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.
Never Say Goodbye
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now I paid my dues and I spent my time
And there's nothing that I haven't seen
And oh, I still think about you every night
The rain's coming down
I'm standing in the street
I thought I knew it all
I tried to put you in your place
I told you many lies
And I never meant to hurt you baby, yeah
I said a lot of things
But I'll never say goodbye
And when a pretty girl smiles at me
And I can't think of anything to say
Makes me think about you and me
Makes me think of how everything has changed
The rain's coming down
A-comin' down on me
I thought I knew it all
Baby I don't know a thing
I tried to put you in your place
I told you many lies
And I never meant to hurt you baby, yeah
I said a lot of things
But I'll never say goodbye
Oh, never say goodbye, ah yeah
Yeah I never say goodbye
I tried to put you in your place
I told you many lies
And I never meant to hurt you baby, yeah
I said a lot of things
But I'll never say goodbye
Never say goodbye, oh no
Never say goodbye, yeah
The lyrics of Joe Bonamassa's "Never Say Goodbye" tell a story of regret and nostalgia as the singer looks back on a failed relationship. The song begins with a reflection on the singer's own aging and experiences, culminating in the admission that they still think about the person they lost every night. The rain serves as a metaphor for the singer's emotional state and the ongoing impact of their past choices.
As the song continues, the singer admits to their mistakes in the relationship, including the telling of many lies and attempts to control the other person. Despite this, the singer insists that they will never say goodbye, implying that they still hold out hope for some kind of renewed connection.
The lyrics are particularly effective in their use of imagery and metaphor, painting a vivid picture of the singer's emotional state and the world around them. The repeated phrases of "I thought I knew it all / Baby I don't know a thing" serve to underscore the singer's sense of uncertainty and personal growth, while the refrain of "But I'll never say goodbye" reinforces the idea that the relationship is not yet over.
Overall, "Never Say Goodbye" is a powerful and poignant reflection on the complexities of love and regret. It is a testament to the human capacity for growth and change, even in the face of past mistakes and difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
And now I'm older now than I used to be
I have grown older and more experienced than when we were together.
And now I paid my dues and I spent my time
I have worked hard and invested time in my life.
And there's nothing that I haven't seen
I have seen everything that life can offer.
And oh, I still think about you every night
You are still on my mind every night, despite the time that has passed.
The rain's coming down
It is raining.
I'm standing in the street
I am standing in the street, perhaps feeling lost and alone.
I thought I knew it all
I used to think I had life figured out.
Baby I don't know a thing
But now I realize that I still have much to learn.
I tried to put you in your place
I tried to control and belittle you.
I told you many lies
I was not truthful with you.
And I never meant to hurt you baby, yeah
I did not intend to cause you pain.
I said a lot of things
I spoke thoughtlessly and recklessly.
But I'll never say goodbye
But despite all of this, I still cannot let you go completely from my heart.
And when a pretty girl smiles at me
When other women show interest in me.
And I can't think of anything to say
But I cannot think of anything to say to them because my mind is still on you.
Makes me think about you and me
It reminds me of our past relationship and the memories we shared together.
Makes me think of how everything has changed
It makes me realize how much has changed since we were together.
Oh, never say goodbye, ah yeah
I still cannot bear to say goodbye to you.
Yeah I never say goodbye
No matter what has happened between us, I cannot bring myself to let you go entirely.
Never say goodbye, oh no
I will never say goodbye to you, even if it means I continue to feel this pain.
Never say goodbye, yeah
I will hold onto the hope that someday, we will find our way back to each other.
Contributed by Molly P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.