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.
I Know Where I Belong
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a hole up near a factory
But it did not take me too long
To lace up my boots and say "So Long"
Long Spanish boots on a "So Long"
I took a day job in Bethlehem
I nearly threw the towel then
To lace up my boots and say "So Long"
I raised high Spanish boots on a "So Long"
I took a Spanish haberdashery
Restored with 15th century tapestry
Oh, Mr Nesbitt got the best of me
So I strapped on my boots and said "So Long"
Laced up my high boots and "So Long!" Yeah!
The opening lines of the Joe Bonamassa song "I Know Where I Belong" talk about the singer's past employment, where he used to work in a position that paid him a salary. This job was situated close to a manufacturing plant, depicted as a "hole" in the song. However, after a while, the singer makes the decision to leave the job and move on. The next lines of the song indicate that the singer took on a job in Bethlehem, where he almost decided to give up but managed to persevere. Again, he mentions the phrase, "Lace up my boots and so long." This phrase appears repeatedly in the song and can be interpreted as the singer's determination to depart from the past and move on to something new.
The third verse talks about the singer taking a job at a Spanish haberdashery. This job is positioned high up as it is endowed with 15th-century tapestry. The singer mentions how this job turned out not to be the best for him, and he was not able to cope with its demands. Once again, the phrase "Laced up my high boots and said 'so long'" appears, indicating that the singer decided to leave his job and move on to something else.
In conclusion, "I Know Where I Belong" is a song about moving on from past experiences to pursue something that aligns with who the singer is at present. Thus, the song's main character faces many challenges before finally departing from those situations by metaphorically lacing up their boots, a representation of their determination to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to work and take a salary
I had a regular job and was earning a monthly salary
In a hole up near a factory
The place where I worked was located near a factory and was not a very pleasant environment
But it did not take me too long
After a short period of time
To lace up my boots and say "So Long"
I decided to quit my job and move on
Long Spanish boots on a "So Long"
I wore my long Spanish boots as a symbol of moving on from my old job
I took a day job in Bethlehem
I found another job in the town of Bethlehem
I nearly threw the towel then
I almost gave up on this new job
But it did not take me too long
After a short period of time
To lace up my boots and say "So Long"
I decided to quit this job as well
I raised high Spanish boots on a "So Long"
Again, I symbolically wore my high Spanish boots as a sign of moving on
I took a Spanish haberdashery
I started my own business selling Spanish-style clothing and accessories
Restored with 15th century tapestry
I renovated the haberdashery and decorated it with 15th century tapestries
Oh, Mr Nesbitt got the best of me
I encountered difficulties with a business competitor named Mr. Nesbitt
So I strapped on my boots and said "So Long"
In the face of these difficulties, I decided to move on again
Laced up my high boots and "So Long!" Yeah!
Once again, I wore my high boots as a symbol of moving on and said goodbye to my old business
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Hood
I am 65 years of age, this NY Guitar veteran is solid as they come..... He has surrounded himself with world class music masters....
envafranklinsmith i
Great song 🎵 love the performance 👍😎❤
Eze Thomas
This tune fuckin' kills me every time!!! Thanks god we got Joe now all the greatest have gone
Dana Becraft
This Man is so amazing, I listen to him everyday. He is my favorite of all time.
Paul Evans
Anton shows how to use the drums to enhance the song, brilliant drummer
Emanuele Pecchioli
Wow, can't stop listening to this amazing performance: great song, great solo, great musicians!
Rz-Kun
Nothing is better than "live at rock palast". Just the BEST of JB
Rich Moniz
I still keep coming back to this video. Big JB fan. Love his work with smaller bands like this or with Eric Czar on bass and Kenny Kramme on drums.
Rick 0824
Joe is the man. Clapton used to be the state of the art in blues/rock but Joe overwhelms him with his breathtaking dexterity and raw speed. There's no one on the planet any better. His show "Joe Bonamassa Live at Rockpalast" here on Youtube is unbelievable.
kassemir
Awesome to see Joe playing a strat in concert again :)