Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at the age of 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division; he was granted an honorable discharge the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after being discovered by Linda Keith, who in turn interested bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals in becoming his first manager. Within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary". He achieved fame in the U.S. after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and in 1968 his third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number one in the U.S.; it was Hendrix's most commercially successful release and his first and only number one album. The world's highest-paid performer, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, before his accidental death from barbiturate-related asphyxia on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27.
Hendrix was inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues. He favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was instrumental in utilizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He helped to popularize the use of a wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, and was the first artist to use stereophonic phasing effects in music recordings. Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented: "Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. Players before him had experimented with feedback and distortion, but Hendrix turned those effects and others into a controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues with which he began."
Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1967, readers of Melody Maker voted him the Pop Musician of the Year, and in 1968, Rolling Stone declared him the Performer of the Year. Disc and Music Echo honored him with the World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970, Guitar Player named him the Rock Guitarist of the Year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked the band's three studio albums, Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, among the 100 greatest albums of all time, and they ranked Hendrix as the greatest guitarist and the sixth greatest artist of all time.
Gypsy
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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I love your gypsy eyes
I love your gypsy eyes
All right
Gypsy
Way up in my tree I'm sitting by my fire
And known' all the time
Your still rollin' along the country side
Do you still think about me?
Oh my
Gypsy
Well, I walked right on up to your rubble road side
The one that rambles on for a million miles
Yes, I walked down this road searching for your love
And I found some too
But I found her I ain't gonna let go
I remember the first time I saw you
The tears in your eyes look like they're tryin' to say
Oh, little boy, you know I could love you
But first I must make my getaway
Two strange men fightin' to the death over me today
I'll try and meet you by the old highway
Hey!
Well, I realize that I've been hypnotized
I love your gypsy eyes
I love your gypsy eyes
I love your gypsy eyes
I love your gypsy eyes
I've been searching so long
My feet have made me lose the battle
Down against the road my weary knees they got me
Off to the side I fall but I hear her sweet call
My gypsy eyes is comin' and I've been saved
Oh, I've been saved
That's why I love you
Said, I love you
Lord, I love you
The song "Gypsy Eyes" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience is a love song with psychedelic themes. The singer expresses his love for someone who possesses "gypsy eyes," suggesting a free-spirited individual who enjoys a nomadic lifestyle. He reflects on their past relationship and wonders if she still thinks about him as she travels the country. The song is filled with intense guitar riffs that accentuate the lyrics and evoke sentiments of wanderlust, love, longing, and self-discovery.
The song's psychedelic themes were not out of place in the 1960s when the song was released. The hippie culture was in full swing, and many young people rebelled against societal conventions such as formal careers and living in one place. They instead embraced a life of exploration and freedom, living off the land and moving around. The song's narrator embodies this spirit of wanderlust and independence, seeking to reconnect with his former lover who shares the same values.
One of the song's most intriguing lyrics is "two strange men fighting to the death over me today." It suggests that the singer is a sought-after individual but chooses to be with the woman with gypsy eyes. It could also mean that he is fighting an internal battle to choose between his desire to explore and his desire to settle down. Overall, "Gypsy Eyes" is a song that captures the essence of the 1960s counterculture with its blend of free-spiritedness, self-discovery, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I realizes I've been hypnotized
I've finally understood that I've been entranced by your captivating charm
I love you gypsy eyes
I am totally in love with your free-spirited eyes that are full of wonder and mystery
I love you gypsy eyes
I am still in love with those captivating eyes of yours
All right
I'm okay, just getting into the groove
Gypsy
Referring to a carefree and nomadic way of life
Way up in my tree I'm sitting by my fire
I am enjoying the warmth of the fire while perched high on a tree, alone with my thoughts
Wonderin' where in this world might you be
I wonder where you could possibly be in this vast world
And known' all the time
Despite not knowing your whereabouts, I still have a feeling that you're out there somewhere
Your still rollin' along the country side
I feel that you're still traveling the countryside and living that gypsy life
Do you still think about me?
I wonder if you still remember me and think of me from time to time
Oh my
Wow, that's intense
Well I walked right on up to your rubble road side
I found my way to the side of the old, run-down road where you were last seen
The one that rambles on for a million miles
This road seems to go on forever without any sign of an end
Yes I walked down this road searching for your love
I walked this road with the hope of finding your love again
And I found some too
I found someone else along the way
But I found her I ain't gonna let go
I've found someone else, but I won't give up on the hope of finding you
I remember the first time I saw you
I recall the very first moment I laid eyes on you
The tears in your eyes oh that girl's tryin' to say
You had tears in your eyes, and it was clear that you were trying to express something to me
Oh little girl you know I could love you
I want you to know that I am capable of loving you deeply
But first I must make my getaway
However, before I can give in to love, I must first break free from my old life
Two strange men fightin' to the death over me today
I was involved in a situation where two men were literally fighting over me
I'll try and meet you by the old highway
I will make an effort to reunite with you once again by the side of the old highway where we last met
Hey!
What do you say? Let's make this happen!
I've been searching so long
I've been looking for you for what feels like ages
I think they made me lose the battle
All this searching has taken a toll on me, and I feel like I've lost the fight
Down against the road my worry knees
My knees gave out and I fell to the ground in worry and exhaustion
Off to the side I fall but I hear her sweet call
But despite my fall, I hear your sweet voice calling out to me, giving me the strength to stand back up
My gypsy eyes fine and I've been saved
I see your gypsy eyes looking out for me, and I feel like I've been rescued and saved from despair
Oh I've been saved
I feel like you've saved me from my own darkness and despair
That's why I love you
This is the reason why I am so in love with you
I said I love you
I really mean it, I love you
Lord I love you
I love you with all my heart, and I ask for the Lord's blessing on our love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take