James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942… Read Full Bio ↴James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music".

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.

Hey Joe #1
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand?
Hey Joe, I said, where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man, yeah
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh, and that ain't too cool

Hey Joe, I heard you shot your mama down
You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
Shot her down in the ground, yeah
Yeah

Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round, messin' round town
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
I shot her

Alright
Shoot her one more time again, baby
Yeah
Oh, dig it
Ah, alright

Hey, Joe
Where you gonna run to now? Where you gonna run to?
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now? Where you, where you gonna go?

Well, dig
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to Mexico way
Alright
I'm goin' way down south
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hangman gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe right now
I gotta go now

Hey, Joe
You better run on down

Goodbye, everybody, ow
Hey, hey, Joe

Overall Meaning

Jimi Hendrix's iconic song Hey Joe has been interpreted by many as a straightforward tale of murder, jealousy and fleeing justice. However, a closer look reveals a more nuanced narrative with possible societal commentary. The song starts with the singer, Joe, talking about his intention to shoot his 'old lady' whom he caught cheating with another man. His statement is then followed by the first instance of someone else questioning him about his intention, "Hey Joe, I heard you shot your mama down," which he confirms.

After another repetition of the initial statement, the second instance of questioning is more forceful, "Hey Joe, where you gonna run to now?" which is followed by Joe's response of going down south to Mexico where he can be free. Here, the lyrics can be interpreted as a commentary on the societal pressures that lead to a cycle of violence, particularly against women, and the impossibility of escape. The mention of Mexico can also be seen as a reference to a place where Jimi Hendrix himself was able to find greater creative freedom as a black artist.

Interestingly, the origins of this song have been a topic of debate. While the song has been credited to Billy Roberts, there are speculations that the song is a rewritten version of a traditional song called 'Little Sadie' or that Hendrix himself wrote it. Additionally, there have been other versions of this song released by various artists like Tim Rose and The Leaves. Hey Joe has been ranked among the greatest rock songs of all time and has been covered by famous artists like Patti Smith and The Offspring.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand?
Asking Joe where he is going with his gun in his hand.

I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man, yeah
Joe is going to shoot his girlfriend for cheating on him.

Hey Joe, I heard you shot your mama down You shot her down now Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down Shot her down in the ground, yeah Yeah
Joe shot his girlfriend and his mother.

Yes, I did, I shot her You know I caught her messin' round, messin' round town Yes, I did, I shot her You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town And I gave her the gun I shot her
Joe admits to shooting his girlfriend and claiming it was because he caught her cheating.

Hey Joe Where you gonna run to now? Where you gonna run to? Hey Joe, I said Where you gonna run to now? Where you, where you gonna go?
Asking Joe where he plans to run away to avoid the consequences of his actions.

Well, dig I'm goin' way down south Way down to Mexico way Alright I'm goin' way down south Way down where I can be free Ain't no one gonna find me Ain't no hangman gonna He ain't gonna put a rope around me You better believe right now I gotta go now
Joe plans to flee to Mexico to avoid getting punished for his crimes and hopes to be free from the pursuit of law enforcement.

Hey, Joe You better run on down Goodbye, everybody, ow Hey, hey, Joe
Saying goodbye to Joe and advising him to run away quickly.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Billy Roberts

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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