John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen" (1948) and "Boom Boom" (1962).
There is some debate as to the year of John Lee Hooker's birth, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been cited, 1917 (the date on his grave marker in Oakland, California) is the one most commonly cited although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920.
Hooker was the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871–1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875–?).
Hooker and his siblings were home-schooled. They were permitted to listen only to religious songs, with his earliest musical exposure being the spirituals sung in church.
In 1921, his parents separated. The next year, his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided John's first introduction to the guitar (and whom John would later credit for his distinctive playing style). The year after that (1923), John's natural father died; and at age 15, John ran away from home, never to see his mother and stepfather again.
He was a cousin of Earl Hooker,
Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during World War II, drifting until he found himself in Detroit in 1948 working at Ford Motor Company. He felt right at home near the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. In a city noted for its piano players, guitar players were scarce. Performing in Detroit clubs, his popularity grew quickly, and seeking a louder instrument than his crude acoustic guitar, he bought his first electric guitar.
Though he stuttered slightly in his normal speech, he performed in a half-spoken style that became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was free, a property common with early acoustic Delta blues musicians. His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers'. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from Chicago but, even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it in his sound.
Hooker's recording career began in 1948 with the hit single, "Boogie Chillen" cut in a studio near Wayne State University.
Despite being illiterate, he was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric (such as "if I was chief of police, I would run her right out of town"), he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 50s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would spend the night wandering from studio to studio, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each studio. Due to his recording contract, he would record these songs under obvious pseudonyms such as "John Lee Booker," "Johnny Hooker", or "John Cooker".
His early solo songs were recorded under Bernie Besman.
John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing tempo to fit the needs of the song. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks. As a result, Besman would record Hooker, in addition to playing guitar and singing, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.
John Lee Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano Boogie Woogie. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs. The songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen," about being 17 and wanting to go out to dance at the Boogie clubs, "Baby Please Don't Go," a more typical blues song, summed up by its title, and "Tupelo," a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, Mississippi.
He maintained a solo career, popular with blues and folk music fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan. As he got older, he added more and more people to his band, changing his live show from simply Hooker with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.
In 1989 he joined with a number of musicians, including Keith Richards and Carlos Santana to record The Healer, which won a Grammy award — one of many awards.
He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83.
Hooker recorded over 100 albums and lived the last years of his life in San Francisco, California, where he licensed a nightclub to use the name Boom Boom Room, after one of his hits.
Among his many awards, John Lee Hooker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
John Lee recorded several songs with Van Morrison, including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game" and "I Cover the Waterfront". He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album "A Night in San Francisco".
John Lee also recorded in the sixties with british blues band The Groundhogs. These recordings are still available as a CD "John Lee Hooker with The Groundhogs". More importantly, Hooker recorded with the Blues-rock outfit Canned Heat, delivering the album 'Hooker N' Heat' in 1971. Hooker was influential and topical even in his lifetime, as evidenced in the MC5 cover of "Motor City's Burning" on their first album, recorded almost immediately after the riots which are the song's topic.
No Mortgage On My Soul
John Lee Hooker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got no mortgage on my soul.
Got no lien on my body, baby.
Got no mortgage on my soul.
Yes, you know about that, now baby.
You can treat me any kind-a way.
Yes, I lay down last night, girl.
Lookin' at the moon above.
Lookin' at the moon above.
I thought about how you treated me, baby.
An I was thinkin' to myself.
Yes, I'm mad.
(Piano & guitar solo)
Well, I'm so glad.
Lord, for the troubles don't last always.
Lord, I'm so glad.
This trouble don't last always.
But I'll tell ya somthin', baby.
You gonna reap just what you sew.
The lyrics of John Lee Hooker's "No Mortgage On My Soul" are a declaration of freedom from the materialistic constraints of society. The first two lines, "Got no lien on my body. Got no mortgage on my soul." emphasize the singer's lack of ownership by another entity, whether it be a physical being or an emotional investment. The repetition of these lines highlights the singer's confidence and sense of independence, as if he is proud of himself for living unattached to any external determinants.
The following two lines, "Yes, you know about that, now baby. You can treat me any kind-a way." suggest that the singer is aware of the impact of his lack of ownership on his relationships with others. He acknowledges that his freedom from materialism allows others to interact with him in any way they desire, displaying a sense of resilience and detachment from any external reactions to his way of living.
The bridge of the song, "Lord, I'm so glad. This trouble don't last always. But I'll tell ya somthin', baby. You gonna reap just what you sew." provides a sense of hope and comfort to the singer. He acknowledges that although the difficulties he may face can be temporary, the consequences of his actions will always catch up to him in the end. This line could also be interpreted as a warning to those who may take advantage of others or manipulate their relationship in the short term, as their actions will have consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Got no lien on my body.
I am free from any claims or debts on my physical self.
Got no mortgage on my soul.
I am free from any spiritual debts or obligations.
Got no lien on my body, baby.
I am emphasizing that I am completely free from any physical encumbrances, and addressing my lover in an affectionate manner.
Got no mortgage on my soul.
Reiterating my spiritual freedom in a meaningful way.
Yes, you know about that, now baby.
Asserting that my lover is aware of my independence, using a familiar term of endearment.
You can treat me any kind-a way.
Announcing that even though I am free, my lover has the power to treat me well or poorly.
Yes, I lay down last night, girl.
Starting a story about something that happened recently, and addressing an unspecified female listener in a familiar way.
Lookin' at the moon above.
Providing a detail about a moment of contemplation and introspection.
I thought about how you treated me, baby.
Clarifying the subject of my introspection and adding another term of endearment.
An I was thinkin' to myself.
Continuing to describe a moment of private thought.
Yes, I'm mad.
Expressing an emotional reaction to my lover's previous behavior.
(Piano & guitar solo)
Pausing the lyrics for an extended musical interlude.
Well, I'm so glad.
Resuming the lyrics in a positive mood.
Lord, for the troubles don't last always.
Invoking a religious reference to express my belief that bad times are always temporary.
Lord, I'm so glad.
Focusing on my current sense of happiness and satisfaction.
This trouble don't last always.
Repeating the idea that bad times will pass.
But I'll tell ya somthin', baby.
Addressing my lover again and signaling that I have more to say.
You gonna reap just what you sew.
Issuing a stern warning or threat that my lover will face consequences for their actions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERNARD BESMAN, JOHN LEE HOOKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind