In the mid-1960s Clapton left the Yardbirds to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After Cream broke up, he formed blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. Clapton's solo career began in the 1970s, where his work bore the influence of the mellow style of J. J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley. His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped reggae reach a mass market. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded with Derek and the Dominos; and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded with Cream. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which was featured on his Unplugged album.
Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his solo career, Clapton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.
Don't Think Twice It's All Right
Eric Clapton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't matter, anyhow
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
The song "Don't Think Twice" by Eric Clapton is a cover for Bob Dylan's iconic track. It is a sad, heartbroken ballad that tells a story of a person who acknowledged the end of their relationship and resolute to move on. The opening lines of the song reflect the singer's frustration and disappointment with his former lover's awareness of his predicament. She is oblivious to the depth of his pain and heartbreak, and so he deems it pointless to continue with their relationship. He acknowledges that he is not wanted nor needed and decides to depart.
The second verse of the song further illustrates the singer's resolve to leave his partner. He explains that her attempt to remedy the situation is too little too late, and he wishes that she had acted sooner. The singer then acknowledges his disappointment at the fact that they were never good at communicating; they never talked much, which led to their relationship's downfall. However, he still believes that his decision to leave is for the best. In the final verse, the singer proclaims his uncertainty about his destination, but he is positive that he must leave. He leaves his partner with no hard feelings but confesses that he thinks they wasted too much time on a relationship that was not productive.
Line by Line Meaning
It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It's pointless to try and understand why things have turned out this way.
It don't matter, anyhow
It's irrelevant in the end.
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
Reinforcing the previous line.
If you don't know by now
If you haven't figured it out yet.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
When it's time for me to leave.
Look out your window and I'll be gone
I'll have already left.
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
The end of our relationship caused me to leave.
Don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry about me, I'll be okay.
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
Your attempts to see me won't work.
That light I never knowed
I've never experienced your light before.
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
Though I know it won't make a difference, I still wish you would try to convince me to stay.
To try and make me change my mind and stay
I'm still considering leaving.
We never did too much talkin' anyway
We never really communicated.
So don't think twice, it's all right
You don't need to worry about me.
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
You trying to get my attention won't work.
Like you never did before
Your previous attempts to get my attention were ineffective.
I can't hear you any more
I'm not listening to you anymore.
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I'm reflecting on our relationship as I leave.
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I used to love someone who was still quite young.
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
I felt that my love was being taken advantage of.
But don't think twice, it's all right
Even though I'm leaving, I'll be okay.
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
I'm going down a tough path.
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
I don't know where I'm going next.
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
Saying goodbye is too formal for our relationship.
So I'll just say fare thee well
A casual way of saying goodbye.
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
I'm not accusing you of being mean to me.
You could have done better but I don't mind
I expected more, but I'm not upset about it.
You just kinda wasted my precious time
I feel like our relationship didn't really accomplish anything.
But don't think twice, it's all right
I'll be okay.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@insuranceinfo123
I don't care what Rolling Stone says, in my eyes he'll always be #1
@originalbarryman
Agreed!! So blistering and clean
@richardbarrick1492
Rolling Stone is but a shell of their former self-- those Top 💯 lists are soooo lame-- Ritchie Blackmore not on the list?? Poor taste and bogus IMO! Probably left off Roy Buchanan, Steve Howe, SRV, FOR GOSH sakes-- etc, etc.
@Spartanm333
RS is full of shit - for soul, playing, mastery of the instrument, multiple genres, influence, longevity.... I could go on, no one touches Clapton - period. I mean how many people soloed guitar on a Beatles track - and wrote with George Harrison regularly - Badge just one example. And speaking of Cream, they effectively invented heavy rock / metal. And R&B / Soul - in the late 60's whilst on tour in America with Cream, producer Ahmet Ertegun dismissed 5 top session guitarists for Aretha Franklin including Bobby Womack who was hot at the time on the back of Sam Cooke and Otis Reading. He called in Eric Clapton from his hotel to complete the session.... cold. Eric has been an incredible influence on rock, blues and R&B music or over 50 years . Anyone who cannot see this needs to read a book and educate themselves beyond Youtube and Alexa.
@drothberg3
Rolling Stone’s list is total BS. I don’t know if Clapton is #1, but that list is worse than worthless.
@prathameshbhambure
Same!
@davidkeightly9383
In my opinion, this is the single greatest Rock and Roll performance ever.
@HeyImTyyy
In 1999 my dad I and were watching this concert on VHS. I was in 3rd grade and after seeing Clapton play I begged my parents to get me a guitar. I wanted one just like Clapton. After a month of begging, my parents got me a $179 Fender Squire (black and white of course like Claptons) 23 years later I'm still playing and tomorrow (6-2-23) I am receiving Eric Claptons signature Blackie guitar. RIP dad and thank you for introducing me to music, specifically this tribute concert.
@dalegribble7935
Beautiful ❤
@Jomor44
This is unquestionably the greatest version of this song.
Hands down the best.