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.
Highway 49
Eric Clapton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hit the Highway 49
I'm gonna get up in the morning
Hit the Highway 49
I've been looking for my woman
Lord don't think she can't be found
Malvina my woman
Malvina my woman
She out on the Highway 49
I'm gonna get up in the morning
Roll on down the line
I believe, I believe, I believe I'll dust my bed
I believe, I believe, I believe I'll dust my bed
Out on the Highway 49
I have walked till I am dead
I got the blues this morning
Rollininto Jackson town
I got the blues this morning
I'm rolling into Jackson town
I've been looking for my baby
Lord don't think the girl can't be found
Long tall momma
She don't pay me no mind
Yeah long tall momma
She don't pay me no mind
All she wanna do
Walk the Highway 49
Highway 49 is a blues song performed by Eric Clapton & Jimmy Page, and the lyrics describe the singer's search for his woman, Malvina. The song opens with the singer declaring his intent to hit Highway 49 in the morning since he has been looking for his woman and cannot seem to find her. The woman is believed to be out on Highway 49, and the singer is determined to roll down the line until he finds her. However, the singer's search has not been fruitful yet, and he is beginning to feel the blues as he rolls into Jackson town without finding her. He is in a desperate situation and is willing to dust his bed to prove his love.
Although the lyrics do not reveal much about Malvina or the singer's specific situation, the song is an expression of the pain and longing that come with a search for love. The bluesy tune of Highway 49 further accentuates the despair and heartache evident in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm gonna get up in the morning
I am planning to wake up early
Hit the Highway 49
And travel along Highway 49
I'm gonna get up in the morning
I will wake up early again
Hit the Highway 49
To travel the same road as before
I've been looking for my woman
I have been searching for my partner
Lord don't think she can't be found
I hope to locate her soon
Malvina my woman
The name of my partner is Malvina
She out on the Highway 49
She is on the same road that I want to travel
I'm gonna get up in the morning
I will wake up early again
Roll on down the line
To keep moving forward on the road
I believe, I believe, I believe I'll dust my bed
I think I will leave my sleeping place
Out on the Highway 49
To continue my journey on the road
I have walked till I am dead
I have walked for endless hours
I got the blues this morning
I am feeling sad today
Rollin' into Jackson town
To enter the town named Jackson
I've been looking for my baby
I have been searching for my lover
Lord don't think the girl can't be found
I hope I can find her soon
Long tall momma
A description of a woman
She don't pay me no mind
She is not interested in me
All she wanna do
Her only desire is to
Walk the Highway 49
Travel on Highway 49
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHESTER BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Palooka
This is a totally under-rated album. It's great! When it first came out I was 16 years old. I bought out and I played it over and over. Great musicianship from the backing band, and their respect for Howling Wolf is deep and sincere. Excellent guitar work by Clapton.
Pablo Pérez
Indeed!!!
Iconoclastic
This line up of musicians is just unreal. Absolutely legendary stuff.
clarkewi
Amazing sound. These graduated with Phd's from "Wolf University".
Richard Busson
Clapton on slide? Folks don’t talk about what a great slide player he is! He was so accurate the first time I heard him take it on. What the hell is that, does he have perfect pitch? Like his vocals, they were good right away too. I say God spilled the talent when he was dishing it out!
Pablo Pérez
Must be his first slide record. His solo in I can't hold out is❤️
Greg Hoppe
Great version of this song. I still find it hard to believe that many people claim to not know where rock 'n roll music came from.
Ben White
The late Jeff Carp on harmonica. What a player he was.
MissHellfire 1606
one of my all time favourites !
Tl072 Opamp
Best blues album ever recorded