Killing Floor
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics


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I should of quit you
A long time ago
I should of quit you baby
A long time ago
But you got me messin' round with you baby
You got me cryin' on a killin' floor, yeah
If I don't fallow, yeah
My first mind
If I don't fallow pretty baby
My first mind
I would have been gone since my second time
Yeah
Lord knows, right now
I should've been gone
Lord knows, I should've been gone
You got me messin' round with you baby
You got me cryin' on a killin' floor
Yeah, that's all




Ooh, you got me cryin' baby
Ohh, you got me cryin'

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jimi Hendrix's "Killing Floor" appears to be about an unfaithful lover who continues to draw the singer back in, even though the singer knows they should have left a long time ago. The singer is regretful about not following their "first mind" and leaving the relationship, and now finds themselves trapped in a cycle of pain and crying on a "killin' floor." The repetition of "I should have quit you" emphasizes the singer's internal struggle and the difficulty of breaking free from a toxic relationship.


The metaphor of the "killin' floor" adds another layer to the song's meaning, possibly alluding to the merciless nature of love and the emotional pain it can cause. The use of blues instrumentation and Jimi Hendrix's powerful guitar playing also contribute to the intense emotions conveyed in the song.


Line by Line Meaning

I should of quit you
I should have ended our relationship


A long time ago
A while back


But you got me messin' round with you baby
But you still have power over me, and I can't resist you


You got me cryin' on a killin' floor, yeah
Your actions are causing me intense pain and distress


If I don't fallow, yeah
If I don't listen to my instincts


My first mind
My intuition


I would have been gone since my second time
I would have left you after the second time, if I had listened to my intuition


Lord knows, right now
I know that right now


I should've been gone
I should have left you


Yeah, that's all
That's all I have to say


Ooh, you got me cryin' baby
You are making me sad and emotional


Ohh, you got me cryin'
You are making me cry




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Chester Burnett

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@FIVE-0-APOCALYPTO

Well let's face it it's sort of like the offensive line on a football team and across the board it's a thankless job but the people that understand it really appreciate it and a bassist across the board never really does get the credit they deserve but I hear you I love that little thump up and up and up and up while Jimmy was adjusting the knobs at the beginning and just kind of casually strolling around.....dude, i hear yuh man.

I'm not going to name all of them on the almond Brothers but if you listen to all the various mountain jams between 1969 and 1973, it took a few years but all the sudden one day with that 28 minute long one they did at the Atlanta Pop festival mountain jam song, it hit me on the bass part like a ton of bricks and I've been hooked ever since.

I never liked to say which is a favorite but we all got them particular songs where they really do it just right and it all comes together just right and then we find that it's not just us who likes it so what I was going to say was another real good one is the Nassau coliseum mountain jam that one is 31 minutes and the base solo portion.....come on, lol, i mean really? They really did a good job of taping it it's so nice and clear I mean like compared to some other stuff unfortunately but I don't care either way that's fine I appreciate it on out of this world levels cuz no matter what I always got my music, but as the bass solo transitions annnnnnd LAMARRRR WILLIAMS... And how it's seamlessly transitions into the organ piano and the way he's hitting them notes for me... That is really connecting with my particular vibration and I mean like, it fixes me up all brand new and stuff and all I got to do is have some battery power and some fingers to press play on the phone screen and it's the gift that keeps on giving.... And then boom... The next song because I got them all randomized might be some of that Duane Allman doing that's all right Mama with the grateful Dead..... I don't know I mean it's like you got all these different songs schemes on a damn phone and it's hard to say which one actually gets better and better....mannn i tell yuh.

Of course it's the end of the world because since then I don't know what happened, I don't know where there's any more music for real,; these guys here all signified the beginning of the end, and I don't care necessarily if it's not really people's fault these days that you got a specter out there killing everybody's spirit, there's always that option of saying f you and just start punching whatever in front of you, but it's that spirit, it's a crime to abandon at least that much you know?

They can never kill an idea but somehow they managed it because it's obvious everyone allowed it to happen but not me but I'm not a musician. I went out there at a young age and turned it all around and grabbed a shovel and I took that instrument to the highest level I could... IT WASN'T ME LOSING NO SPIRIT.

NOT ME......not me.



All comments from YouTube:

@MarleneJohnson-ps9pk

Hendrix's Killing floor intro is unmatched by any guitarist during any time period. Who is left that can play at this level? no one.

@angelaburton2170

Philip sauce and Chris Duarte are 2 off the top of my head that can

@guitarmanrommel3865

Best improvised intro of this classic tune ever!🎵☮️💙

@billsanders6772

I got to see Hendrix twice when I was younger. First time opening for the Monkees in Charlotte, NC and the 2nd time at the 2nd Atlanta Pop Festival in Byron, Georgia July 1970 about 6 weeks or so before he died (tragic thing)! I was 17 and rode my motorcycle to the festival between my junior and senior year. I am a bass player then and now (played with Artimus Pyle Band) and have owned a Sound Productions business since 1990! I still get excited and love live music to this day!!

@anthonyrichard461

Holy Smoke. I used to play Led Zeppelin's Lemon Song which is really this Song The Killing Floor. Also played the original version but this was awesome.

@Rainydaydreamaway7

That windmill in the intro is some of the coldest shit you’ll ever see. Effortless mastery, you can’t fake that kind of cool

@darrylturner2611

Tanner you are spot on Jimi was too fucin cool!!

@risteardohaodha23

'We're going to mess around and jam. You would't know the difference anyway." It's well documented that Jimi was forced by management to do this tour with the Experience even though he was musically done with that format and bored out of his mind with the "oldies but badies", thus his dourer demure. They still manage to kick ass with Killing Floor though!

@carloseugeniocarlos4287

the man that makes a guitar sings.Jimi Hendrix is the guy.Rest in peace.

@SuperLordHawHaw

The bass here is killing it too

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