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.
Stones in My Passway
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got stones in my passway, and my road seems dark as night
I have pains in my heart, they have taken my appetite
I have a bird to whistle, and I have a bird to sing
I have a bird to whistle, and I have a bird to sing
I got a good woman that I'm lovin', boy, but she don't mean a thing
My enemies betrayed me, have overtaken poor Bob at last
My enemies betrayed me, have overtaken poor Bob at last
Now you tryin' to take my life, and all my lovin' too
You laid a passway for me, now what are you trying to do?
I'm cryin' please, please let us be friends
And when you hear me howlin' in my passway, rider, open your door and let me in
I got three lanes to truck home, boys please don't block my road
I got three lanes to truck home, boys please don't block my road
I've been feelin' ashamed 'bout my rider, babe, I'm booked and I got to go.
In Joe Bonamassa's song "Stones in My Passway," the lyrics evoke feelings of heartache, struggle, and betrayal. The singer feels like they are being weighed down by the challenges of life, represented by the stones in their passway and the darkness that surrounds them. They are also experiencing emotional pain that has impacted their appetite, implying a deep sadness that has consumed them.
Despite the struggles, the singer has found some sources of comfort- a bird to whistle and sing, and a good woman they love but who doesn't seem to reciprocate those feelings. However, even these sources of comfort are not enough to protect them from their enemies who have seemingly overtaken them. The singer is left feeling vulnerable and alone, with no one to turn to.
In the second half of the song, the singer pleads with their enemy to spare their life and let them live in peace. They also ask for help, hoping that someone will hear their cries for help when they are howling in their passway. The singer has places to go and things to do, but they feel ashamed about their rider and the situation they find themselves in.
Overall, "Stones in My Passway" is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the difficulties of life, the impact of betrayal, and the need for support and help when times get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
I got stones in my passway, and my road seems dark as night
I'm facing obstacles in my life, making everything seem hopeless and difficult
I have pains in my heart, they have taken my appetite
My problems have taken a toll on my emotional well-being, resulting in a loss of appetite
I have a bird to whistle, and I have a bird to sing
I have simple joys in life like music to ease my pain
I got a good woman that I'm lovin', boy, but she don't mean a thing
Even though I have a loyal partner, they cannot fill the void in my heart left by my troubles
My enemies betrayed me, have overtaken poor Bob at last
Those who I thought were my friends have turned against me and caused me great harm
And there's one thing that's certain, they have stones all in my pass
Those who have harmed me have put difficult obstacles in my path
Now you tryin' to take my life, and all my lovin' too
My enemies are trying to destroy me and all the things I hold dear
You laid a passway for me, now what are you trying to do?
You helped me get where I am now, but are now causing me harm instead
I'm cryin' please, please let us be friends
I'm pleading with my enemies to stop and reconcile instead
And when you hear me howlin' in my passway, rider, open your door and let me in
If my enemies hear me asking for help or mercy, I hope they will show kindness and let me through
I got three lanes to truck home, boys please don't block my road
I have a clear path back home, but I hope my obstacles won't get in the way
I've been feelin' ashamed 'bout my rider, babe, I'm booked and I got to go.
I feel guilty about leaving my loved ones behind, but I have to leave regardless
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Joe Bonamassa, Robert Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mat the Peach
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
I have pains in my hearts
They have taken my appetite
I have a bird to whistle
And I have a bird to sing
Have a bird to whistle
And I have a bird to sing
I got a woman that I'm loving
Boy, but she don't mean a thing
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
And here's one thing certainly
They have stones all in my pass
Now you trying to take my life
And all my loving too
You laid a passway for me
Now what are you trying to do?
I'm crying please
Please let us be friends
And when you hear me howling in my passway, rider
Please open your door and let me in
I got three legs to truck home
Boys, please don't block my road
I got three legs to truck home
Boys, please don't block my road
I've been feeling ashamed 'bout my rider
Babe, I'm booked and I got to go
Dannys Guitar Channel
Sounds great, I think this is one of my favourite Joe Bonamassa shows :)
Karen Talley
I think your acoustic music is outstanding and wish you would do more.
Mat the Peach
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
I have pains in my hearts
They have taken my appetite
I have a bird to whistle
And I have a bird to sing
Have a bird to whistle
And I have a bird to sing
I got a woman that I'm loving
Boy, but she don't mean a thing
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
And here's one thing certainly
They have stones all in my pass
Now you trying to take my life
And all my loving too
You laid a passway for me
Now what are you trying to do?
I'm crying please
Please let us be friends
And when you hear me howling in my passway, rider
Please open your door and let me in
I got three legs to truck home
Boys, please don't block my road
I got three legs to truck home
Boys, please don't block my road
I've been feeling ashamed 'bout my rider
Babe, I'm booked and I got to go
Maria Wittek Feil
Great as usually! Thank you Joe!
Robin Null
JOE YOU ARE NUMBER 1,YOU ARE BEYOND FANTASTIC
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FANTASTIC MUSIC,DONT EVER STOP,KEEP IT COMING.THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR FANTASTIC WORK💯🌈
Eulalie Whitehorn Thibert
NOTHING BETTER....
THAN YOU FOR MAKING MY WEEKEND.. ROCK ONNN.!!
LOVING IT FROM MONTANA...XX
Marti Garcés
Wow ! really good blues !
YouTubeSingers.com
Great live performance! ♕ ♫♪☆
I've really enjoyed it,shared with pleasure!
Carla ~ YoutubeSingers
VioletGiraffe
Joe Bonamassa playing Robert Johnson on acoustic guitar? That's new! And he actually managed to make it NOT sound like "Terraplane blues".
Love that subtle banjo, too.
Zelia Pessoa Ribeiro
Mais um Blues! JOE BONAMASSA