Dr. John (born Malcolm John Rebennack on 20 November 1941; died 6 June 2019… Read Full Bio ↴Dr. John (born Malcolm John Rebennack on 20 November 1941; died 6 June 2019) was an American singer, pianist, guitarist, and songwriter whose music combined blues, boogie woogie and rock and roll. The winner of six Grammy awards, Rebennack was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend on Monday, March 14, 2011. He was variously known as Mac Rebennack, Dr. John Creaux, Dr. John, the Night Tripper.

Dr. John began making his own idiosyncratic music in the 1960s. Along with Professor Longhair, Dr. John is heir to the rich New Orleans tradition. He is perhaps best known for "Right Place, Wrong Time", an international hit in 1973, reissued and used on soundtracks many times since.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began as a session musician in New Orleans in the 1950s. Early on he also played guitar and was often known as Mac Rebennack. He switched to the bass ("the lowest time of my life"), and then the piano after his index finger was nearly shot off protecting his bandmate and longtime friend Ronnie Barron. He gained fame beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with music that combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and stage shows that bordered on voodoo religious ceremonies, including elaborate costumes and headdress. For a time he was billed as Dr. John, The Night Tripper. The name "Dr. John" came from a legendary Louisiana voodoo practitioner from the start of the 19th century.

Dr. John has also done vocals for Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' "Luv dat chicken..." jingle, as well as the theme song ("My Opinionation") for the early-1990s television sitcom Blossom. His movie credits include Martin Scorsese's documentary The Last Waltz (in which he joins The Band for a performance of his song "Such a Night") and Blues Brothers 2000 (in which he joins the fictional band The Louisiana Gator Boys to perform the song "New Orleans"). In the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog, Dr. John sings the opening tune, "Down in New Orleans".

In January 2008 Mac Rebennack, Dr. John, was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.

Just the Same
Dr. John Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I saw you the other day
And I almost lost my mind
I remember the things we did
I can't believe it's a waste of time
And sometimes I want to cry
And sometimes I want to die
Please help me understand
Why can't my heart just lie

Things just ain't the same
He could never be you
You should know the pain I feel
Understand what I'm going through

I'm still in love with you
And I know that you feel it too
But I feel that I can't go on
I just want you to come back home
I'm so ashamed of me
My heart is not complete
I know you walked away
My heart wants you to stay

Things just ain't the same
He could never be you
You should know the pain I feel
Understand what I'm going through

The water's in my eyes
Can't hide what I feel inside
I said the tears keep falling down
I can feel it when you're not around
I've lost control of me
Yet your love's a shame to see

I just cannot help myself
I don't want nobody else

Overall Meaning

In Dr. John's song Just the Same, the singer is expressing their heartbreak over a past love. They saw their ex-lover recently and it brought back memories of all the things they did together, making them realize that they still have feelings for that person. The singer is struggling to understand why their heart won't lie and stop loving this person. They feel ashamed that their heart is not complete without their ex and wants them back in their life. The singer expresses their pain and sadness by saying that sometimes they want to cry and sometimes they want to die. They explain that things just aren't the same with anyone else and ask their ex to understand what they are going through. The singer is desperate for their ex's love and can't imagine being with anyone else.

The lyrics convey intense emotions of love and loss. The singer's vulnerability is evident in lines such as "The water's in my eyes" and "I've lost control of me." The repetition of "things just ain't the same" emphasizes their longing for their ex and their belief that nobody else could ever compare. The chorus's emotional impact is created by the use of repetition and the similarity between the first and second lines, showing how the singer's feelings haven't changed. The song's melody also captures the spirit of the lyrics, with a slow, bluesy tempo and mournful sound.

Line by Line Meaning

I saw you the other day
I recently saw you and it affected me deeply.

And I almost lost my mind
The sight of you caused me emotional distress, making me almost irrational.

I remember the things we did
I recall the happy memories we created together.

I can't believe it's a waste of time
I am incredulous that our time together amounts to nothing so easily.

And sometimes I want to cry
Thoughts of you can make me feel overwhelmed with emotions at times.

And sometimes I want to die
My feelings for you can be so intense that I feel like I can't go on living without you.

Please help me understand
I am asking for your explanation or reasoning behind the situation.

Why can't my heart just lie
Why can't my heart stop wanting you when I know it's not feasible?

Things just ain't the same
The present situation is incomparable to how it used to be when you were with me.

He could never be you
It's impossible for anyone else to take your place in my heart.

You should know the pain I feel
I want you to understand the hurt and agony I am going through.

Understand what I'm going through
It's my wish for you to empathize with my emotional turmoil.

I'm still in love with you
My feelings for you have not diminished over time.

And I know that you feel it too
I am confident that you share the same romantic sentiment.

But I feel that I can't go on
Despite my deep love for you, it's hard for me to continue living this way.

I just want you to come back home
My one wish is for you to come back to me.

I'm so ashamed of me
I feel embarrassed by how much I still love you knowing that we can never be together.

My heart is not complete
I feel empty and incomplete without you by my side.

I know you walked away
I am aware that you left me, even though I wish it was not so.

My heart wants you to stay
Despite the logical conclusion, my heart yearns for you to stay with me always.

The water's in my eyes
My tears are a reflection of my strong emotions.

Can't hide what I feel inside
I cannot conceal the depth of my emotions.

I said the tears keep falling down
I acknowledge that I cry continuously over my unrequited love for you.

I can feel it when you're not around
Your absence affects me deeply, both emotionally and physically.

I've lost control of me
I feel like I have lost myself, and my emotions for you have taken over.

Yet your love's a shame to see
Even though I feel ashamed about my love for you, it's still visible for all to see.

I just cannot help myself
Despite my best efforts, I cannot shake off my love for you.

I don't want nobody else
My heart only desires you, and no one else can take your place.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOM BELL, LINDA CREED, NICOLE RENEE HARRIS, ANDRE L. EVANS, ALFRED ANTOINE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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