Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
No More Cane On the Brazos
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They ground it all up in molasses
Captain, don't you do me like you done your poor Shine
Well, they drove that poor Billy 'til he went stone blind
You want to come on the river in 1904
You could find many dead men most every road
If you going on the river in 1910
Why don't you rise up, you dead men
Help me drive my road
Why don't you rise up, you dead men
Help me drive my road
Well, there's some in the building
And there's some in the yard
There's some in the graveyard
And there's some going home
Why don't you wake up, you people
And lift up your heads
You may get your pardon
But you may end up dead
The first verse of "No More Cane On the Brazos" by Ian Gillan mourns the disappearance of cane from the Brazos river due to it being turned into molasses. The second line could imply that the people who cultivated cane and depended on it for their livelihoods lost their source of income. In the next line, the persona begs the captain not to treat him as poorly as he did his own enslaved person, Shine. The following line refers to the cruel working conditions people were subject to, which resulted in some individuals losing their sight due to overworking.
The second verse highlights the deadly nature of being on the river in the years 1904 and 1910, respectively. The persona mentions finding several dead bodies along the river's edge. The following line has a more significant impact when placed in its proper historical context. Men were forced to do hard labor in the fields, and women were subjected to the same treatment. "Driving" is used here in its most literal sense, as if people were mere machines that could be used and then discarded. The last two verses are pleas for the dead and the living, respectively. The persona implores the dead to "rise up" and help him "drive his road," implying that their lives were taken too soon, and their labor was too harsh that they were merely waiting for an opportunity to help relieve the burdens of their families currently living. The last two lines of the song encourage people to stand up for their rights and fight against the injustices of labor exploitation.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no more cane on the Brazos
There is no more sugar cane growing in Brazos.
They ground it all up in molasses
Molasses was made from all the sugar canes.
Captain, don't you do me like you done your poor Shine
Captain, please don't treat me like you did to poor Shine.
Well, they drove that poor Billy 'til he went stone blind
They overworked Billy until he lost his sight.
You want to come on the river in 1904
If you had come to the river in 1904,
You could find many dead men most every road
You would see many dead men everywhere you look.
If you going on the river in 1910
If you went to the river in 1910,
They was driving the women like they drive the men
Women were being overworked and mistreated just like men.
Why don't you rise up, you dead men
Why don't you resurrect and come help me?
Help me drive my road
Help me navigate through this difficult journey.
Well, there's some in the building
Some people are still working in the building.
And there's some in the yard
Some people are still working in the yard.
There's some in the graveyard
Some people have died and been buried in the graveyard.
And there's some going home
And some people are going home.
Why don't you wake up, you people
Why don't you all become aware and conscious?
And lift up your heads
Look up and become aware of the situation.
You may get your pardon
You may find forgiveness for your sins.
But you may end up dead
But there is a possibility that you may die.
Contributed by Leah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Vitor181920
There ain't no more cane on the Brazos
They ground it all up in molasses
Captain, don't you do me like you done your poor Shine
Well, they drove that poor Billy 'til he went stone blind
You want to come on the river in 1904
You could find many dead men most every road
If you going on the river in 1910
They was driving the women like they drive the men
Why don't you rise up, you dead men
Help me drive my road
Why don't you rise up, you dead men
Help me drive my road
Well, there's some in the building
And there's some in the yard
There's some in the graveyard
And there's some going home
Why don't you wake up, you people
And lift up your heads
You may get your pardon
But you may end up dead
@user-vl4rr7fn6k
Великий, несравненный Гиллан!!!❤Красавец во всех отношениях!❤
@Lil1943
His vocal range always amazes me. Love his version of this song.
@clevelandhughes4897
the finest singer of all times
@olgak_9932
Фантастика!!!! Как красиво, обалдеть!!!!
@user-dr8hu9li8z
Гиллан лучший💜👏👏👏👍
@olgak_9932
Здесь как-то особенно вся красота тембра слышна. Фантастика 💜💜💜
@user-dr8hu9li8z
@@olgak_9932 Удивительный и неповторимый💜
@elkepluntke3024
fantastic ... my fave Gillan solo song
@IHIKML
I saw him do this one live back in 1992, and it was beyound amazing!!! The year after I saw him with Purple MKIIc, and it was out of this world!!!
@alexkashia2053
Gillan God!!!!