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,
Cinnamon Girl
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could be happy the rest of my life
With a cinnamon girl
A dreamer of pictures, I run in the night
You see us together, chasing the moonlight
My cinnamon girl
The drummer relaxes and waits between shows
For his cinnamon girl
A dreamer of pictures, I run in the night
You see us together, chasing the moonlight
My cinnamon girl
Pa sent me money now
I'm going to make it somehow
I need another chance
You see your baby loves to dance
Yeah, yeah, yeah
The song "Cinnamon Girl" by Gov't Mule is about the singer's desire to live with a girl, his Cinnamon Girl. He believes that he could be happy for the rest of his life with her, and even dreams of chasing the moonlight with her. The title of the song, Cinnamon Girl, is used to symbolize his love interest. The lyrics highlight the singer's admiration for his love interest, as he sings about her being his dream girl. He sees her as the one who completes him, who he can live with, and who makes him happy.
The song also talks about the musician's dream of making it big, which is evident from the lines "Pa sent me money now, I'm going to make it somehow. I need another chance." This relates to the struggles of most musicians who want to make it in the industry, highlighting how they are often faced with financial challenges, but with some support, they keep pushing and working towards their goals. The lyrics suggest that the singer is determined to make it, as he believes in his talent and the support that he has.
Overall, "Cinnamon Girl" by Gov't Mule is a love song, but it also speaks to the struggles of making it in life, especially in the music industry. The song expresses the hope and optimism that success can be attained even when facing obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna live with a cinnamon girl
I desire to be with a woman who is sweet and spicy like cinnamon
I could be happy the rest of my life
I believe that living with a cinnamon girl would bring me eternal happiness
With a cinnamon girl
The cinnamon girl is the source of the singer's happiness
A dreamer of pictures, I run in the night
I am an imaginative person who often has vivid dreams
You see us together, chasing the moonlight
In my dreams, I am often with the cinnamon girl chasing the beauty of the world
Ten silver saxes, a bass with a bow
I hear the beautiful sound of ten silver saxophones being played, accompanied by the deep notes of a bass played with a bow
The drummer relaxes and waits between shows
The drummer takes a break in between performances and enjoys the company of the cinnamon girl
For his cinnamon girl
The drummer has a special love for the cinnamon girl
Pa sent me money now
My father sent me money to help me through a tough time
I'm going to make it somehow
I will find a way to succeed, despite my current struggles
I need another chance
I am hoping for another opportunity to make things better
You see your baby loves to dance
The artist enjoys dancing and wants to share that joy with the cinnamon girl
Yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Lyrics © Broken Arrow Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob Schenkel
Warren Haynes is one of the most generous and thoughtful artist in rock and roll today. He always gives his best, and he is never afraid to share the spotlight with other great artists. In fact, he is always very humble and wants to give credit to other first. No wonder everyone wants to play on stage with him. Seen him a lot of times, hope I see him a bunch more.
John Gapter
1st saw Gov't Mule @ the Rock- HORDE. WOW! Colorado crowds are the Best, I know. Love Warren when w/ the Dead or any of the many other groups who blessed us w/ the magic music we all cried & flied to. He made the Jerry vocals & guitar parts sound the way..... Any song he covers is BADASS. Soulshine in Studio C @ KBCO(pre corp)
oicsaywhat
Amen to that, yeah he’s a sweetheart of a guy
retromolars
So true!!!!
Val Labudovic
So true! What a wonderful role model Warren is!
Rambladesman Moe
He is truly an American treasure.
Daniel Fernholz
He's so old-fashioned! What a great artist. Old-fashioned means a lot to me! Modern music has no soul. Warren Haynes is "THE MAN"!
eric karukin
This band always sounds good , they make every cover sound like they are the originators , I fell apon them and they have become one of my go to bands
Clancy Young
They have some great original music too. Warren has a lot of hits under his belt. From his own work and songs like soul shine with the Allman bros to Two of a kind working on a full house recorded by Garth Brooks.
Lawrence Taylor
My favorite Government Mule song has become the next one. Warren is really one of the greats.