Born Earl Zebedee Hooker in Quitman County, Mississippi, his impoverished family moved to Chicago, Illinois when he was still an infant. Influenced by parents and relatives who played music, he was a cousin of John Lee Hooker and began playing guitar as a teenager. An instrumentalist, within a few years Hooker put together a band that toured the United States and made some of his first recordings for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He eventually became an important part of the Chicago blues scene. Hooker played in the American Folk Blues Festival in England in 1969. Although he never received the public recognition to the same extent as some of his contemporaries, Jimi Hendrix proclaimed Earl Hooker as the "master of the wah-wah" and his talent was greatly respected by other notable musicians such as B.B. King, Ike Turner, Junior Wells, and Buddy Guy. Hooker played slide guitar on the 1962 Muddy Waters recording, "You Shook Me." He was the only slide player on a Muddy Waters recording besides Muddy himself. Hooker also helped popularized the double-neck guitar.
Earl Hooker died at the age of 40 after a lifelong struggle against tuberculosis, which is alluded to in the title of a 1972 compilation album of his work, "There's a Fungus Among Us." He was interred in the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. His story was told in a 2001 book by author Sebastian Danchin titled Earl Hooker, Blues Master.
This Little Voice
Earl Hooker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It whispers so sweet and low
Telling me to go get my baby
But I wonder where did she go
Well I′m going on to get my baby
But where I don't know
Might be down in missisippi
With so many I know
Telling me I ought to go
So I′m going on to get my baby
But where I don't know
I just want to hug and squeeze you
Tell you that I love you so
So the good little voice deep inside of me
Won't worry me any more
So I′m going on to get my baby
But where I don′t know
In this song, Earl Hooker expresses his inner voice that tells him to go in search of his missing lover. He hears this little voice, which whispers gently to him, telling him to find his baby. He doesn't know where she's gone, but the voice insists that he should go and find her. Earl is willing to heed this wise voice, even though he doesn't know where he's supposed to go.
Earl Hooker's "This Little Voice" highlights the importance of intuition and inner guidance. The song is an acknowledgement of that little voice that we sometimes hear, that guides us in the right direction. In this case, Earl's voice directed him to find his lover. The song conveys an urgency in the need to find love and that sometimes, it is not about where you are going but listening to that inner voice and following it. The song's repetition of the chorus also emphasizes the sense of urgency and the need to find his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear a little voice deep inside of me
Earl Hooker is listening to his own inner voice that is trying to guide him to find his loved one.
It whispers so sweet and low
The voice is very soft and gentle like a whisper.
Telling me to go get my baby
The voice is instructing Earl Hooker to go find his loved one.
But I wonder where did she go
Earl Hooker is unsure about the location of his loved one.
Well I′m going on to get my baby
Earl Hooker has decided to heed the voice and go find his loved one.
But where I don't know
He is still unsure about the location of his loved one.
Might be down in Mississippi
Earl Hooker speculates that his loved one might be in Mississippi, a place he is familiar with.
With so many I know
There are several people he knows in Mississippi where his loved one could potentially be.
Good little voice deep inside of me
Earl Hooker considers the voice to be a positive influence that is guiding him towards something good.
Telling me I ought to go
The voice is persuading Earl Hooker to go find his loved one.
I just want to hug and squeeze you
Earl Hooker wants to show affection to his loved one by hugging and squeezing them.
Tell you that I love you so
He wants to express his love to his loved one.
So the good little voice deep inside of me
The voice is still present and encouraging Earl Hooker to find his loved one.
Won't worry me any more
Earl Hooker will no longer be concerned or troubled about the situation as he has decided to take action.
So I′m going on to get my baby
Earl Hooker reiterates his decision to go find his loved one.
But where I don't know
Despite not knowing the location of his loved one, he is still determined to find them.
Writer(s): Aaron Walker
Contributed by Brooklyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.