JJ Cale (also J.J. Cale), born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Okl… Read Full Bio ↴JJ Cale (also J.J. Cale), born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back".

His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic.

Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean Jacques Cale". A Sunset Strip nightclub owner employing Cale in the mid-1960s came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale[citation needed]. In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.

Lies
JJ Cale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You told me this,
You told me that
You try to tell me,
Tell me where it's at
You said you loved me,
I can see through that
Lies, lies, lies
You left me hangin',

Hangin' from a limb
You said you loved me,
Then you left with him
Lord, you did it to me,
I see it in your eyes
Lies, lies, lies
Tell me baby,
Why you take my time
You get a thrill off
Playing with my mind
Lord, you did it to me,

I see it in your eyes
Lies, lies, lies

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to JJ Cale's song "Lies" speak about a relationship filled with dishonesty and deceit. The first stanza refers to the partner trying to convince the singer that they love him, but he sees through their lies and knows that their love is not genuine. The second stanza talks about how the partner has abandoned the singer and betrayed him by leaving for someone else. He can see the truth in their eyes, and it confirms that everything they told him before was a lie.

As the song goes on, the singer questions why his partner would waste his time and play with his mind. He accuses them of finding pleasure in manipulating his emotions and leaving him in pain. Overall, the lyrics convey feelings of hurt and betrayal, as well as a profound sense of disappointment and disillusionment with a relationship that has been based on lies.

Line by Line Meaning

You told me this,
You made a statement about something,

You told me that
You made a statement about something else,

You try to tell me,
You attempt to guide me to where something is,

Tell me where it's at
You ask me to clarify the location of something,

You said you loved me,
You expressed a feeling of love towards me,

I can see through that
I can tell that your statement of love is not genuine,

Lies, lies, lies
You are consistently deceptive (repeated for emphasis),

You left me hangin',
You abandoned me and left me in a difficult situation,

Hangin' from a limb
Leaving me in a precarious and dangerous position,

You said you loved me,
You expressed the same feeling again,

Then you left with him
But then you betrayed me by leaving with someone else,