Bonamassa was born in Utica, New York. He started playing guitar at age four, encouraged by his father, who was an avid music fan and exposed him to British blues rock records by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, greatly inspiring him. At 11 years old Joe was mentored and trained by American guitar legend, Danny Gatton. When he was 12 years old, he had his own band called Smokin' Joe Bonamassa, which gigged around western New York and Pennsylvania, including cities such as Scranton and Buffalo, but only on weekends since Joe had school on weekdays. Bonamassa played a crimson 1972 Fender Stratocaster he called "Rosie", which his father had bought in Utica, New York.
When he was 12 years old, Bonamassa opened for B.B. King. In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which 11 have reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues charts. Bonamassa has played alongside such artists as Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Blondie Chaplin, Foreigner, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Warren Haynes, Solomon Hicks,and Derek Trucks among others.[4] His career highlights include performances at the Royal Albert Hall and has had three Grammy Award nominations in 2013, for his collaboration album with Beth Hart "Seesaw", in 2016 for the album "Live at the Greek Theatre" and 2022 for the album "Royal Tea". In addition to his music career, Joe Bonamassa runs a nonprofit organisation called the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, whose mission is to further music education by funding scholarships and providing music education resources to schools in need. in 2020, he added an extension to the foundation. Called Fuelling Musicians, it provides $1500 cheques to struggling musicians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
in 2021, he broke his own record for having more #1 Billboard blues albums than anyone in history. The album "Time Clocks" clocked up his 25th #1 album.
He is also known for his enormous collection of vintage guitars and related gear.
Around the Bend
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And here's what I gotta say
I've paid but I had to pay
To play what I had to play
I was born in the country
Straight in the town
And I'll go anywhere
I've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bend
And girls, I've had me a few
Some were small and some were cute
I've tasted the honey and dew
Lord, I will be with You
I was born in the country
Straight in the town
And I'd go anywhere
To see what's going down
I've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bend
Can you let me rest my
Weary head, weary head
Let's find out what this life is
Before we're dead
Before we're dead
Lord, I've come a long way
And here's what I have to say
I've paid what I had to pay
Lord, now I'm on my way
I was born in the country
Straight in the town
Well I'll go anywhere
To see what's going down
I've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bend
The song "Around the Bend" by Joe Bonamassa is an intriguing story of his journey in life to find something that's just around the corner. It's a story of his bravery, resilience, and desire to explore what lies ahead. It begins with the recognition that Bonamassa had come a long way and that he had paid a price to achieve his goals. He is determined to do whatever it takes to play the music he loves, and he knows that true motivation comes from within.
The next stanza discusses Bonamassa's upbringing in the country and moving into the town. He is willing to travel anywhere to explore the world around him. He has seen cowards and heroes, and he is not deterred by fear, and he is not afraid of the unknown. He is willing to take risks and go down any road to see what's around the bend. The song suggests that the journey may be long and winding, but Bonamassa is willing to undertake it if it means he will find what he's looking for.
In the third stanza, Bonamassa talks about the women he's been with. He is not ashamed of his past, and he's enjoyed his adventures. But, he knows that he must move on and accept God's will for him, and he wants to be close to the divine. This point shows that as much as he's exploring the world, he's exploring himself, his faith and his purpose.
The fourth stanza repeats the same themes discussed in the first and second stanzas, but the main message is that Bonamassa wants to take a break from his journey to rest. It seems that he wants to stop for a moment and appreciate the beauty in life, to find out what life is all about before it's over.
The final stanza reminds us of his focus on his purpose, and he's ready to continue his journey. He's ready to continue to explore the world with fresh legs and a determined spirit.
Overall, the song talks about the importance of going after what you want in life without being afraid of the unknown. It's a song of hope, resilience, and relentless spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, I've come a long way
I've experienced a lot and grown since the beginning of my journey
And here's what I gotta say
Now, I have something to express
I've paid but I had to pay
I've suffered to achieve my goals
To play what I had to play
To do what I had to do
I was born in the country
I grew up in rural surroundings
Straight in the town
Continued to live in the city
And I'll go anywhere
I'm willing to travel far
To see what's going down
To witness what's happening in society
I've seen cowards and hero
I've encountered people with varying degrees of courage
As fast as the wind
Rapidly and unexpectedly
I go down any road there is
I'm open to exploring any path
To see what's around the bend
To discover what's ahead
And girls, I've had me a few
I've had relationships with several women
Some were small and some were cute
Different physical attributes don't affect my attraction to someone
I've tasted the honey and dew
I've experienced pleasure and sweetness in life
Lord, I will be with You
I'm ready to face the afterlife
Can you let me rest my
I'm tired
Weary head, weary head
Exhausted mind and soul
Let's find out what this life is
Let's discover the true meaning of existence
Before we're dead
Before we leave this world
Lord, now I'm on my way
I'm moving forward on my journey
Well I'll go anywhere
I'll travel to any place
To see what's going down
To observe what's happening in the world
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JOSEPH BONAMASSA, WILL JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beachbum8687
Lord, I've come a long way
And here's what I gotta say
I've paid but I had to pay
To play what I had to playI was born in the country
Straight in the town
And I'll go anywhere
To see what's going downI've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bendAnd girls, I've had me a few
Some were small and some were cute
I've tasted the honey and dew
Lord, I will be with YouI was born in the country
Straight in the town
And I'd go anywhere
To see what's going downI've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bendCan you let me rest my
Weary head, weary head
Let's find out what this life is
Before we're dead
Before we're deadLord, I've come a long way
And here's what I have to say
I've paid what I had to pay
Lord, now I'm on my wayI was born in the country
Straight in the town
Well I'll go anywhere
To see what's going downI've seen cowards and hero
As fast as the wind
I go down any road there is
To see what's around the bend
@noway246
Love these boys. That's my hubby from Ireland on the fiddle. What a great bunch of lads. Very brave of Joe to go with this acoustic line up. People just love it. Xxxxxx
@donna3465
Your husband has amazing talent, NoWay! I love listening to him, and the others! Gorgeous song!
@appleseed2613
Oh my. He's wonderful!
@cambo6911
He sure spreads the honey on this beautiful piece ❤
Definitely a unique bunch. I've always been fascinated with great musicians that surround themselves with other great musicians like Zak Brown and Paolo Nutini and many many others do. Their genius seems to attract other genius.
The fiddle was the first instrument I learned to play, I've always had a love for fiddle music. Quite a few of my family members were Old Time Fiddlers. A few national champions.
The fiddle, piano, guitar, and vocals, are my favorite instruments. With percussion, harmonica, banjo, mandolin and ukulele taking a close 2nd.
I wish I could play wind instruments, I'd love to play the saxophone. It's always felt extremely foreign to me for some reason.... Maybe one day I'll dedicate some time to actually trying to learn.
Thanks for sharing! 👍
@revolutionunderground
LUCKY TO HAVE A MUSICAL SPOUSE!!! I saw Joe in Amarillo, TX and it was the best concert I've ever been to!
@FroggyWing2
Know it’s 9 years later if you read this this is one that I queue up all the time acoustic so clean!🤗💕 know you are proud of hubby! Ireland on my list to visit
@kiraviies1055
So gentle and beautiful song! Amazing acoustic sounds! One of the favorites!
@M._Lou
Love this song and everything about it. Great melody!!!!!
The fiddle player, wow! Same for all the members of the band...just great! Love Joe's musical genius!
Seeing what’s around the bend is an adventure in finding what's really important in life, I think.…for me that means finding a way to internal peace, self-acceptance, and love toward others.
That line of thinking is what I get for being in my 70's !!! LOL
@eagle0468
To anyone who hasn't seen Joe B. live, you're missing out on one of the premier artists of our generation.
@johnathanstruble1064
Hope to go......now or ... In the here aftér.