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.
No More Cane On The Brazos
Eric Bibb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you could find a dead body in every road
down on the Brazos
I wish you was here in 19 and 10.
They was drivin' the womens just like they was men.
down on the Brazos
If I had a sentence like ninety-nine and nine.
All the dogs on this Brazos could not keep here
not down on the Brazos
I looked at the sun the sun was turnin' red
you know i looked at my partner man liked to drop down
down on the Brazos
Go down now Hannah don't you ride no more
now if you rise in the morning for any judgement sho'
down on the Brazos
Ain't no more cane on this Brazos
They done ground it all to molasses.
down on the Brazos
The song "No More Cane On The Brazos" by Eric Bibb is a hauntingly insightful portrayal of the brutal past of forced labor and slavery on the Brazos River in Texas. The lyrics express deep sadness and longing for a time when slavery and the exploitation of black people was rampant in the area. The opening lines, "you 'ought to have been here in 19 and 4, you could find a dead body in every road, down on the Brazos" set the tone for the rest of the song's lyrics, which describe the harsh realities faced by black people in the area through vivid and haunting imagery. The song tells the story of a place where the body count was high and where human life was treated as expendable.
Line by Line Meaning
you 'ought to have been here in 19 and 4
I wish you would have been present in 1904
you could find a dead body in every road
The place was filled with lifeless remains all around
down on the Brazos
In the Brazos region
I wish you was here in 19 and 10.
I desire your presence in the year 1910
They was drivin' the womens just like they was men.
Females were subjected to the same kind of treatment as males
If I had a sentence like ninety-nine and nine.
Even if one gave me a sentence like 99 years and 9 months
All the dogs on this Brazos could not keep here
No amount of dogs could hold me back
not down on the Brazos
Not in the Brazos area
I looked at the sun the sun was turnin' red
I noticed the sun changing its color to red
you know i looked at my partner man liked to drop down
My companion appeared to be on the verge of collapsing
Go down now Hannah don't you ride no more
Hannah, refrain from travelling any further
now if you rise in the morning for any judgement sho'
And if you rise tomorrow for any legal proceeding
down on the Brazos
In the Brazos region
Ain't no more cane on this Brazos
Cane is nonexistent in the Brazos area now
They done ground it all to molasses.
The cane has all been used up to make molasses
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
theReefemeister
i've seen this great bluesman play live twice. i look forward to his return. amazing! one hell of a voice! leaves you shaking.
James C
This man is a living treasure...
hieh
oh this is so good, i love it
Tracey Daughtery
I must agree with Mariekosone,this version paints a very vivid picture in my minds eye....flawless
Charlie Silver
@damplify damn, you really did feel him. .. I agree, this guy has something that few real blues players have, definitely don't doubt his passion.
Jose Vivar
Eric for me is a legend, a blues purist, I have followed him for many years, Brazos will be the longest river in Texas, but obviously it is a Spanish word that means arm, as was Spanish Texas, and we sold it to the French through Louisiana. , a little history is always good
InParticularNobody
if you only ever listen to a single blues song it should be this one. perfection.
Jeff Smith
Stunning.
ItsCabs
Mercy! I've played this song for years, and thought I had somethin'. back to the drawin' board. mighty fine. mighty and fine!
Jim Hauser
Eric Bibb does an outstanding version of this old prison song. I just want to comment about the history of the song.
The Brazos River is the longest river in Texas. Spanish explorers called it the "Rio do los Brazos de Dios" which means "river of the arms of God." There are various legends explaining how the river came by its name, including ones about explorers, miners, or sailors whose lives were saved by finding the river, or being guided to it by Native Americans, just before they died of thirst. A number of Texas prison farms were built along the Brazos, and the river is mentioned in various African American prison songs, including "Ain't No More Cane On This Brazos." Convicts in these prisons worked along the river cutting sugar cane and picking cotton. They were treated brutally, and, on a regular basis, men dropped over in the fields from exhaustion and sunstroke. In the book titled "Racehoss" (and in a related film by the same name) a man named Albert Sample, who served time in a penitentiary on the Brazos, states that the prison was referred to by the convicts as "the burnin' hell." Some convicts tired to escape by making a run for the river. And, in making that break, you might say that they were running from hell to the arms of God.