His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."
Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.
His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.
Can't Live Here
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No you can't live here like this anymore
No you can't live here like this
'Cause your man he ain't gonna like it
No you can't live here like this anymore
What's your mama gonna say
About you when you get home
About you when you get home
She's gonna whip your butt for sure now
She's gonna wonder what you do now
What's your mama gonna say
About you when you get home
You better slip on across that fence
Where you belong
You better get on back there quick
Before they know you're gone
No you can't live here like this
Cause your people ain't gonna like it
No you can't live here like this anymore
The song Can't Live Here by J.J. Cale tells the story of a girl who is living with a man that her family does not approve of. The opening line "Well you can't live here like this anymore" sets the tone of the song, indicating that the girl must leave her current situation. The repetition of the line throughout the song emphasizes the urgency of the situation.
The lyrics suggest that the girl's "man" is not happy with her staying there. This could mean that he is abusive or controlling. However, it is also possible that he simply does not want to cause family problems or has already been asked by them to leave. Either way, the girl is not welcome to stay.
The song ends with a warning from the singer for the girl to get back home before her family finds out. The repeated line "No you can't live here like this anymore" becomes a plea for the girl to do what is right and go back to where she belongs, before things get worse.
Overall, Can't Live Here is a cautionary tale about the importance of listening to family and making good choices in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you can't live here like this anymore
It is no longer possible for you to continue living here in this manner
No you can't live here like this anymore
The state of affairs is such that living here in this way is simply not an option
No you can't live here like this
This particular mode of living is untenable and unacceptable
'Cause your man he ain't gonna like it
Your partner will definitely disapprove of this mode of living
What's your mama gonna say
What will your mother's reaction be
About you when you get home
Regarding your current state after arriving at your residence
She's gonna whip your butt for sure now
She will certainly discipline you harshly
She's gonna wonder what you do now
She will be curious as to what you have been up to
You better slip on across that fence
It is advisable for you to discreetly leave and distance yourself from this situation
Where you belong
Return to your appropriate place
You better get on back there quick
It is important that you return as soon as possible
Before they know you're gone
Before those who are not on your side are aware of your departure
Cause your people ain't gonna like it
Your family and associates will disapprove of your current lifestyle
No you can't live here like this anymore
Staying here in this way is no longer an option
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: J. J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind