Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in The Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown
Studio albums
Please Please Please (1958)
Try Me! (1959)
Think! (1960)
The Amazing James Brown (1961)
James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A. (1962)
Prisoner of Love (1963)
Grits & Soul (1964)
Showtime (1964)
Out of Sight (1964)
James Brown Plays James Brown Today & Yesterday (1965)
Mighty Instrumentals (1966)
James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) (1966)
James Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1966)
Handful of Soul (1966)
James Brown Sings Raw Soul (1967)
James Brown Plays the Real Thing (1967)
Cold Sweat (1967)
I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me (1968)
I Got the Feelin' (1968)
James Brown Plays Nothing But Soul (1968)
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things (1968)
A Soulful Christmas (1968)
Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969)
Gettin' Down to It (1969)
The Popcorn (1969)
It's a Mother (1969)
Ain't It Funky (1970)
Soul on Top (1970)
It's a New Day - Let a Man Come In (1970)
Hey America (1970)
Sho Is Funky Down Here (1971)
Hot Pants (1971)
There It Is (1972)
Get on the Good Foot (1972)
Black Caesar (1973)
Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
The Payback (1973)
Hell (1974)
Reality (1974)
Sex Machine Today (1975)
Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump (1975)
Hot (1976)
Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)
Bodyheat (1976)
Mutha's Nature (1977)
Jam 1980's (1978)
Take a Look at Those Cakes (1978)
The Original Disco Man (1979)
People (1980)
Soul Syndrome (1980)
Nonstop! (1981)
Bring It On! (1983)
Gravity (1986)
I'm Real (1988)
Love Over-Due (1991)
Universal James (1993)
I'm Back (1998)
The Merry Christmas Album (1999)
The Next Step (2002)
Stagger Lee
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the leaves came tumbling down
I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark
He was barkin' at the two men who were gamblin' in the dark
It was Stagger Lee and Billy, two men who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven, Billy swore that he threw eight
"You have won all my money and my brand new stetson hat"
Stagger Lee started off goin' down that railroad track
He said "I can't get you Billy but don't be here when I come back"
Stagger Lee went home and he got his forty-four
Said "I'm goin' to the barroom just to pay that debt I owe"
Stagger Lee went to the barroom and he stood across the barroom door
He said "Nobody move" and he pulled his forty-four
Stagger Lee shot Billy, oh he shot that poor boy so bad
Till the bullet came through Billy and it broke the bartender's glass
The lyrics to James Brown's "Stagger Lee" describe a violent encounter between two men who were gambling late one night. Stagger Lee was losing badly to his opponent, Billy, but when Billy won with seven, Stagger Lee accused him of cheating and demanded his money back. When Billy refused, Stagger Lee left, promising to return with his gun. He did exactly that - he went to the barroom where Billy was still playing and shot him, killing him instantly.
The opening lines of the song set a mood that is both eerie and serene. The clear night and yellow moon suggest calm and beauty, but the falling leaves symbolize the coming of autumn, a time of dying and decay. The juxtaposition of these images creates a sense of foreboding, as though something ominous is about to happen. This feeling is reinforced by the barking of the bulldog and the mention of the two men gambling in the dark. These details suggest secrecy and danger, warning the listener that this story will not have a happy ending.
Line by Line Meaning
The night was clear and the moon was yellow
It was a clear night with a yellow moon, creating a serene atmosphere.
And the leaves came tumbling down
Autumn leaves were falling from the trees, indicating the season.
I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark
The singer was standing on the street corner when he heard his dog bark.
He was barkin' at the two men who were gamblin' in the dark
The dog was barking at two men gambling in the dark, suggesting something suspicious.
It was Stagger Lee and Billy, two men who gambled late
The two men gambling were named Stagger Lee and Billy, and they were doing so at a late hour.
Stagger Lee threw seven, Billy swore that he threw eight
In the game of gambling, Stagger Lee threw a seven, while Billy claimed he threw an eight.
Stagger Lee told Billy, 'I can't let you go with that'
Stagger Lee said he couldn't let Billy leave with the money and his new stetson hat.
'You have won all my money and my brand new stetson hat'
Stagger Lee acknowledges that Billy won all his money and his new stetson hat, which he doesn't want to lose.
Stagger Lee started off goin' down that railroad track
Stagger Lee left the scene and headed down the railroad track.
He said 'I can't get you Billy but don't be here when I come back'
Stagger Lee warns Billy not to be there when he returns, although he can't get him at the moment.
Stagger Lee went home and he got his forty-four
Stagger Lee retrieved his gun, a forty-four, implying his intentions were violent.
Said 'I'm goin' to the barroom just to pay that debt I owe'
Stagger Lee said he was going to the barroom to settle his debt with Billy, but with a hidden agenda.
Stagger Lee went to the barroom and he stood across the barroom door
Stagger Lee entered the bar and stood across the door, indicating he means business.
He said 'Nobody move' and he pulled his forty-four
Stagger Lee threatened everyone with his gun, announcing nobody should move at the sight of his weapon.
Stagger Lee shot Billy, oh he shot that poor boy so bad
Stagger Lee shot Billy, causing him great harm, in an act of revenge.
Till the bullet came through Billy and it broke the bartender's glass
The bullet that Stagger Lee shot Billy with went through his body and broke the bartender's glass, emphasizing the violence of the scene.
Contributed by Avery H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.