First Time I Met The Blues
Jack Bruce Lyrics


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First time I met the blues
I was walkin down thro' the woods
First time I met you mister blues
I was walking I was walkin down thro' the woods
Knew you would do me no good
First time I met you mister blues

The blues they came after me
And you know they rode me down thro' the trees
Well the blues they came after me
And you know they rode me, rode me down thro' the trees
You should have seen me on my knees beggin'
Blues don't bother me

Good mornin' mister blues
Why do you do what you do to me
Good mornin' mister blues
Why do you do what you do to me
Well you know you've been with me
Every single mornin'




Every single night
And every noon

Overall Meaning

In Jack Bruce's song "First Time I Met The Blues," the singer describes encountering the blues for the first time while walking through the woods. The singer addresses the blues as "mister," and expresses a sense of foreboding about encountering them. As the song progresses, the blues "ride" the singer down through the trees, suggesting a sense of being overwhelmed or pursued. Despite this, the singer tells the blues that they "don't bother me" and continues to encounter them regularly.


The lyrics of this song offer a compelling portrayal of the blues as a force to be reckoned with. The language used to describe the blues is rich and evocative, with powerful imagery such as the idea of being "ridden down" by the blues. At the same time, the singer's interactions with the blues suggest a kind of familiarity, as if the blues are a constant presence in their life. This duality makes for a complex and engaging interpretation of the song.


Overall, "First Time I Met The Blues" is a poignant and powerful exploration of one person's relationship with the blues. The singer's voice is both resigned and defiant, suggesting that even though the blues may be difficult to face, they are an unavoidable part of the human experience.


Line by Line Meaning

First time I met the blues
The initial encounter with the melancholic state of mind and the genre of music which depicts it.


I was walkin down thro' the woods
The moment when the state of mind of the persona was vulnerable and open to the blues.


First time I met you mister blues
Referring to the first experience of the persona with the depressing genre of blues music.


I was walking I was walkin down thro' the woods
Emphasizing the state of vulnerability of the persona during the first experience with the blues.


Knew you would do me no good
Already aware of the impact the blues can have on the psyche of the persona.


The blues they came after me
The depression, the sadness seeped through the persona after the first experience with the blues genre.


And you know they rode me down thro' the trees
Blues dragged the persona deeper into the woods of sadness and melancholy.


You should have seen me on my knees beggin'
The mental state of the persona has been reduced to a beggar's state, seeking freedom from the clutches of the blues.


Blues don't bother me
Despite being caught up in the grip of blues, the persona is able to remain unfazed, saying that the blues don't hurt them anymore.


Good mornin' mister blues
Addressing the state of mind by name, accepting it despite the pain it brings.


Why do you do what you do to me
Questioning the reason behind the blues having such a strong grip on the persona.


And every noon, every single night
The blues never leave the persona's side, it engulfs them all day and night.




Contributed by Austin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@ireneruthfox

This is Gold. Jack will always be the man. Amazing.

@cwbeas

He was such an amazing musician. He was one of those guys who pushed the standards for bassists in rock. 

@dynasticlight1073

A ,Truer Artist in Finer fettle .You'll never see or hear the same anywhere. Jack was one w/ a higher content of His own Mastery/ Missed & Loved .

@thebrazilianatlantis165

Thanks Jack for being a blues original.

@Fiendhorn

I don't see the sloppiness. And his singing is great. He sings like Jack Bruce. He's never been obsessively meticulous and has no obsession with "polish" or being "tight" in the small minded sense of the musical bean counters who would miss the forest for the trees. Bruce plums for the transcendent and achieves it far more than, I would say, most.

@icedrum1

Now THIS is the Blues! Thanks for posting this!

@jamesjosephluke

you're all insane. incredible performance by jack and this band.

@jsilence418

Great live version of this ,recorded at klooks kleek, in the very early sixties with Graham Bond!

@rodrigo.agueiro

Uma das melhores de todos os tempos.

@simonlawrie9215

David Sancious is outstanding on this .

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