commentary on the current state of society where everyone wants to receive something but no one is willing to give it. The song has a strong message that too much has already been taken and if we want to move forward and make a positive change, we need to start giving something back. The first verse of the song talks about cities and how they are all the same. They may have different faces, names, and games, but they are all pretty much the same with downtown and Main Street. The second verse is a plea for people to open their hearts just a little bit because without that openness, we will never be able to get in touch. The underlying message is that our society is becoming more disconnected, and it's up to the people to change that.
The third verse of the song is a religious commentary about the pitfalls of egoistic thinking. It talks about how everybody wants to take the glory but nobody wants to take the blame. You cannot go on a self-serving path and then come before God thinking that you have done it all in Jesus' name. The climax of the song is the repetition of the chorus, "too much," which reinforces the idea that we have already taken too much from life, and now it's time to give some back.
Line by Line Meaning
Too much, Too much
We have consumed an excessive amount already.
We've already taken too much
We have obtained more than what we require.
Everybody's gonna have to give some
Every individual will need to contribute something.
Or He's gonna give us up.
Otherwise, God will let go of us.
Take a look at the city
Observe the town environment.
They're pretty much the same.
They all are relatively alike.
They all got something called downtown
Each of them has an urban center.
They all got a street called Main.
They all have a primary street named Main Street.
They all got lots of people
They each cater to countless individuals.
They all got lots of names
They all have numerous names and titles.
They all got different faces
Every one of them has unique characteristics.
And they're all playing different games.
However, they all have separate objectives.
We gonna have to open up our heart's just a little
We must become a little more understanding and compassionate.
If we ever gonna get in touch.
Only then we can develop meaningful relationships.
Lord God it's a pity
It is indeed unfortunate, oh God.
Ain't nothin' but a cryin' shame
It is only a sorry state of affairs.
Everybody wants to take glory
Everybody wants to gain recognition.
But nobody wants the blame
However, nobody wants to be responsible for the negative consequences.
Now when your journey's over
Once your life course is completed,
And you're stading before the Man
And you are in front of The Almighty,
How you gonna look Him in the eye
How will you maintain eye contact?
And say, Lord I done it all in Jesus' Name.
And tell him that 'I did everything on earth in Jesus' name'.
Too much...
The repetition of 'Too much' emphasizes the main idea.
Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Donna Thibodeau
Delbert, my man!! Lyle Lovett & John Prine too! I'm huge DMc fan but I seem to have missed this album??? Noting but, fun and voices that blend to a tee!! Hey, Delbert, when do we get a new album??? Love ya guy.
Ross Joseph
The whole album is great - check out Lie no better.
BigBlueMSP
One of his top 3 albums imo
Mark8395217
Should be the theme song for the website theminimalists.com Not only is this a great song... man, what a great message. I have just a few things left to give away as I shed the "stuff" like a dog shaking after he comes out of the water. What better way to be free!
Jam's Jams
Caught this on an obscure radio station, had to track it down and save it! Excellent!!!
James Bourke
Was that WFDU in Teaneck, NJ?
Lynette Styles
just magic stuff .. the three of you blokes need to tour Australia .. quick like .. now so we can all witness Too Much Stuff ..
G. Saint Louis D'Dean Hardin
THREE KINGS with a message you kindly MIGHT want to heed.... ain't it the truth????? Ya might wanna explore the work of all of these three kings and their "collaborators"......scary huh?.... Seriously a lot to learn and enjoy a whole bunch in the process.... God Bless All involved......
ilovemightybite
What a hilarious song, and so true.
geoffrey bruce
Classic.🎶🎶🎶