Voodoo Child
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Well, I stand up next to a mountain
And I chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I stand up next to a mountain
Chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island
Might even raise a little sand, yeah
'Cause I'm a voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child, baby
Want to say one more last thing
I didn't mean to take you up all your sweet time
I'll give it right back to you one of these days
I said, I didn't mean to take up all your sweet time
I'll give it right back one of these days, yeah
And if I don't meet you no more in this world
Then I'll, I'll meet you in the next one
Now don't be late, don't be late
'Cause I'm a voodoo child, voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child, hey hey hey
I'm a voodoo child, baby
I don't take no for an answer
Just want you to know
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Jimi Hendrix was very interested in using distortion and effects to produce a psychedlic, or mind altering effect from his guitar playing. This song was recorded "live in the studio" with later studio effects (panning guitar from left to right) added for texture. Several aspects of Jimi's playing are showcased here, his ease of improvisation, call and response guitar lines, pickup switching, whammy bar dives, wah-wah pedal use, minor pentatonic screams and squacks. Read Full BioJimi Hendrix was very interested in using distortion and effects to produce a psychedlic, or mind altering effect from his guitar playing. This song was recorded "live in the studio" with later studio effects (panning guitar from left to right) added for texture. Several aspects of Jimi's playing are showcased here, his ease of improvisation, call and response guitar lines, pickup switching, whammy bar dives, wah-wah pedal use, minor pentatonic screams and squacks. Hendrix was a master of sounding like a "guitar army" while being a single person playing.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
twenkmcwanzer
For a performance and recording over 50 years old, this is absolutely outstanding quality. As a lefty guitarist and live sound engineer myself, I just can’t fault anything about this.
Consider the fact that Jimi is playing a right handed guitar upside down before the days of calibrated strings, with a dodgy vintage trem, basic tuners, low output single coil pickups and at least one kind of drug in his system. His control of tone and dynamics is exceptional.
The drums and bass are audible, defined and well balanced for what would have been an incredibly aggressive and mid-heavy guitar tone for the time. They know just how hard they need to play to keep up the volume without battering the shit out of everything.
I’ve mixed plenty of live bands that can’t even close to this level of sound quality and performance with the latest technology.
Top notch.
Robosing
@Michael Hels in your opinion.
nowadays whatever you played on album, that's the notes you play live. otherwise you're seen as lazy.
I agree tho that solos should flow and some improvisation during live shows. I also agree that brian may did play his guitar almost exactly like how he recorded them. but give him a break, he was an astro science major while playing very well himself. his melodies were the best during his time.
that being said, jimi seemed to play with so much soul and emotion, it was on par with b.b. king, buddy and Albert king. Jimi's goal was never to play perfectly rigid and exact. so dont think I expect jimi to, I understand that wasn't his intentions from the get go, it was self expression at the most purist form.
jimi is the most influential, he wasnt the most technically gifted as we just discussed. but he wasnt going for technicality anyway.
another great guitarist was django reinhart was so influential in his time he basically created a new genre of gypsie jazz, and he did so by using 2 fingers.
there are many great guitarists of each genre. chuck berry, and robert Johnson, derek trucks, were amazingly innovative as well.
the list goes on...
Michael Hels
@Robosing Thanks for your input.
I definitely agree that technicality should NOT be thrown to the wayside. What I was trying to posit was that ingenuity happens on the precipice of creative divinity. Those moments where you feel the music that is pouring out of you is true expression, and is no longer a rendition of a piece that you have memorized. Your brain is being challenged in every moment to create a new sound, a new take on the piece, or the riff/scale. Most musicians can only achieve this during practice, when they are alone and are not worried of making mistakes. The Ego gets in the way.
Hendrix dared to make mistakes, and I find that beautiful. His confidence is oozing out of him, as he has been playing so carefree and jovial for so long, he can somehow find a way to turn his mistakes into part of the piece. That on-your-feet thinking is truly remarkable.
He is clearly not the most technically skilled guitarist. History didn't give him the chance to be. He was a pioneer for the rest of us, reminding us that to path forward is not just robotic perfectionism, but expressionism too.
I listened to the song you mentioned. It is impressive, but what I find more impressive is that moment where the original creator of the piece forged those feelings to construct such a song. This is what I see Hendrix doing, on the spot, live, in nearly all of his live performances. He is creating in that very moment. I keep coming back to Hendrix, in awe, to realize this. His improvisational skills are other-worldly.
Don't worry, I can hear his mistakes too, but when I listen to him, damn, he really does convince me he is a voodoo chile. :)
There are some songs that I do feel have hardly any room left for improvisational improvement. Claire De Lune would be one of them. I feel like that song is a still-frame perfect song.
Robosing
a classical guitarists take on your comment regarding playing technically well.
I agree with everything you said. however the idea of playing sloppy if playing emotional calls for it--id have to object.
while I agree, nothing beats playing with emotion, for playing a classical piece, I prefer to hear each note clearly and succinctly. playing a very fast or even allegro passage of music, in a concert hall, calls for very strict, precise playing. there is a limit of course and if you play too rigid, it just sounds robotic and that is no good.
theres a piece named asturias by isaac Albeniz. this song can be played with emotional impact but must. above all else, be played accurate as all hell. the slightest mixing of notes ruins the impact of the rapid fire notes fly by. but if played well, it can really be moving.
in summation. I agree with everything you said. but depending on the genre, sometimes playing accurate isnt all bad.
Guitar Lessons BobbyCrispy
Amazing what Jimi accomplished on guitar considering he only played for 12 years ( age 15 to age 27 )!
J Sky
It's called selling your soul to the devil and letting demons take control of your body. Jimi ain't playing that guitar, something else is playing it through his body. Check out some Carlos Santana interviews talking about how that works and Bob Dylan's interview talking about why he can write songs anymore because "The Master Of The World" is no longer working through him.
DerFabi
@gilmour81 that quiet a long time...if practice more then 3 hours a week
Brian Keegan
And he did it without YouTube
markriobr
@Herbert He used to walk around with his guitar everyday . Was like part of his body
chris k
The man was put on this earth to play Guitar. In the same way we consider Einstein to be one of the most intelligent humans ever, Einstein was born with the capacity to think. The same applies to Hendrix and the Guitar.
leokimvideo
Jimi is amazing, but those others in the band are doing fine as well
Dhruv Malhotra
@MA nope, dont underestimate mitch
MA
Jimi Hendrix could play with a toy drumming monkey and still be amazing
Benard Lawrence
Well put