Walker was born on 25th December 1949 in San Francisco, California; his parents were blues fans, and introduced him to the music when he was young. He learnt to play the guitar at the age of fourteen, and left home at sixteen to work as a performer. He soon met Mike Bloomfield, who introduced him to the Bay Area Blues scene. During the 1960s, Walker opened for such artists as Earl Hooker, Freddie King, and Lowell Fulson.
In 1975 he left the blues scene for ten years to sing with a gospel quartet called The Spiritual Corinthians. In 1980, he recorded an album with this group called God Will Provide. Walker left the Spiritual Corinthians in 1985, but has maintained a gospel influence in his music.
He returned to San Francisco in 1985, and formed a group called the Bosstalkers. He released four albums on the Hightone Records label before moving to Verve/Gitanes (a division of Polydor/Polygram). Walker released six albums with this label, and won a series of awards in the 1990s.
Walker has released several albums since leaving Verve, including four separate works between 2002 and 2003.
* Official site
Letting Go
Joe Louis Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we should be crying
Keep working at it baby
When we should quit trying
Keep saying yes
When we ought to say no
Keep holding on
When we should let go
We keep holding on
When we should let go
When we should let go
Don't keep a bottle
When the wine is gone
Pretending it's right
When we know it's wrong
We keep kissing bay
And the kisses are cold
We keep hanging on
Should' ve hit the road
We keep driving
When the bridge is out
Keep on believing
When we have our doubts
Our love ran out
Like a dried out well
Our little bit of heaven
It turned to hell
The lyrics to Joe Louis Walker's song "Letting Go" are about the struggle of holding on to things that we know we should let go of. The song speaks about a relationship that has gone bad, where the couple keeps carrying on with the pretense of love even though their affection has dried up. The lyrics begin with the lines 'We keep smiling when we should be crying, keep working at it baby when we should quit trying' which is a way of saying that sometimes we force ourselves to keep up appearances despite knowing that it is not worth it. The chorus line 'We keep holding on when we should let go' is the central theme around which the song is built.
The verse that follows speaks about how keeping a bottle when the wine is gone is a senseless thing to do. Similarly, pretending that things are right when we know they are not is another self-delusional act that we indulge in. The song goes on to speak about how we keep holding on to something even when all signs point to the fact that it is time to let go. The lines 'We keep driving when the bridge is out, keep on believing when we have our doubts' suggest that we somehow ignore the reality in front of us and continue on blindly. The song ends with a poignant line 'Our little bit of heaven turned to hell', which signifies that what was once beautiful is now an unpleasant memory.
Line by Line Meaning
We keep smiling
We continue to put on a happy face despite our troubles.
When we should be crying
Although we are really hurting inside and should shed tears.
Keep working at it baby
We cling to what we believe is right and continue putting in effort.
When we should quit trying
Even when it's clear that attempts are futile.
Keep saying yes
We agree to things that are not in our best interest.
When we ought to say no
Even when we know that we should decline and assert ourselves.
Keep holding on
We refuse to let go of what is holding us back.
When we should let go
Even though it's time to move on and release the things that no longer serve us.
Oh hear that whistle blow
An external signal or event may be telling us that it's time to move on.
We keep holding on
We persist in the belief that holding on is the right thing to do.
When we should let go
Despite evidence that it's time to release and move on.
When we should let go
Even though it's time to move on and release the things that no longer serve us.
Don't keep a bottle
Don't hold onto things after they are gone.
When the wine is gone
Once something is no longer available.
Pretending it's right
Acting like what we have is still good and acceptable.
When we know it's wrong
Despite understanding that it's not right or healthy.
We keep kissing bay
We maintain the appearance of intimacy and affection despite a lack of warmth.
And the kisses are cold
Despite knowing that what we have is not a true, meaningful relationship.
We keep hanging on
We continue to cling to what's familiar and comfortable.
Should've hit the road
Even though it was time to leave that situation.
We keep driving
We persist in moving forward.
When the bridge is out
Even when the path ahead is blocked.
Keep on believing
We refuse to lose faith or give up hope.
When we have our doubts
Despite the presence of uncertainty or skepticism.
Our love ran out
It's time to admit the expiration of affection.
Like a dried out well
An image of emptiness and lack.
Our little bit of heaven
The love and happiness we once had.
It turned to hell
Has since become a source of pain and suffering.
Writer(s): Joe Louis Walker, Fontaine Brown, Amy Parker
Contributed by Connor S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.