With a band name that’s evocative of the thick, dizzying vibes coursing thr… Read Full Bio ↴With a band name that’s evocative of the thick, dizzying vibes coursing through their latest album, Holywater, Nashville-based blues-soul outfit HeavyDrunk continues to solidify their reputation both on record and in their live shows, which bristle with kinetic, freewheeling energy. The nine-piece group’s unusual name originated with a quip from no less than blues icon Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, relayed later to HeavyDrunk front man, Rob Robinson by a friend and musician who played in Brown’s band at one time. “Man, he’s a no-playin’ so-and-so... and a heavy drunk!” the music legend sneered, when urged to invite the unnamed subject of those derisive words – another well-known blues artist – on stage to play with him. While Robinson remains protective of the identity of the musician whose reputation inspired the band name, there’s no denying that the ace players who contribute to the HeavyDrunk sound create their own intoxicating blend of musical flavors including Mississippi Delta blues, rousing gospel, sultry soul and muscular rock ‘n’ roll.

At the helm of this nine-piece band is Robinson, a Louisiana-born, Mississippi-raised singer-songwriter and restaurateur with feet firmly planted in the dual worlds of classic – and decidedly Southern – music and food. The owner, since 2008, of multi-award- winning and historic Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, 45 minutes south of Nashville, Robinson leads a band that smokes onstage, while offstage he spends much of his time feeding the smoker at Puckett’s in order to serve up some of the restaurant distinctive, slow-cooked barbecue and other famed dishes.

“To me it’s always been about food and music," says Robinson. "In Monroe, we had a neighbor, Fannie, that used to keep me. She would come over and help with the housework and stuff like that. She was a big, black woman and she sang in the choir at church. My first living memory is falling asleep as a baby, listening to her singing gospel tunes. Then I moved to Jackson, Mississippi, and pretty much grew up between Jackson and Monroe, Louisiana. Mom bought a five-dollar guitar at a garage sale down the street, and that’s really where I got my start. It was the best therapy that I could have ever had as a young man growing up, just to be able to get my feelings out through a song."

With memories of Cochon du Lait (smoked pork, literally translated as “milk of the pig”), and crawfish boils mingling with ever-present live music, Robinson was introduced to and inspired by the many Delta blues artists who played Enoch’s, a Monroe café where he often worked in the kitchen, since he was still underage and otherwise unable to get into the venue.

Once he moved to Nashville, then to Leipers Fork to take over Puckett's, Robinson started a weekly open mic night with HeavyDrunk playing the old country store every Thursday night. He also started a "Beer, Barbecue and Jesus" night featuring gospel music on Sundays.

All but two of the songs on Holywater – the exceptions being a Rolling Stones cover ("Slave") and "Midnight in Harlem," penned by Mike Mattison and Derek Trucks – were written or co-written by Robinson and are brought to the peak of flavor by the acclaimed players, whose various resumes include backing Elvis Presley, Prince and Keb' Mo', among many others.

Encompassing vocals, drums, bass, keyboards, two guitars, two horns and a pair of soulful background singers in the mix, Holywater sizzles from start to finish, kicking off with the explosive "If I Loved You Hard Enough," with its provocative opening line, "I grabbed her by the hair of her head and drug her across the Piggly Wiggly parking lot."

Hypnotic horns and a more mellow setting distinguish the album's title cut, which calls to mind prime Randy Newman or Leon Russell material. The seductive "I Can't Be Satisfied" is one of the tracks spotlighting horns and vintage Hammond B3 organ, while tunes including "Somebody's Got to Take Them Panties Off" take a refreshingly direct, albeit devishly humorous, approach to seduction.

Of special note throughout are the gospel-infused background vocalists, including Renee Armand. "She’s not singing lead on anything on this record," says Robinson, "but I’m sure it will come to that. She has a rich history. She's written for Michael Jackson and she wrote with Hoyt Axton. She has one of those voices... when you hear it, you just kind of have to stop. Kind of like, 'Well, OK, if there’s anything on earth that’s just close to what an angel sounds like, it’s that."

Another of the album's most delectable ingredients is its infectious grooves, found in such upbeat numbers as "Pick You Up Along the Way," which charts a psychedelic journey on a magic-filled mountain in which one encounters a walrus and a dancing bear on the way to enlightenment.

Closing the record, the tender "Shine On" reflects on a lost love. Less a bluesy lament and more a song of hope, it's a fitting, if somewhat bittersweet dessert to the satisfying 13-course meal that is Holywater.

Whatever the recipe, Robinson reiterates that for him, music and food are interchangeable and essential. "It’s kinda like when you pour a good barbecue sauce over a great piece of meat; it just infuses itself into the music," he notes. "I’ve run a barbecue joint for the past 11 years and it just kinda soaks into the music. I don’t know that I can particularly tell you how, but I feel it and it’s a just a part of me now."

Website: Heavydrunk

Slave
Heavydrunk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it

Yeah, twenty-four hours a day
Why don't you go down to the grocery store
cnd steal me something off the shelf
Drop by the liquor store, gas up my Cadillac

cnd be back by a quarter til twelve
Go see my cousin down on Clairmont
See what he got for sale
Don't give me no lip, you know

Slave, don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave

Every Saturday why you wearing that funky worn out t-shirt?
Why don't you get out into the yard and do some real work?
Look at them hedges, they need trimming
cnd the grass it has turned to dirt
Get up off that couch and quit acting like some lazy no account
Good for nothing jerk

Slave, don't wanna be your slave
cin't gonna be your slave
cin't gonna be your slave
cin't gonna be your slave

You got me doin'
You got me doin'
You got me doin'

Slave, don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave

Do it, do it, yeah you got me doin'

Slave, don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave

Don't wanna be your slave
Don't wanna be your slave

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Heavydrunk's song "Slave" depict a person expressing their desire to break free from a toxic and oppressive relationship. The repeated phrase "do it" serves as an urging or taunting from the partner, pressuring the singer to fulfill their demands. The singer, however, resists this control and asserts their independence.

In the first verse, the singer suggests that their partner expects them to be at their beck and call constantly, even requesting them to steal groceries and fuel up their car. The mention of the cousin selling something implies potential illegal activities. The singer rejects this expectation, demanding not to be treated as a slave.

In the second verse, the singer questions their partner's laziness and lack of contribution. They criticize their partner's choice of clothing and their neglect of household chores. The mention of the hedges and grass needing maintenance symbolizes the neglected state of the relationship. The singer asserts their refusal to be controlled and manipulated, reiterating that they will not be anyone's slave.

Overall, "Slave" portrays a person standing up against an oppressive relationship, refusing to be controlled or dominated by their partner. The repeated phrase "do it" serves as a reminder of the partner's expectations and the singer's determination to resist them.

Line by Line Meaning

Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
Take action, perform the task repeatedly

Yeah, twenty-four hours a day
Continuously, around the clock

Why don't you go down to the grocery store
Go to the supermarket

cnd steal me something off the shelf
Illegally take something for me

Drop by the liquor store, gas up my Cadillac
Visit the liquor store and refuel my Cadillac

cnd be back by a quarter til twelve
Return before twelve-fifteen

Go see my cousin down on Clairmont
Visit my relative living on Clairmont Street

See what he got for sale
Inquire about the items he has available for purchase

Don't give me no lip, you know
Don't argue or talk back to me, you understand

Slave, don't wanna be your slave
I refuse to be under your control or exploited

Don't wanna be your slave
I don't desire to be treated as your subordinate