The group debuted at the Lyceum Theatre in London on June 14, 1970 where the announcer mispronounced their provisional name of Eric and the Dynamos to Derek and the Dominos, the band decided to take up the new name and undertook a summer tour of England. From late August to early October, working at Criteria Studios in Miami with legendary Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd, the band recorded Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a brilliant double album now widely regarded as Clapton's masterpiece. Most of the material, including Layla (which soon became an FM radio staple) was inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Pattie Boyd who was married to his best friend George Harrison. Clapton was seeing Pattie secretly at the time and Whitlock was dating her sister. It was not until much later that the affair was open; Boyd moved in with Clapton in 1974 and married him in 1979. However, they were separated in 1985 when Clapton started a relationship with Yvonne Khan Kelly and they divorced in 1988. The two-part song "Layla" was recorded in separate sessions; the opening guitar section was recorded first, with the second section following several months later. The second section was an elegiac piano piece composed and played by drummer Jim Gordon; early on, he objected to it being added onto Layla, but after some arguing among the band's members he finally agreed.
The Layla LP was actually recorded by a five-piece version of the group, thanks to the unforeseen inclusion of slide guitar virtuoso Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band. Clapton recorded most of the album while lying on the floor strung out on drugs. The band was heavily into drugs at this time, but, unlike many artists such as The Beatles, Clapton feels this did not hurt the recording process. A few days into the Layla sessions, Dowd, who was also producing the Allmans, invited Clapton to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The two guitarists who previously knew each other only by reputation, met backstage after the show, and then both bands repaired to the studio to jam (an impromptu session which, happily, was captured on tape). Clapton and Allman "fell in love" with each other's playing and became instant friends, so Allman was immediately invited to become the fifth member of The Dominos. (These studio jams were eventually released as part of the 3-CD 20th-anniversary edition of the album.)
When Allman and Clapton met, The Dominos had already recorded three tracks (I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues and Keep On Growing); Allman debuted on the fourth cut, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, and contributed some of his most sublime slide-guitar playing to the remainder of the LP. The album was heavily blues-influenced and featured a winning combination of the twin guitars of Allman and Clapton, with Allman's incendiary slide-guitar a key ingredient of the sound. It showcased some of Clapton's strongest material to date, as well as arguably some of his best guitar playing, with Whitlock also contributing several superb numbers, and his powerful, soul-influenced voice.
Jam II
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell the truth.
Tell me who's been fooling you?
Tell the truth.
Who's been fooling who?
There you sit there, looking so cool
While the whole show is passing you by.
The whole world is shaking now. Can't you feel it?
A new dawn is breaking now. Can't you see it?
[Chorus]
It doesn't matter just who you are,
Or where you're going or been.
Open your eyes and look into your heart.
The whole world is shaking now. Can't you feel it?
A new dawn is breaking now. Can't you see it?
I said see it, yeah, can't you see it?
Can't you see it, yeah, can't you see it?
I can see it, yeah.
[Chorus]
Hear what I say, 'cause every word is true.
You know I wouldn't tell you no lies.
Your time's coming, gonna be soon, boy.
[Repeat: x2]
It doesn't matter just who you are,
Or where you're going or been.
Open your eyes and look into your heart.
The song "Tell the Truth" by Derek and the Dominos is a call to people to be honest with themselves and others. In the chorus, the lyrics ask who has been fooling who and implore the listener to tell the truth. The verses describe a situation where the singer sees someone "sitting there, looking so cool" while the world is passing them by. The singer urges this person to come to terms with their fellow humans because "the whole world is shaking now" and a "new dawn is breaking now."
The bridge of the song declares that it doesn't matter who you are or where you've been, you need to open your eyes and look into your heart. The repeated chorus seems to emphasize the importance of telling the truth and not being fooled. The final words are a warning to the listener that their time is coming, so they need to be honest and true.
Overall, the song is a reminder to be honest and not deceive yourself or others. The world is changing, and we need to adapt and learn to live together in truth and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell the truth.
Honesty is important.
Tell me who's been fooling you?
Who has been deceiving you?
Who's been fooling who?
Who has been deceiving whom?
There you sit there, looking so cool
You appear detached and unbothered.
While the whole show is passing you by.
Life is happening around you, but you are not engaged.
You better come to terms with your fellow men soon, cause
It's time to reconcile with others.
The whole world is shaking now. Can't you feel it?
The world is changing rapidly.
A new dawn is breaking now. Can't you see it?
A new era is beginning.
It doesn't matter just who you are,
Your identity is not relevant.
Or where you're going or been.
Your past and future do not define you.
Open your eyes and look into your heart.
Be introspective and aware of your emotions.
Hear what I say, 'cause every word is true.
Listen to the message being conveyed.
You know I wouldn't tell you no lies.
The singer is trustworthy.
Your time's coming, gonna be soon, boy.
Change is imminent.
Repeat: x2
The chorus is repeated twice.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY WHITLOCK, ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, ROBERT S. WHITLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind