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.
Voodoo Child / Stepping Stone
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER WE'D LIKE TO SAY THAT YOU ALL REALLY HAD A LOT OF PASHENTS
THREE DAYS WORTH. YOU'VE PROOVED TO THE WORLD WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF
LOVE AND SOUNDS. OH, I LEFT MY GIRLFRIEND AT HOME I'M SORRY. I'D LIKE TO DO A THING
THAT A NEW AMERICAN ANTHEM UNTIL WE GET ANOTHER ON TOGETHER. THIS IS CALLED 'VOODOO
CHILD (SLIGHT RETURN)'."
I CHOP IT DOWN WITH THE EDGE OF MY HAND
WELL, I STAND UP NEXT TO A MOUNTAIN
AND I CHOP IT DOWN WITH THE EDGE OF MY HAND
I PICK UP ALL THE PIECES AND MAKE AN ISLAND
MIGHT EVEN RAISE A LITTLE SAND
YEAH HEY
CAUSE I'M A VOODOO CHILD, VOODOO CHILD
LORD KNOWS I'M A VOODOO CHILD BABY
JIMI:
"BEFORE WE LEAVE I'D LIKE TO SAY THE NAME OF THE GROUP ONE MORE TIME
THIS IS OUR FIRST LITTLE GIG WE'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR LETTIN' US USE YOUR EARS, AND YOUR HEARTS. AND THE NAME OF THE GROUP
IS GYPSY SUN AND RAINBOWS, AND YOU CAN CALL IT HA HA BAND OF GYPSIES,
ANYTHING YOU WANT TO. HERE WE GO again A COUPLE OF PURPLE PATH SONGS.
PLAYIN' THE CONGOS OVER THERE THAT'S JUMA, AND LARRY LEE JUST WALKIN AROUND
IN SPACE, AND WE GOT WE GOT BILLY COX PLAYIN' BASS OVER THERE, MITCH MITCHELL
JERRY VELEZ."
I DIDN'T MEEN TO TAKE UP ALL YOUR SWEET TIME
I'M GONNA WRITE BACK ONE OF THESE DAYS
I DIDN'T MEEN TO TAKE UP ALL YOUR SWEET TIME
WRITE BACK ONE OF THESE DAYS
HEYAAAAHEYAAA
I DON'T SEE YOU NO MORE IN THIS WORLD
MAYBE I'LL TRY THE NEXT ONE YOU'LL BE THERE
YOU'LL BE THERE
JIMI:
"I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD NIGHT, I'D LIKE TO SAY
PEACE. YEAH, AND HAPPINESS, HAPPINESS, YEAH HAPPINESS."
I'M THE MAN, AT LEAST I'M TRYIN' TO BE
BUT I'M LOOKIN FOR THE OTHER PART OF ME
TRYYY TRYYY
YOUR A WOMEN AT LEAST YOU SAY YOU ARE
DOES HE GET WITH MY GUITAR
TRYYYY TRYYYY
OOOOOOO DOOOOOOO
(SCAT SINGING)
JIMI:
"THANK YOU again, YOU CAN LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO WE'RE JUST JAMMIN' THAT'S ALL
YOU CAN LEAVE OR YOU CAN CLAP HA."
The song "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Jimi Hendrix is a powerful ode to the strength and fluidity of the human spirit. Jimi's introduction to the song reflects his appreciation for the audience's patience and love, thanking them for sticking with him through three long days. The song itself, with its riff-heavy guitar and driving drums, is a testament to the power of perseverance and the ability to overcome any obstacle in your path.
The lyrics are about standing up to a mountain, chopping it down with the edge of your hand, and creating an island from the pieces left over. It's a metaphor for overcoming challenges, and Jimi's voice is full of strength and conviction as he sings about being a "Voodoo Child, Lord knows I'm a Voodoo Child." The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the idea of inner strength and the ability to overcome difficulties with the power of your own spirit.
In the end, Jimi thanks the audience and tells them to leave if they want to, but also invites them to jam with him and his band. It's a fitting end to a song that's all about the power of music, love, and community.
Line by Line Meaning
BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER WE'D LIKE TO SAY THAT YOU ALL REALLY HAD A LOT OF PASHENTS
We appreciate your patience and dedication.
THREE DAYS WORTH. YOU'VE PROOVED TO THE WORLD WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE AND SOUNDS.
Your love and support has shown the world the power of music.
OH, I LEFT MY GIRLFRIEND AT HOME I'M SORRY.
Apology for leaving his girlfriend at home.
I'D LIKE TO DO A THING THAT A NEW AMERICAN ANTHEM UNTIL WE GET ANOTHER ON TOGETHER. THIS IS CALLED 'VOODOO CHILD (SLIGHT RETURN)'.
Introducing his new song 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' as a new American anthem.
WELL, I STAND UP NEXT TO A MOUNTAIN
Confidence in his ability to overcome obstacles.
I CHOP IT DOWN WITH THE EDGE OF MY HAND
Strength to overcome obstacles with ease.
I PICK UP ALL THE PIECES AND MAKE AN ISLAND
Taking the pieces of a broken situation and creating something new.
MIGHT EVEN RAISE A LITTLE SAND
Creating a new way of doing things.
CAUSE I'M A VOODOO CHILD, VOODOO CHILD
Identification as a powerful force in the world.
LORD KNOWS I'M A VOODOO CHILD BABY
Acknowledgement that his power comes from a higher force.
BEFORE WE LEAVE I'D LIKE TO SAY THE NAME OF THE GROUP ONE MORE TIME
Gratefulness for the opportunity to perform and promoting his band.
THIS IS OUR FIRST LITTLE GIG WE'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Gratefulness for the opportunity to perform and the audience's support.
FOR LETTIN' US USE YOUR EARS AND YOUR HEARTS.
Gratefulness for the audience's willingness to listen and feel his music.
AND THE NAME OF THE GROUP IS GYPSY SUN AND RAINBOWS, AND YOU CAN CALL IT HA HA BAND OF GYPSIES, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO.
Description of his band's name and invites the audience to refer to them in any way they want.
HERE WE GO again A COUPLE OF PURPLE PATH SONGS.
Announcing his upcoming Purple Path songs.
PLAYIN' THE CONGOS OVER THERE THAT'S JUMA, AND LARRY LEE JUST WALKIN AROUND IN SPACE, AND WE GOT WE GOT BILLY COX PLAYIN' BASS OVER THERE, MITCH MITCHELL JERRY VELEZ.
Acknowledgement of his band members and their instruments.
I DIDN'T MEEN TO TAKE UP ALL YOUR SWEET TIME
Apology for taking up the audience's time.
WRITE BACK ONE OF THESE DAYS HEYAAAAHEYAAA
Hope to connect with the audience in the future.
I DON'T SEE YOU NO MORE IN THIS WORLD MAYBE I'LL TRY THE NEXT ONE YOU'LL BE THERE YOU'LL BE THERE
Hope to reunite with someone in the afterlife.
I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD NIGHT, I'D LIKE TO SAY PEACE. YEAH, AND HAPPINESS, HAPPINESS, YEAH HAPPINESS.
Final expressions of gratitude and wishes for peace and happiness.
I'M THE MAN, AT LEAST I'M TRYIN' TO BE BUT I'M LOOKIN FOR THE OTHER PART OF ME TRYYY TRYYY
Search for self-identity and personal growth.
YOUR A WOMEN AT LEAST YOU SAY YOU ARE DOES HE GET WITH MY GUITAR TRYYYY TRYYY OOOOOOO DOOOOOOO (SCAT SINGING)
Flirtation with a woman and expressing admiration for his guitar.
THANK YOU again, YOU CAN LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO WE'RE JUST JAMMIN' THAT'S ALL YOU CAN LEAVE OR YOU CAN CLAP HA.
Gratefulness for the audience's presence and invitation to engage however they wish.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EchelonRecordings
Enjoy a rare video of Jimi on acoustic guitar! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P701paKEMXs
@freddyzamora176
Hollywood hulk Hogan 💪👍💪 nwo 4 life voooooooo child 🔥🔥🔥
@tonyg1975
Thank you sir
@bashess4913
FIND YOURRSELF FIRRST.......AVE
@kingdeloatch8798
🇺🇸💯🔥🔥🔥🔥
@denismustafov8648
Майкмъл дънлоп
@MusicisWin
The best ever.
@cornball2448
Nice to see you here Tyler, you've taught me a whole lot about guitar, thank you!
@bertjuuhh182
This is not what you typed in the video..! Trickery!
@Schulzenberger
You lied to me.