Duane "Skydog" Allman is generally regarded as one of the greatest rock and roll guitarists, noted for his mastery of the slide guitar as well as intensity and soulfulness on "standard" lead and rhythm guitar in a variety of styles. He was a noted session musician, was a founding member and the leader of The Allman Brothers Band, and also had a major role on the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, by Derek and the Dominos, a 1970-71 band led by Eric Clapton.
Howard Duane Allman was born in Nashville, Tennessee on November 20, 1946. Duane, as he was known, and his brother, Gregg, were raised by their mother Geraldine Allman after their father, Willis, was murdered when Duane was just 3-years-old. Geraldine, "Mama A" moved with her boys to Daytona Beach, Florida in 1957. Once Gregg heard a neighbor playing guitar, he decided that he needed to learn the instrument. Duane soon followed suit, and became an even better player than his brother. The boys were influenced by the bluesy music of artists such as B.B King, whom they saw in concert while teenagers.
Duane dropped out of high school to stay home and practice guitar and when Gregg graduated from Sea Breeze High School in 1965, the young men formed their first official band, the Allman Joys. When the Allman Joys became The Hour Glass in 1967, the group moved to Los Angeles. During this time, Duane perfected his electric slide guitar technique, using an empty Coricidin glass bottle over his ring finger as a slide
Duane simply loved to play the guitar, and was a much in-demand session musician for acts such as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs, and Herbie Mann. When he grew frustrated by the limits of being a session musician, Allman headed back to Florida with a few musicians. In March 1969, the Allman Brothers Band was formed, featuring Jaimoe Johanson, Dickie Betts, Berry Oakley, Reese Wynans, and Duane and Gregg Allman. Their debut self-titled album dropped in 1969 and the band began to tour.
A huge fan of Eric Clapton, Duane Allman was surprised and thrilled to be asked to play on Clapton's album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." Clapton was, in turn, a huge Duane Allman fan. In addition to touring with his band, Allman was known to drop in on recording sessions to jam with whomever happened to be recording. Allman often received cash payments but rarely album credit, so it is impossible to know exactly how many recordings of his work exist.
He was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Shortly after his death Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd dedicated the song "Free Bird" to his memory. Despite his short career the Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 named Duane Allman as number two on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Discography:
The Hour Glass The Hour Glass 1967 studio album
Power of Love The Hour Glass 1968 studio album
The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band 1969 studio album
Boz Scaggs Boz Scaggs 1969 studio album
Hey Jude Wilson Pickett 1969 studio album
The Dynamic Clarence Carter Clarence Carter 1969 studio album
Instant Groove King Curtis 1969 studio album
More Sweet Soul Arthur Conley 1969 studio album
Southern Fried John P. Hammond 1969 studio album
Two Jews Blues Barry Goldberg 1969 studio album
Mourning in the Morning Otis Rush 1969 studio album
Idlewild South The Allman Brothers Band 1970 studio album
New Routes Lulu 1970 studio album
Ronnie Hawkins Ronnie Hawkins 1970 studio album
Spirit in the Dark Aretha Franklin 1970 Recorded in 1969-1970 studio album
To Bonnie from Delaney Delaney & Bonnie 1970 studio album
Ton-Ton Macoute! Johnny Jenkins 1970 Recorded in 1969-1970 studio album
This Girl's in Love with You Aretha Franklin 1970 Recorded in 1969 studio album
Christmas and the Beads of Sweat Laura Nyro 1970 studio album
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs Derek and the Dominos 1970 studio album
5'll Get You Ten Cowboy 1971 studio album
Hard and Heavy Sam Samudio 1971 studio album
Motel Shot Delaney & Bonnie 1971 studio album
Push Push Herbie Mann 1971 studio album
At Fillmore East The Allman Brothers Band 1971 live album
An Anthology Duane Allman 1972 Recorded in 1968-1971 compilation album
D&B Together Delaney & Bonnie 1972 Recorded in 1969, 1971 studio album
Dialogs Duane Allman 1972 Recorded in 1970, 1972
Duane & Greg Allman Duane and Greg Allman 1972 Recorded in 1968 studio album
Eat a Peach The Allman Brothers Band 1972 Recorded in 1971 studio album
Early Allman – Featuring Duane and Gregg Allman The Allman Joys 1973 Recorded in 1966 studio album
The Hour Glass The Hour Glass 1973 Recorded in 1967-1968 compilation album
An Anthology Volume II Duane Allman 1974 Recorded in 1968-1971 compilation album
The Road Goes On Forever The Allman Brothers Band 1975 Recorded in 1969-1973 compilation album
The Best of Duane Allman Duane Allman 1979 compilation album
Dreams The Allman Brothers Band 1989 Recorded in 1966-1988 compilation album
The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition Derek and the Dominos 1990 Recorded in 1970 studio album
Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 The Allman Brothers Band 1991 Recorded in 1970 live album
A Decade of Hits 1969–1979 The Allman Brothers Band 1991 Recorded in 1969-1979 compilation album
The Fillmore Concerts The Allman Brothers Band 1992 Recorded in 1971 live album
Fillmore East, February 1970 The Allman Brothers Band 1996 Recorded in 1970 live album
Mycology: An Anthology The Allman Brothers Band 1998 compilation album
All Live! The Allman Brothers Band 1998 Recorded in 1971-1975 live album
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band 2000 Recorded in 1969-1979 compilation album
American University 12/13/70 The Allman Brothers Band 2002 Recorded in 1970 live album
Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970 The Allman Brothers Band 2003 Recorded in 1970 live album
S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71 The Allman Brothers Band 2003 Recorded in 1971 live album
Southbound The Hour Glass 2004 Recorded in 1967-1969 compilation album
Gold The Allman Brothers Band 2005 Recorded in 1969-1979 compilation album
Boston Common, 8/17/71 The Allman Brothers Band 2007 Recorded in 1971 live album
Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective[5] Duane Allman 2013 Recorded in 1965-1971 7 Disc Box Set
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
Duane Allman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spent all my money, didn't have a care.
Taken all my friends out for a mighty good ride
Taken bootleg whiskey, good old champagne and wine.
Then I began to fall so low, I didn't have a penny,
no place to go.
If I ever get my hands on a dollar again,
Nobody knows you,
When you're down and out.
In you pocket, you ain't got a penny, yah
Oh your friends, don't have any.
Just as you start to get back on your feet again,
Yeah they all come again saying you are my long lost friend.
We so strange sometimes, without a doubt.
Nobody loves you
Nobody wants you
Nobody loves you
Oh, when your down and out,
Oh, one more time
Nobody loves you
Nobody needs you
Nobody wants you, no
When you are down and out
The lyrics of Duane Allman's song Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out tells the story of a man who once had everything but lost it all and became penniless. The song begins with the singer casually talking about how he used to be a millionaire and lived a luxurious life where he would spend his money without a care in the world. He would take his friends on rides, drink bootleg whiskey, and champagne without any worry. However, soon he fell from his high life to a life without a penny to his name and nowhere to go. The second verse talks about how this stretch of bad luck has taught the singer the value of money and how he would hold onto a dollar until the eagle grins, which means he would keep his wealth for a long time.
The chorus "Nobody knows you, when you're down and out" reflects the theme of the song. When the singer had everything, friends would flock to him, but, as he becomes penniless, they all fade away or don't care for him. Here, the singer expresses the loneliness he feels when he's down and out, which is amplified because he feels that he doesn't have a friend around that he can count on. It's when his fortunes start to turn around that these people, now claiming to be his long-lost friends, reappear. The song concludes with the singer expressing his bitterness about the fickleness of people, pointing out that nobody loves, needs, or wants you when you have nothing.
Overall, Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out talks about the concept of how money can change the way people perceive and treat you, and how fickle that can be. But, in the end, it also teaches the listener about the value of money, how one should hold on to it, and to be aware of who their real friends are.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I lived the life of a millionaire.
I used to live a life of wealth and extravagance.
Spent all my money, didn't have a care.
I spent all my money on whatever I wanted, without any worry for the future.
Taken all my friends out for a mighty good ride
I treated my friends to a good time and showed them what it was like to live life like a millionaire.
Taken bootleg whiskey, good old champagne and wine.
I indulged in expensive and illegal drinks to celebrate my wealth.
Then I began to fall so low, I didn't have a penny,
I lost everything and became extremely poor, having no money at all.
no place to go.
I had nowhere to go and was left with nothing.
If I ever get my hands on a dollar again,
If I ever come across some money again,
Gonna hang on to it till the eagle grins.
I'll hold onto it tightly, being extra careful not to lose it again.
Nobody knows you,
When you're down and out,
In you pocket, you ain't got a penny, yah
When you're broke, you don't have even a single penny in your pocket.
Oh your friends, don't have any.
At that point, your friends won't have any money either, and thus won't be able to help you.
Just as you start to get back on your feet again,
When you start to recover and get back on track,
Yeah they all come again saying you are my long lost friend.
All of a sudden, those same people who abandoned you when you had nothing come back and act as if they've been your friend all along.
We so strange sometimes, without a doubt.
People can be strange and unpredictable in the way they treat others.
Nobody loves you
When you're down and out,
Nobody wants you
At that point, it feels like nobody wants you around.
Nobody loves you
When you're down and out,
Oh, when your down and out,
When you're in a state of poverty and desperation,
Oh, one more time
Reiterating the same message one final time.
Nobody loves you
When you're down and out,
Nobody needs you
At that point, it feels like nobody even needs you for anything.
Nobody wants you, no
It seems like nobody wants anything to do with you.
When you are down and out
When you're in a state of poverty and desperation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jimmy Cox
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind