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.
Pain And Sorrow
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They glitter as they fall
You sacrifice your love
For the wonder of it all
But I will, and you won't
And I deal, and you don't, yeah
[Chorus]
Until you find another way
Livin' on pain and sorrow
Until I find another way
Where's your silver lining?
Where's your long lost friend?
The emptiness is shining
From somewhere deep within
But I will, and you won't
And I deal, and you don't yeah
[Chorus x2]
No I... go on
It's your life baby
'Til you find another way
Go on... oh yeah
Pain and sorrow
Pain and sorrow
Pain and sorrow
Find another way
In Joe Bonamassa's song "Pain and Sorrow," the lyrics seem to be exploring the experience of someone who is struggling, feeling empty and alone. The opening lines "Sparkle as the tears come, they glitter as they fall" evoke an image of tears that shine brightly as they fall down the face. This could be interpreted as a symbol of the idea that even in sadness, there can be beauty in the tears we shed. The second line "you sacrifice your love for the wonder of it all" suggests that the subject of the song has given up something important in their life, perhaps a relationship or something they loved, in pursuit of something else, maybe a dream or a passion.
Then the lyrics continue, repeating the lines "But I will, and you won't, and I deal, and you don't," which suggest a sense of isolation or separation from someone else. There may be a feeling of being on different paths, with one person more willing to take risks and deal with hardships than the other. The chorus then enters with the repetition of the line "Livin' on pain and sorrow until you find another way," emphasizing the struggle and pain that the subject is feeling. The lines "Where's your silver lining?" and "Where's your long lost friend?" suggest that the subject is feeling lost and alone, searching for hope or companionship in a difficult time.
Overall, the lyrics of "Pain and Sorrow" seem to be exploring the experience of someone who is struggling with a difficult time in their life. The song suggests that even in the midst of pain and hardship, there can be beauty and wonder to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
Sparkle as the tears come
Your tears seem bright in the moment when they fall.
They glitter as they fall
Your tears shine with an unusual brightness when they fall.
You sacrifice your love
You give up your love for your own reasons, maybe in the belief that it’s worth the cost or to achieve a certain goal.
For the wonder of it all
You give up your love for the sake of experiencing something amazing or to maintain a sense of wonder in your life.
But I will, and you won't
I will do something that you refuse to, and I will succeed where you seem destined to fail.
And I deal, and you don't, yeah
I handle situations that you avoid or cannot manage, and I continue to do so successfully.
Livin' on pain and sorrow
You must depend on experiencing emotional pain and sadness to survive.
Until you find another way
You must continue to endure emotional pain and heartache until you discover a new means of coping or escape.
Where's your silver lining?
You do not have any hope or positive outlook on the events happening in your life.
Where's your long lost friend?
You are searching for an old acquaintance who could provide you with the help or advice you need.
The emptiness is shining
You feel an intense sense of emptiness or sadness, which is palpable to those around you.
From somewhere deep within
This emotion seems to come from a very profound or private place inside you.
No I... go on
You must continue to face the difficulties and pain of your situation.
It's your life baby
You are responsible for managing and overcoming the pain and difficulties of your life.
'Til you find another way
You must endure your current situation and emotions until you discover the means to move on or find relief.
Pain and sorrow
You are overwhelmed by feelings of pain and sadness.
Find another way
You must look for a new coping mechanism or means of survival beyond the emotional pain and suffering you are experiencing.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ERIC PRESSLEY, JOE BONAMASSA, RICHARD FELDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
marta sanimill
LOVE it. And love how respectful his audience/ fans were not to yell out and scream during his performance.
Gary Diller
Good' lord way out' there
M. Lou
Haunting song! Great sound!
If I were Joe's mom and dad, I'd be so proud of what a great musician Joe is, proud of how good-looking he is, proud of how well he's done! You, Joe's mom and dad, did good...very good!!! We, his fans, love your son too!
Gary Clark
The tightest well controlled artist I have ever have had the pleasure listing to.
M&E Dad
Dig it. Joe is a phenomenal talent. 😎🤟
Michael Lynch
Listening to this for the first time in years, Joe made it so uniquely epic and haunting that night , stunning sound from that guitar 😎 this is indeed the real fans favourite live song
Deep Zepp
I love Joe in the power trio thing. Let's the Groove, guitar and vocals shine.
정밀
Wow! Awesome sound!!
Vadiman Go!
Это то, что я хотел услышать сейчас! Вы все красавчики! Слежу за тобой, Joe. @sochirecords
Diane Wood
It feels super great to say... I found another way and I hope all of you do too. Happy 2020! 🌻 Thanks for sharing... I’m loving the different sounds! ❤️ it!