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.
One Soul To Save
Eric Bibb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you gonna do it?
One soul to save –
Are you ready now?
One soul to save – an’ it’s a mighty good time
I do believe that time is windin’ down
Before the stars refuse to shine
Mountains start to tumble into the sea
Bless every nation, praise all Creation
Give thanks for all we have on bended knee
Chorus:
You got one soul to save ….
You now the time to make a move is long overdue
Lord knows it’s true – it’s getting’ late
We got to wake on up an’ see the change we need to be
We got one last chance to chosse our fate
Chorus (2x):
You got one soul to save ….
Eric Bibb's song "One Soul To Save" is a call to action, urging the listener to take advantage of the limited time they have to make a difference in the world. The lyrics state that we all have "one soul to save" and asks whether we are ready to take action and make a positive impact. This idea is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the importance of taking responsibility for our actions.
The song also references the potential end of the world, with lines that talk about the stars refusing to shine and the earth rumbling. This adds an extra layer of urgency to the message, suggesting that time is running out and that we need to act now to create positive change before it's too late. The chorus repeats the same phrase, "you got one soul to save," encouraging listeners to take this message to heart and make a difference in the world while they still can.
Overall, "One Soul To Save" is a powerful call to action that urges listeners to make a positive impact and take responsibility for their actions. It speaks to the limited amount of time we have on this earth and the urgency of leaving a positive legacy behind.
Line by Line Meaning
You got one soul to save -
You have only one chance to save your soul, to make the most of your life.
Are you gonna do it?
Are you going to take the opportunity and make the best of your life?
One soul to save -
Only one life to live, one opportunity to make the most of it.
Are you ready now?
Are you prepared to face whatever life brings?
One soul to save - an’ it’s a mighty good time
It's a great time to live and make the most of your life.
I do believe that time is windin’ down
Time is running out, and we must make the most of it before it's too late.
Before the stars refuse to shine
Before the end of the world, before it's too late.
An’ the earth begins to rumble
And the world falls apart, before the end of days.
Mountains start to tumble into the sea
Before an apocalypse happens and mountains tumble into the sea.
Bless every nation, praise all Creation
Be thankful for everything around us, from every nation and every environment.
Give thanks for all we have on bended knee
Be thankful for what you have, show respect, gratitude and humility.
Chorus: You got one soul to save ....
The chorus repeats the theme of the song, that you only have one chance to make the most of your life, one soul to save.
You now the time to make a move is long overdue
It's late, but you still have time to make the most of your life, to start living the life you've always wanted to live.
Lord knows it’s true – it’s getting’ late
It's increasingly late, and the world is becoming a more challenging place, but you still have a chance to make the most of your life.
We got to wake on up an’ see the change we need to be
We need to wake up and see the need to change ourselves to make the most of our lives.
We got one last chance to chosse our fate
We have only one last opportunity to choose the direction of our lives, to make the most of it before it's too late.
Chorus (2x): You got one soul to save ....
The chorus repeats the theme of the song, that you only have one chance to make the most of your life, one soul to save.
Contributed by Jason O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.