Eric Bibb (b. 1951) is an American blues singer and guitarist, based in Lon… Read Full Bio ↴Eric Bibb (b. 1951) is an American blues singer and guitarist, based in London, England, who has made his career largely in Europe.

Bibb was born on 16th August 1951 in New York into a musical family. His father, Leon Bibb, is a trained singer who sang in musical theatre and made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the world-famous jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta, and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb'sgodfather.

Bibb was given his first steel-string guitar when he was seven years old. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing advised the eleven-year-old Bibb to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".

At sixteen years old, Bibb's father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his television talent show Someone New. Bibb's early musical heroes were from his father's band, and included Bill Lee (father of director Spike), who appeared on Bibb's album Me To You, years later.

In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St Mark's place in New York, and went on to study Psychology and Russian at Colombia University, but at the age of nineteen he left for Paris, where a meeting with guitarist Mickey Baker focused his interest in blues guitar. When he later moved to Sweden, Bibb found a creative environment which took him back to Greenwich Village during the heyday of the folk revival. Settling in Stockholm, Bibb immersed himself in pre-war blues and continued to write and perform.

The album Good Stuff was released in 1997, and led to Bibb signing to the British based Code Blue label. Eric's only release on Code Blue was Me to You, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes in Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal (who also worked with Bibb on the Grammy-nominated children's record, Shakin' a Tailfeather). The album furthered Bibb's international reputation and was followed by tours of the U.K., U.S.A., Canada, France, Sweden, and Germany.

In the late 1990s Bibb joined forces with his then manager, Alan Robinson, to form Manhaton Records, in Britain. The albums Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000), and Painting Signs (2001) followed, as did another Opus 3 release, Just Like Love.

Drinkin' Gourd
Eric Bibb Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the sun goes back
and the first quail calls
Follow the drinking gourd
The old man is a-waitin' for
to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

The river bed makes a mighty fine road,

Dead trees to show you the way
And it's left foot, peg foot, traveling on
Follow the drinking gourd

Follow the drinking gourd,
follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waitin'
to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

The river ends between two hills

Follow the drinking gourd
There's another river on the other side
Follow the drinking gourd

I thought I heard the angels say
Follow the drinking gourd
The stars in the heavens
gonna show you the way
Follow the drinking gourd

Follow the drinking gourd,
follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waitin'

to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

Overall Meaning

The song "Drinkin' Gourd" by Eric Bibb is a traditional African American folk song that has been used as a symbol of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape from the South to the North. The song is believed to have originated in the early 19th century and was sung by slaves as a secret code to help them escape. The lyrics are filled with coded messages that describe the escape routes and the landmarks that slaves could use to navigate their way to freedom.

The first verse of the song speaks of following the drinking gourd when the sun goes back and the first quail calls. The drinking gourd was actually a reference to the Big Dipper constellation in the northern sky, which was used as a guide for slaves to follow the North Star. The "old man" mentioned in the lyrics is thought to be a reference to Harriet Tubman, who was a prominent conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped many slaves escape to freedom.

The second verse talks about the river bed making a mighty fine road and dead trees showing the way. This refers to the Ohio River, which was a major point of passage for escaped slaves crossing from Kentucky to Ohio. The mention of a "left foot, peg foot" is thought to be a reference to the technique that Tubman used to throw off any would-be captors by leaving a fake trail of footprints with one of her shoes tied to a stick.

The final verse describes the end of the river between two hills and the beginning of another river on the other side. This refers to the crossing of the Ohio River and the crossing into freedom. The mention of the stars in the heavens showing the way is another reference to the North Star and the use of the Big Dipper as a guide. The repeated refrain to follow the drinking gourd and the old man waiting to carry slaves to freedom is a call to action, urging people to take the risk and follow the paths to freedom that had been laid out for them.

Line by Line Meaning

When the sun goes back
As dusk sets in

and the first quail calls
as the first birdcall of the evening is heard