Earl Hooker (January 15, 1930 – April 21, 1970) was an American blues guita… Read Full Bio ↴Earl Hooker (January 15, 1930 – April 21, 1970) was an American blues guitarist.
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.

You Got To Lose
Earl Hooker Lyrics

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You got to lose
You can't win all the time
You got to lose
You can't win all the time
Well I know pretty baby

I see trouble comin' down the line
Well I was out on the streets baby

I did not have no money
Don't you worry pretty baby
I'll be back on my feet soon honey

You got to lose
You can't win all the time
Well I know pretty baby
I see trouble comin' down the line

You got to lose
You can't win all the time
You got to lose
You can't win all the time
Yes I know pretty baby

I see trouble comin' down the line
Yeah I was out on the streets
I did not have no friends
I didn't have no money
And nothing I could spend
You got to lose

You can't win all the time

Well I know pretty baby
I see trouble comin' down the line

Overall Meaning

The song "You Got to Lose" by Earl Hooker is a blues tune that depicts the inevitability of losing in life. The song advises the listener that they cannot win all the time and must be prepared to face defeat sometimes. Earl Hooker's lyrics suggest that trouble is coming and the only way to deal with it is to accept that you can't win all the time. The repetition of the phrase "You got to lose" highlights the importance of this message.

Further, the song talks about Earl Hooker's personal struggles. The lines "Well, I was out on the streets baby, I did not have no money," suggest that Earl Hooker may have been going through a tough financial situation. The song shows his resilience and determination to overcome his problems. The line "Don't you worry pretty baby, I'll be back on my feet soon honey," emphasizes the idea of staying positive and having hope in difficult circumstances.

To sum up, the song is a reminder that we cannot be successful all the time and that setbacks are a part of life. However, it is important not to give up and stay determined to overcome them.

Line by Line Meaning

You got to lose
In life, everyone must experience loss and failure.

You can't win all the time
Success is not permanent, and it’s important to appreciate the times one is successful as well as acknowledge that it's normal to fail at times.

Well I know pretty baby
Although life is full of disappointments, sometimes it helps to have someone who cares for you by your side.

I see trouble comin' down the line
Sometimes, it is possible to predict when something bad is about to happen so that one can prepare accordingly.

Yeah I was out on the streets
The artist has experienced hardships before, and this may have made them more resilient.

I did not have no friends
During tough times, it may seem like there's no one to turn to, but it's important to stay positive and seek help when needed.

I didn't have no money
Financial difficulties are a common experience, but there are ways to recover from them.

And nothing I could spend
When we're in tough situations, it's important to be resourceful and find ways to make do with what we have.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EARL ZEBIDEE HOOKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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