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.
Flood Water
Eric Bibb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People everywhere tryin' to make higher ground
Many met their Maker in a watery grave (2x)
If your neighbour had a boat, well ya mighta been saved
Mighta been saved
Bibles floatin' in the water, had to leave it all behind (2x)
Paid her no mind
People straddlin' their rooftops –
Water reachin' to their kness (2x)
Heard the preacher holler, "Lord, Lord, Lord
Have Mercy, if You please!"
Don't you know, it rained, Noah, where were you" (2x)
Cows couldn't swim, drownin' two by two
Flood water far as my eyes could see (2x)
Nineteen hundred, twenty-seven never leave my memory
Never leave my memory
Eric Bibb's "Flood Water" is a hauntingly powerful protest song about the devastating flood that tore through the Mississippi Delta in 1927. It's a story of loss and survival, of people who lost everything they had and tried desperately to find higher ground to escape the rising waters. The song creates a haunting and emotional atmosphere that powerfully conveys the fear and desperation of the flood victims.
The opening lines of the song set the scene of the flooded landscape of the Delta, with floodwaters spreading all around, and people all over trying to find higher ground. The next segment speaks of the many people who lost their lives in the flood, drowning in watery graves. The song then takes on a political tone when it suggests that having a boat could have been the key to survival, implying that wealthier individuals could escape the horrors of the flood while the poor were left to die.
The next segment of the song speaks about the church and how those who were most in need were often left behind. We see a scene of bibles floating downstream and being left behind, with churches and communities failing to provide enough support for people in the devastated regions. The verses about people stranded on their rooftops, frantically seeking rescue, tells a harrowing tale of a people at their most vulnerable.
Finally, the song ends with a powerful image of the rising floodwaters, receding slowly over the lost communities, never to be forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
Flood water spreadin' all around (2x)
Water from a flood is spreading everywhere causing destruction and chaos.
People everywhere tryin' to make higher ground
People are attempting to escape the rising floodwaters by moving to higher, safer ground.
Many met their Maker in a watery grave (2x)
Numerous people drowned and lost their lives due to the floodwaters.
If your neighbour had a boat, well ya mighta been saved
If anyone had access to a boat, they could have possibly been rescued from the flood and saved from drowning.
Bibles floatin' in the water, had to leave it all behind (2x)
Personal items, including religious texts, had to be abandoned because they could no longer be carried and had to be left behind in the rising floodwaters.
Sister had a vision, church paid her no mind
A woman had a prophetic vision informing others about the upcoming flood, but her church disregarded her warnings and did not take action to prevent the damage.
People straddlin' their rooftops – Water reachin' to their knees (2x)
People resorted to standing on their rooftops as the floodwaters continued to rise, and the water level eventually reached their knees or higher.
Heard the preacher holler, "Lord, Lord, Lord Have Mercy, if You please!"
A preacher called upon God for mercy and protection for those who were affected by the floodwaters.
Don't you know, it rained, Noah, where were you" (2x)
The lyrics reference the story of Noah's Ark in the Bible, in which God sent a great flood as punishment. The singers ask where Noah was at the time of this flood.
Cows couldn't swim, drownin' two by two
Even animals suffered and died due to the flood, as many were unable to swim and ultimately drowned.
Flood water far as my eyes could see (2x)
The floodwaters are vast and extensive, as they go beyond what the eye can see.
Nineteen hundred, twenty-seven never leave my memory Never leave my memory
This event was deeply impactful and memorable, as demonstrated by the repetition of the lyric, with the year 1927 serving as a lasting reminder of the catastrophic flood.
Contributed by Amelia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@giampietrocerolini
Wow .......my God!!! What a voice!!!!!!
@SigMaQuint
I just come back to this, maybe the sense of the pandemic ..
Anyway, Eric Bibb is a wonderful singer.
@ajtommie1
This could have been written last week or month! Love this song!
@fluthebirdwatcher
Still relevant 2021
@TuiEve1
Beautiful
@rosegregg8350
Love this guy. Reminds me of a young Taj Mahal!
@philwilson609
Younger by only a little. Eric Bibb is 68. His father, Leon, was a famous folk singer and Eric must have been no stranger to Woody Guthrie, Odetta and Leadbelly. He is a living remnant of a lost time.
@adjibadeabdelakim
@Phil Wilson I love how you describe Eric Bibb.
@Revieirato
Thank you great !!!!!
@Thrawn6211
He's taking the music and making it his without tampering with the age of it. It sounds like it's from the 1930's or 40's. Son House is smiling.