If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
Eric Clapton;Robert Johnson Lyrics

The lyrics to Eric Clapton's song "If I Had a Possession Over Judgement Day" are rich in storytelling and vivid imagery. The singer in the song expresses a desire for control over "judgement day," suggesting a kind of power over his own fate and that of others. He asserts that if he had this power, the woman he loves would not have the right to pray, suggesting a desire for dominance over her. The second stanza finds the singer seeking solace in nature, climbing a mountain in search of clarity. However, he finds only despair, as he learns that his woman has left him for another man ("Man got my woman and the 'a lonesome blues got me"). The third stanza describes the singer's distress, as he rolls and tumbles and cries all night, mourning the loss of his lover ("Boy, I woke up this mornin', my biscuit roller gone.") In the fourth stanza, the singer decides to leave the woman behind, having been hurt by her actions ("Had to fold my arms and I slowly walked away/I didn't like the way she done/And I said in my mind, yo' trouble gon' come someday"). Finally, the singer reaches out to the woman, inviting her to sit on his knee so he can tell her about his sorrows ("And now run here, baby, set down on my knee/I wanna tell you all about the way they treated me").

The song's lyrics draw from various folk and blues traditions, including a popular blues song of the same name by Robert Johnson. Johnson recorded "Preaching Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)" in 1936, which included the line "If I had possession over judgment day." This line was later used in other blues songs and became a common trope in the genre. Clapton's version of the song references this earlier use of the phrase, as well as other blues and folk traditions.