The son of stage and film performers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Davis made his stage debut at age 16 in the play "Cotton Comes to Harlem". He recorded an album for the Folkways label in 1978, appeared in the film "Beat Street" in 1984, appeared on the daytime television drama "One Life to Live", appeared in the play "Mulebone" -- with a score by Taj Mahal -- in 1991. He also portrayed bluesman Robert Johnson in the play "Trick the Devil" in 1993. Davis signed with the Red House label and recorded his Delta Blues debut, Stomp Down Rider in 1995. Since then he has performed and recorded acoustic blues. His releases include "Call Down the Thunder", "You Don't Know My Mind" and "Butt Naked Free".
In 2010, he appeared in the Broadway Revival of "Finian's Rainbow", composing and performing the "Dance of the Golden Crock", a duet for harmonica and ballet dancer.
As well as a string of her own albums, Davis has contributed songs on a host of tribute and compilation albums, including collections on bluesmen Charley Patton and Robert Johnson.
In 2012 Davis released an audio play called The Adventures of Fishey Waters: In Bed with the Blues. It is a compilation of "historical" tales in the form of a play accompanied by Davis in song.
Pay Day
Guy Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out of work and on the streets
Taken by the politicians, banks and corporations
They're the real thieves, yeah
While we've been working
They've been raping and robbing us blind
But today's the end my friend
We're taking back what's yours and mine
Payday for you and me tonight
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all tonight
We're locked and loaded
Gonna take those sick fucks down
If I had it my way
I'd put 'em all six feet in the ground
Better to let them live without
That which they love most
Dallas, Hox, Chains and Wolf
Are bringing all that money home
Giving it to those in need
It's payday for you and me tonight, yeah
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all tonight
We're gonna take it all tonight
We're gonna take it all tonight
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all tonight
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We're gonna take it all tonight
The opening verse of Guy Davis’s song “Pay Day” addresses the issue of unemployment and poverty in society, highlighting the plight of millions of people who are out of work and living on the streets. Davis suggests that these people have been taken advantage of by politicians, banks, and corporations, whom he regards as the real thieves. He expresses his anger at the fact that while ordinary people have been working hard to make a living, the rich and powerful have been exploiting and stealing from them.
In the chorus, Davis indicates that he believes that the time has come for a revolution. He calls for people to rise up and take back what is rightfully theirs. The term “anarchy” implies a violent and radical response to the injustice perpetrated by the ruling classes. Davis appears to be advocating for some kind of direct action that would enable ordinary people to seize control of the means of production and redistribute wealth more equitably. The repetition of the phrase “it’s payday” suggests that the revolutionaries are owed something for their hard work and that the time has come for them to claim their due.
“Pay Day” is a song that speaks to the theme of social inequality and economic injustice. Davis is calling for a radical response to these issues, which he sees as a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution. He suggests that our current political and economic systems are corrupt and that they need to be replaced with more equitable and just alternatives.
Line by Line Meaning
Millions of people
There are millions of people out there
Out of work and on the streets
They are jobless and homeless
Taken by the politicians, banks and corporations
They have been exploited by politicians, banks and corporations
They're the real thieves, yeah
Those politicians, banks and corporations are the real criminals
While we've been working
While we have been toiling hard
They've been raping and robbing us blind
They have been looting us without mercy
But today's the end my friend
Today, we are putting an end to this
We're taking back what's yours and mine
We are reclaiming what rightfully belongs to us
It's time for anarchy
It is time for rebellion
Payday for you and me tonight
We are going to get paid tonight
We're gonna take it all (it's payday!)
We are going to take everything
We're locked and loaded
We are ready and armed
Gonna take those sick fucks down
We are going to take down those corrupt people
If I had it my way
If it were up to me
I'd put 'em all six feet in the ground
I would kill them all
Better to let them live without
It's better to let them live without
That which they love most
The things they love the most
Dallas, Hox, Chains and Wolf
The names of people involved
Are bringing all that money home
They are bringing all the money they have stolen
Giving it to those in need
They are giving it to those who deserve it
It's payday for you and me tonight, yeah
We are getting paid tonight
We're gonna take it all tonight
We are going to take everything tonight
Contributed by Victoria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.