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.
Woke Up Dreaming
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woke up dreaming I was gonna die
'cause my baby said her
Said her last goodbyes
Reached out for her and she was not there
Reached out for her and she was not there
Lord, I miss her body
Hard rain falling, river flood
Black cat bawling, moon dripping blood
Woke up dreaming I was gonna die
All my sins have found me
It's my turn to cry
Yeah
Devil's rising, you don't have a chance
Devil's rising, you don't have a chance
Well there's fiddles playing
Shake your bones and dance
I just want to live another day
I just want to live another day
To see that brown-haired woman
Coming back this way
Oh yeah
In Joe Bonamassa's song "Woke Up Dreaming", the lyrics describe the feeling of loss and heartbreak in a relationship. The opening line, "Woke up dreaming I was gonna die," suggests that the singer is experiencing intense emotions and fears that his world is crumbling down. The following lines suggest that his lover has left him, saying her last goodbyes. The singer reaches out for her but she is not there, and he misses her body and her long brown hair. This highlights the sense of loneliness and nostalgia that he is experiencing.
The chorus, "All my sins have found me, it's my turn to cry," suggests that the singer is aware of his mistakes and regrets, and he believes that he deserves the pain he is experiencing. The next verse incorporates imagery of a storm, with hard rain falling and the river flooding. This could symbolize the turmoil and chaos that he feels internally. The black cat bawling and the moon dripping blood are ominous symbols, which could suggest that the singer feels a sense of impending doom or danger.
The final verse presents a contrast to the earlier verses, as the singer expresses a desire to live another day and see his lover coming back to him. This suggests that despite his pain and grief, he still holds onto hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up dreaming I was gonna die
Joe Bonamassa had a dream where he felt that he was going to die
'cause my baby said her
The reason for his fear was because his lover had left him
Said her last goodbyes
She had said that she was leaving him for good
Reached out for her and she was not there
Joe tried to find his lover, but she wasn't there
Lord, I miss her body
He missed her physical presence
And her long brown hair
He also missed her appearance, represented by her long brown hair
Hard rain falling, river flood
The weather outside was bad, with heavy rain and flooding in the river
Black cat bawling, moon dripping blood
The lyrics describe a dark, eerie scene with even the animals affected by the ominous atmosphere
All my sins have found me
Joe feels like his past mistakes are catching up with him
It's my turn to cry
He knows that he's about to experience emotional pain
Devil's rising, you don't have a chance
Joe feels like he's doomed, as if the devil himself is rising to come after him
Well there's fiddles playing
Despite the gloom that characterizes the situation, there's music in the background
Shake your bones and dance
The music invites people to let loose and dance, as a way of coping with difficulty
I just want to live another day
Joe isn't ready to give up on life, he still wants to experience another day of living
To see that brown-haired woman
The person he wants to see the most is his lover, who has brown hair
Coming back this way
He wants her to come back into his life and be with him again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: JOE BONAMASSA, WILL JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@silverlakegirl9078
I saw him do this live 2 days ago. My friend and I were in the front row, center seats 1 & 2. It was surreal..... this man is pure genius. After the concert, he gave me his set list!!!! I'm still reeling with excitement!!!!
@jameshall8455
lucky you. Congrats. That is wonderful. Great seats too. Hollywood Bowl, August 9, 2023 we were given tickets by Warner bros staff who we work with as a Gift. I will not miss this. Thank God for MUSIC. I'd not be here. Thanks and happy you enjoyed it - Joe is a master
@silverlakegirl9078
@jameshall8455 Take my arms, take my legs, but don't take my music. It's my drug of choice every single day of my life. Nothing in this world gives me the feelings that get from it. I'm going to see him in November! I can't wait!!!!
@user-zg2rr2rd1n
I can’t wait to see him in person.
@M._Lou
I wonder if there are other listeners who approach Bonamassa’s music in the same way I do. I am 73 years young and have a hobby background rooted in classical guitar study, not blues or rock. I stumbled upon Joe’s work one day about 3 years ago here on YouTube and fell in love with it. So different from anything I’d listened to before. Truly, it was a learning curve. I notice in the comments how many people fault Joe for his clean technique and sound, as though that doesn’t show any “feeling”. I beg to differ with that point of view, as I always valued “clean” sound from the instrument and don’t see how that should preclude “feeling”. Maybe it is just a matter of taste??? Or am I missing something? What stands out to me is how much Joe cares to play really well. And, as far as I am concerned, he totally succeeds! And if he doesn’t play a blues tune like another player does, well, we don’t need clones of other musicians anyway. Artists are unique by definition.
@crazyhorse2995
Damn straight. Just been to my second Joe concert n like the tshirt sez ALWAYS ON THE ROAD. Spreading the gospel is he. Bravo Joe. Wonderful talent ans skill.
@DianaWard01
I agree wholeheartedly.
@danceblues1713
It's a lot harder to play cleanly. He has skill, technique, writes own material, and
works at his craft.
@eirarodriguez6035
I love his music in, I was watshing, where he was playing with BB King like 5 years old child. He is fabulous, I love he's musicion and so tecnikalsk perfekto he is perfect.
@jasonpink6776
Joe bonnamasa is untouched.i love talented guitarist in all genres..joe is king & that's a fact jack!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍👍👍👍👍👍