When the Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989 in response to the popularity of the Dreams box set, Warren Haynes was added on lead guitar and Allen Woody on bass. The two shared a love for '60s power trios, like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and James Gang. With no bands making similar music in the 90s (except ZZ Top), Haynes, Woody, and former Dickey Betts drummer Matt Abts came together as Gov't Mule during Allman Brothers' breaks. (It is likely that Haynes and Abts first met during the recording of the Dickey Betts Band CD "Pattern Disruptive" in 1988.) They released their debut album the selftitled Gov't Mule in 1995. It was followed by Live from Roseland Ballroom.
When it became apparent that the Allman Brothers weren't planning on recording any new material, Haynes and Woody left to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997. Dose, the studio follow up to their first studio effort, was released in early 1998. They were joined by members of the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, and Parliament/Funkadelic for their 1998 New Year's Eve concert. This was released in both a two and four CD version as Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends. The band exposed some of their roots with covers of Neil Young, Free, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Mongo Santamaria (via John Coltrane) and Frank Zappa.
In 2000, the band released Life Before Insanity to critical praise. Many thought that this would be Gov't Mule's breakthrough CD. However, Woody was found dead in New York City in August. Haynes and Abts considered breaking up the band but did stage a concert called "One for Woody" to raise money for his daughter's education. The Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, members of the Grateful Dead, and other friends of Woody also performed at the concert.
At both the "One for Woody" performance and other shows, Haynes began appearing with the Allman Brothers Band again. With Dickey Betts' departure from the Allmans, Warren came back full time to the band at the beginning of 2001 and has continued splitting his time between the Allmans and for a period Phil Lesh and Friends and the reformed Dead as well as Gov't Mule (performing acoustic gigs with just Haynes on guitar and Abts on percussion and as The New School of Gov't Mule with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools on bass and Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers and known for his current work with the Rolling Stones on keyboards).
The next year, Haynes and Abts began to record a tribute CD using Woody's favorite bass players. These sessions resulted in two CDs The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001) and The Deep End, Volume 2 (2002). A documentary of the recording sessions was also made by Phish bassist Mike Gordon called Rising Low. Bass contributions to the CDs came from Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwisle of The Who, Mike Watt of Minutemen, Les Claypool of Primus, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chris Squire of Yes among others.
When it came to touring in support of the Deep End CDs, Haynes and Abts used a revolving door of keyboardists and bassists. Keyboardists included Chuck Leavell, Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends and Zen Tricksters, Phish's Page McConnell and Danny Louis. Bassists included among others, Dave Schools, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten of the Flecktones, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Greg Rzab formerly of The Black Crowes and the Buddy Guy Band and Andy Hess, also formerly of The Black Crowes. Louis and Hess were eventually added as permanent members of Gov't Mule. They continue to tour extensively and have become staple acts at many music festivals including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Vegoose, and their annual New Orleans Jazzfest night show (where they filmed and recorded the last show of the Deepest End tours, with 17 guest musicians in a 6 hour show) wich was released on CD/DVD as The Deepest End, Live in Concert.
The first CD with Louis and Hess Deja Voodoo was released in September 2004. Additional material from those sessions was released in 2005 as and EP entitled Mo' Voodoo.
The new lineup's second release, titled High and Mighty, was released on August 22, 2006.
A third, Mighty High, was released in 2007 it features reggae and dub versions of classic Mule covers and originals with special guest appearances by Willi Williams, Michael Franti and Toots Hibbert,
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, sure is a pity
But ain't no love since you're not around
When you were mine
I was feeling good
Oh, your smile lit up
And now that you're gone
Oh, the sun don't shine
From the city hall
To the county line and that's why there
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, sure is a pity
But ain't no love since you're not around
Every place that I go
Oh, it feels so strange
Without you here
Everything has changed
Nighttime comes
And there's a blanket of gloom
Another teardrop falls
In my lonely room and that's why there
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, sure is a pity
But ain't no love since you're not around
But now that you're gone
Oh, the sun don't shine
From the city hall
To the county line and that's why there
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, oh, sure is a pity
The opening lines of Gov't Mule's song Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City describe a city that is devoid of love since a certain someone is not around. The singer reminisces on how things were different when this person was with them, stating that they felt good and their smile could brighten up the entire neighborhood. Everything has now changed, and every place that the singer goes to feels strange without the person they're singing about. The nighttime only intensifies the sadness and loneliness for the singer, who compares it to a "blanket of gloom". The song concludes with the repetition of the main theme - that there is no love in the heart of the city since this person left.
The lyrics of this song convey the pain of losing someone and how that can change everything. The city that the singer once knew and loved now seems dull and lifeless without this person. The sense of loneliness and despair is amplified by the imagery used, with the blanket of gloom representing the singer's emotional state. The chorus drives home the idea that love is an essential part of life, and without it, everything is incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
The city seems to be devoid of love and affection
Ain't no love in the heart of town
The same lack of love is also present in the town area
Ain't no love, sure is a pity
Not having love is certainly a heartbreaking situation
But ain't no love since you're not around
The main reason for the absence of love is the absence of someone special
When you were mine
In the past, when the person was in his/her life
I was feeling good
Being in love made him/her feel happy and satisfied
Oh, your smile lit up
The person's smile was so charming that it brightened up the entire surrounding
The whole neighborhood
The positive impact of the smile was felt by everyone in the vicinity
And now that you're gone
After the person left his/her life
Oh, the sun don't shine
The warmth and brightness of the sun are now missing
From the city hall
Even the official buildings in the cities seem to lack joy without one's lover
To the county line and that's why there
The lack of love becomes apparent in every area, from the cities to the suburbs
Every place that I go
No matter where the person goes
Oh, it feels so strange
Everything feels odd and unfamiliar
Without you here
The lover's absence is the main reason for this feeling of strangeness
Nighttime comes
As the night approaches
And there's a blanket of gloom
The darkness of the night adds to the already-existing gloominess
Another teardrop falls
The person misses his/her love so much that it becomes overwhelmingly emotional
In my lonely room and that's why there
In his/her solitude, the person realizes how much love means to him/her
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
The absence of love in the city is now more comprehensible than before
Ain't no love, oh, sure is a pity
The lack of love is indeed a pitiful circumstance to be in
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dan Walsh, Michael Alan Price
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobschenkel7921
It's another beautiful day in Bethlehem, Pa. when Warren and The Mule show up and show out. Thanks man. It was another great night of music. Best sound check ever.
@bobmacneer6778
Love that Mule🌴
@jayhuff9834
Ain't no love... nothing but love to this man and the mule .
@jeffhale2285
Beautifully done Warren! No overplaying, tasteful.
@gordondowds4247
That's their M.O. Epic stuff 👌
@maximpopov8651
Blues is the healer ☮️💜☮️
@jd-vb2sg
Steel Stacks one of the Best Mule shows I've been to and these sound checks are the proof.
@nickjanice6356
Got into this band just a while back (saw them in London last year, what a show!!!!!). I rate this guy as one of my favourite players along with Keith Richard’s Martin Barre, Mick Jones (The Clash) and Richard Thompson, stunning stuff.
@user-oz4vt4hv9l
Круто... Правильная музыка. Old schools.
@vitorbarbosa5656
Fantástic
👍👍👍👏👏👏👏