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.

Tell Ol' Bill
Eric Bibb Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tell ol' Bill when he comes home this morning
Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Leave them down town girls alone
This morning, so soon

Bill left home by the alley gate this morning
Bill left home by the alley gate

Bill left home by the alley gate
Old Sal said, "Hey Bill, don't be late"
This morning, so soon

Bill's sweet wife was baking bread in the morning
Bill's sweet wife was baking bread
Bill's sweet wife was baking bread
When she found out her Bill was dead
This morning, so soon

She cried, "Oh no, it cannot be
Oh no, it cannot be"
She cried, "Oh no, it cannot be"
They killed my Bill in the third degree
This morning, so soon

Well, they brought Bill home in a hurry-up wagon
Brought him on home in a hurry-up wagon
They brought Bill home in a hurry-up wagon
Poor old Bill his boots were draggin'

Tell ol' Bill when he comes home this morning
Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Leave them down town girls alone

This morning, this morning, in the morning
Oh, oh

Overall Meaning

The song "Tell Ol' Bill" by Eric Bibb tells a sad story of a man named Bill who gets caught up with the wrong crowd and ultimately meets his untimely demise. The song opens with a plea to tell Bill to leave the downtown girls alone, likely a warning to stay away from a dangerous group or lifestyle. The second verse describes Bill leaving home through the alley gate, perhaps indicating he's trying to hide his actions from his family. Old Sal warns him not to be late, suggesting he has plans with the dangerous group.

In the third verse, we see a mundane scene of Bill's wife baking bread in the morning. This contrast makes the news of Bill's death all the more shocking and heartbreaking. The wife refuses to believe it at first, crying out in denial that they killed her Bill in the third degree. The final verse describes Bill's body being brought home on a wagon, his boots dragging. The refrain is repeated, urging Bill to leave the downtown girls alone and potentially serving as a warning to the listener as well.

Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting caught up with the wrong crowd and the devastation it can bring to loved ones left behind.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell ol' Bill when he comes home this morning
Inform Bill when he returns home early in the morning

Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Make sure that Bill knows, on his return home

Leave them down town girls alone
Avoid the company of city girls

This morning, so soon
Bill's absence is noticed very early in the morning

Bill left home by the alley gate this morning
Bill departed his abode through the alley gate

Old Sal said, "Hey Bill, don't be late"
Sal advised Bill not to be tardy

Bill's sweet wife was baking bread in the morning
Bill's loving wife was busy making bread for the family

When she found out her Bill was dead
Upon learning of Bill's demise

She cried, "Oh no, it cannot be"
She wept inconsolably, disbelief clouding her mind

They killed my Bill in the third degree
Someone subjected Bill to a fatal and brutal assault

Well, they brought Bill home in a hurry-up wagon
They transported Bill's lifeless body back home rapidly