Although critically acclaimed, John Hammond has had only moderate commercial success. Nonetheless, he enjoys a strong fan base and has earned respect from the likes of John Lee Hooker, Roosevelt Sykes, Duane Allman, Robbie Robertson, and Charlie Musselwhite, all of whom have contributed their musical talents to Hammond's records. In addition, he is the only person who ever had Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in his band at the same time, even if it was only for five days in the 1960s when Hammond played the Gaslight Café in New York. To his regret, they never recorded together.
John Hammond has had a longstanding friendship with songwriter Tom Waits, and has performed Waits' songs on occasion. In 2001, he released Wicked Grin, an album entirely of Tom Waits compositions. Waits himself provided guitar work and backing vocals as well as producing the project.
2. John Hammond was a old time banjo player from the 1920's. He recorded the bluegrass classic 'Little Birdie' in 1925.
Southbound Blues
John Hammond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why I'm packing my clothes
No need to ask me
Why I'm packing my clothes
Yes I'm leaving you darlin
and I really don't care who knows
Now I used to love you
But now I'm getting tired of your kind
Yes I'm going back down south mama
May be just to see what I can find
Now I may miss you
But I don't think I will
I'm going to get me a new woman
To love me till I get my fill
You mistreated me mama
You would not treat me nice and sweet
So I'm going down south
Shake this dust of this town off my feet
John Hammond's song Southbound Blues is a classic example of a blues song. The lyrics primarily talk about a person's decision to leave their lover and head down south. The repetition of "no need to ask me" in the first two lines of the song suggests that the person has probably been asked this question many times before. The line "Yes I'm leaving you darlin, and I really don't care who knows" reflects the person's resolve to leave without any regrets. The lyrics suggest that the reason behind the person's decision is the fact that they are tired of their lover's behavior towards them.
The song describes how the person is willing to leave all memories behind and start afresh. The line "I'm going to get me a new woman, to love me till I get my fill" can be interpreted as a sign that the person does not want to compromise anymore and wants to find someone else who can treat them better. The last two lines "You mistreated me mama, you would not treat me nice and sweet, so I'm going down south, shake this dust of this town off my feet" hints at the reason why the person wants to leave their lover. The person feels that they were not treated well or given the kindness they deserved.
Overall, John Hammond's Southbound Blues is a song about the decision to leave a toxic relationship for a better life. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and the melody reinforces the emotions expressed in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
No need to ask me
Why I'm packing my clothes
I am leaving you and you don't need to ask why I am packing my clothes.
Yes
I'm leaving you darlin
and I really don't care who knows
I am leaving you and I don't care if people know about it.
Now I used to love you
But now I'm getting tired of your kind
I used to love you, but now I am tired of how you are.
Yes I'm going back down south mama
May be just to see what I can find
I am going down south to see what I can find.
Now I may miss you
But I don't think I will
I may miss you, but I don't think I will.
I'm going to get me a new woman
To love me till I get my fill
I am going to find a new woman who will love me until I am satisfied.
You mistreated me mama
You would not treat me nice and sweet
You mistreated me and did not treat me nicely or sweetly.
So I'm going down south
Shake this dust of this town off my feet
I am going down south to leave this town behind and start anew.
Contributed by Juliana O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@w.l.graves7228
fantastic !