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.
Three Times A Fool
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time wears on and I have to let you go
But I'm trying real hard
Baby it's so hard to choose
It's so hard to be nice
When you treat me the way you do.
Mistreat me baby but I love you anyhow
'Cause I'm trying real hard
Baby it's so hard to do
Baby it's so hard to be nice
When you treat me the way you do
Might not be a bad thing to bring some change
Might bring sunshine and it might bring rain
'Cause I'm trying real hard
Baby it's so hard to do
Baby it's so hard to be nice
When you treat me the way you do
In Joe Bonamassa's song "Three Times A Fool", the singer is expressing his deep and complex emotions towards his significant other. The first line, "Three times a fool and I love you so," indicates that the singer is aware that they have been played or mistreated by their significant other, but they are still in love with them. In fact, the second line suggests that despite the love, the singer knows that they will have to let their lover go. This line is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the struggle the singer is experiencing between their love for their significant other and the need to move on.
The following verses express the difficulty the singer feels in trying to be nice to their lover when they continue to mistreat them. It is likely that the singer has tried to bring about a change in the relationship, hence the line "Might not be a bad thing to bring some change, might bring sunshine and it might bring rain." However, it appears that despite their best efforts, things have not improved, and the singer is left feeling frustrated and helpless.
The repeated lines "But I'm trying real hard, baby it's so hard to do" highlight the internal conflict the singer is experiencing, as they try to maintain their love for their significant other and move on from a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Three times a fool and I love you so
I am a fool for loving you, despite the pain you cause me.
Time wears on and I have to let you go
I know that it's time to move on from our toxic relationship.
But I'm trying real hard
I am trying my best to let go of my love for you and move on.
Baby it's so hard to choose
It's difficult to choose between staying in a relationship with you and leaving for good.
You've never been loved like I love you now
I love you more than anyone ever has before.
Mistreat me baby but I love you anyhow
Even though you mistreat me, I still love you.
'Cause I'm trying real hard
Despite everything, I am still putting in effort to make this relationship work.
Baby it's so hard to do
But it's extremely difficult to keep trying when you treat me poorly.
Might not be a bad thing to bring some change
Making some changes in our relationship might be beneficial for us both.
Might bring sunshine and it might bring rain
Changes can bring both happiness and pain.
'Cause I'm trying real hard
I am willing to put in the effort to bring about positive changes in our relationship.
Baby it's so hard to do
However, it's still hard to try and make things work when you continue to treat me badly.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: OTIS RUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind