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.
The Great Flood
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been too long , since I cared
It's been too long , since I said I loved you
It's been too long , since I cared
Well my conscience is finally clear
I been waiting all these years
The great flood , has come around
Well it's raining , all day and night
The great flood , has come around
'cause when my house is about to wash away
Rain is such a lonesome sound
Well you said , you might be receiving
Oh I could tell it was all a bunch of lies
Well you said , you might be receiving
Oh I could tell it was all a bunch of lies
Well I know there's been a lot's of heartaches
I've been suffering all my life
...... Suffering Mmmmmm Mmm
The lyrics of Joe Bonamassa's "The Great Flood" depict a character who has waited too long to declare his love and display his affection to a significant other. The song opens with the phrase, "It's been too long since I said I loved you, It's been too long since I cared," indicating a sense of regret over lost time and missed opportunities. The singer then proceeds to talk about how his conscience is now clear after waiting for many years.
The following verse talks about the great flood that has come around and the heavy rain that has been pouring down all day. The imagery of the flood and rain could be symbolic of a metaphorical emotional flood that has been building up between the two people, causing distress and conflict. The line, "Rain is such a lonesome sound," adds to the feeling of melancholy and isolation.
The last verse talks about the hurt and betrayal that the singer has experienced in the past. The line, "Oh I could tell it was all a bunch of lies," indicates a sense of mistrust and disappointment. The last phrase, "I've been suffering all my life," furthers this sense of longing and pain that has been a constant presence in the singer's life.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Great Flood" depict a sense of loss and regret over missed opportunities in a relationship while also exploring the difficulties and challenges that come with enduring hurt and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been too long, since I said I loved you
It's been too long since I verbalized my love for you.
It's been too long, since I cared
It's been too long since I cared about you.
Well my conscience is finally clear
I now feel guilt-free.
I been waiting all these years
I've been waiting for the right moment to say these things.
Well it's raining, all day and night
Unrelenting rain has become the norm.
The great flood, has come around
The prophesized flood has arrived.
Well you said, you might be receiving
You intimated that something was coming to you.
Oh I could tell it was all a bunch of lies
I realized what you said was not true.
Well I know there's been a lot's of heartaches
I'm aware there's been a lot of pain.
I've been suffering all my life
I've been experiencing pain and hardship for as long as I can remember.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOE BONAMASSA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aprildivine118
Enlightenment, Cause and Effect. The crowd gave Joe Bonamassa and his band the Respect they deserved from that incredible performance. One of the most passionate songs I've heard yet. I hope God gives me the time and energy to hear All of JB's songs, so I can die a happy old lady or fight on to hear the next, new one.
God bless. That was so great.. Got to share.. ♡
@penfloyd
How can 17 people give this thumbs down? If this doesnt move your soul then you simply don,t have one!
@brianrodriguez6897
Well you just answered your own question so why even ask it lol
@zrx338
Its called fucking stupid
@nestorbarboza2823
......Just fantastic....it touches the soul....that's what I call music... 👍👌✌💕🍷😉😎
@rosiecoletta5031
Perfect phrasing and Tone🎸🎸🎸👌
@gerardauzou5563
Pure magic !
This so emotional song has absolutely everything : Joe's soulful voice, a fabulous solo, and so on...
@bettyricher8441
Almost 8 min. song and still not enuf!! Repeat, repeat. Just such an incredible artist. Please 2021, be good to us so we can see this heaven 😇 in person!!
@jamesburbank8728
I think he's the greatest guitar player ever ! If you really listen to his playing, he puts so much feeling into it.
@bettyricher8441
Just INSANE!! Think I'm melting into nothingness after thus one! Wow! 🤗