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.
Heartache Follows Wherever I Go
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe this love ain't a souvenir
I hope I ain't being a fool
Love going wrong can be so cruel
Maybe I'm walking right into a trap
Maybe some karma just gettin' me back
Maybe this dust on my hand is gold
Winds in my favor, suns at my back
I don't pay those dues and I'm due some money back
You look like your
Life's been a mess
Was it just like me
I've been down to the bottom and I know that it hurts
I've been kicked in the chin, baby
I've grown in the dirt
Winds in my favor, suns at my back
I don't pay those dues and I'm due some money back
You look like your life's been a mess
Was it just like me
I've been down to the bottom and I know that it hurts
I've been kicked in the chin, baby
I've grown in the dirt
Maybe I left it all behind
Different town at another time
Cover my tracks, wear a disguise
Looking for a little piece of mind
Maybe the truth is just a lie
Maybe there's no good reason why
Maybe this dust on my hands is gold
'Cause heartbreak follows me wherever I go
Heartbreak follows me wherever I go
Heartbreak follows me wherever I go
The lyrics portray the hard-knock experiences of love that the singer has endured. He is trying hard to overcome the heart-wrenching pain of a failed relationship, but he has not been able to do so. He thinks that perhaps he's cried enough over the breakup and that one should not carry the baggage of the past, as love can be so cruel when it goes wrong. The singer is unsure whether he's walking into a trap or his past is catching up to him in the form of bad karma. As he sets out to find peace of mind and new beginnings, heartbreak seems to follow him wherever he goes, thus making him a prisoner of his past.
In the second verse, the song becomes more personal, as the singer reaches out to someone else who seems to be going through a rough patch. The singer says that he can identify with the person's struggles, as he too has been kicked in the chin and has grown in the dirt. Despite the hardships, the singer realizes that maybe he left it all behind in a different town at another time, or perhaps he wears a disguise to cover his tracks. He accepts that life can be quite complicated, and sometimes it's hard to locate the truth. Nevertheless, the singer acknowledges that he still carries the dust of his past pain on his hands, but he considers it as gold, probably realizing that the experience has made him wiser.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I'm done crying all them tears
I might have shed all my tears.
Maybe this love ain't a souvenir
This love may not be a memorable keepsake.
I hope I ain't being a fool
I pray I'm not acting foolishly.
Love going wrong can be so cruel
Failed love can be very brutal.
Maybe I'm walking right into a trap
Maybe unknowingly, I'm walking myself into danger.
Maybe some karma just gettin' me back
Perhaps I'm receiving my due karma.
Maybe this dust on my hand is gold
Perhaps my misfortune will bring me something valuable.
'Cause heartbreak follows me wherever I go
I keep experiencing heartbreaks wherever I am.
Winds in my favor, suns at my back
I'm experiencing favorable circumstances lately.
I don't pay those dues and I'm due some money back
I should be receiving some compensation since I don't owe any debts.
You look like your life's been a mess
Your life seems to be a chaotic situation.
Was it just like me I've been down to the bottom and I know that it hurts
Have you gone through the same situation as me? I've hit rock bottom, and it hurts.
I've been kicked in the chin, baby
I have experienced a harsh reality check.
I've grown in the dirt
Despite the hardships, I've learned and grown.
Maybe I left it all behind
Perhaps I left everything behind and moved on.
Different town at another time
I'm in another town at a different time in my life.
Cover my tracks, wear a disguise
I am hiding my past and wearing a mask to escape judgment.
Looking for a little piece of mind
I am searching for some mental peace.
Maybe the truth is just a lie
The truth may not be what it seems.
Maybe there's no good reason why
Perhaps there's no logical explanation for everything.
'Cause heartbreak follows me wherever I go
I keep experiencing heartbreaks wherever I am.
Heartbreak follows me wherever I go
I keep experiencing heartbreaks wherever I am.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JAMES HOUSE, JOE BONAMASSA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind