Born in Lake, Mississippi, Littlejohn first learned to play the blues from Henry Martin, a friend of his father. In 1946 he left home and traveled widely, spending time in Jackson, Mississippi, Arkansas, Rochester, New York, and Gary, Indiana. He settled in the last of these in 1951, playing whenever possible in the Chicago area. Through his connections on the Gary, IN music scene he was acquainted with Joe Jackson, patriarch of the musical Jackson family, and Littlejohn and his band reputedly served as an occasional rehearsal band for the Jackson 5 in the mid to late '60s.
Littlejohn played regularly in Chicago clubs (he was filmed by drummer Sam Lay playing with Howlin' Wolf's band c. 1961) but did not make any studio recordings until 1968, when he cut singles for several record labels. Later that year he recorded an album with Arhoolie Records and four songs for Chess Records, though the Chess tracks were not issued at the time.
Although he recorded a few singles for small local labels, Littlejohn did not record another album until 1985, when Rooster Blues issued So-Called Friends. Soon after, he fell into ill health, and died of renal failure in Chicago 1994, at the age of 62.
I Had a Dream
John Littlejohn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, that my baby, my baby had left this town
Blue, blue, all day long
I got a feeling, my baby my bay don't love me no more
Yeah my baby my bay don't love me no more
I love I love my baby, and I tell the world I do
Yeah yeah yeah
Blue, blue, all day long
Blue, blue, all day long
Letter this morning, that my baby was coming home to me
Letter this morning, that my baby was coming home to me
I love I love my baby, and I tell the world I do
The song "I Had A Dream" by John Littlejohn is a blues classic that captures some of the themes central to the genre- loss, love, betrayal, and reconciliation. In the first verse, the singer talks about how he had a dream that his baby has left his town. He is clearly upset about it- the repetition of the phrase "blue, blue, all day long" is indicative of his sorrow. He then goes on to say that he has a feeling that his baby doesn't love him anymore. Despite this, he still professes his love for his baby and insists that he would tell the whole world about it.
The second verse of the song focuses on the moment of redemption. The singer receives a letter that tells him that his baby is coming back home to him. He is overjoyed at this news and reiterates again how much he loves his baby. This verse provides a nice counterpoint to the first verse- it's the moment of hope that the singer has been waiting for.
Overall, "I Had A Dream" is a classic blues song that explores themes of love and loss in a raw and emotional way. It's a song that is sure to strike a chord with anyone who has ever been through a breakup or experienced heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I dreamed last night, that my baby had left this town
Last night, I had a dream that my partner had abandoned our location
Yeah, that my baby, my baby had left this town
In my dream, my significant other left our town completely
Blue, blue, all day long
I felt extremely sad and depressed about this in my dream and throughout the day after waking up
I got a feeling, my baby my bay don't love me no more
I am starting to suspect that my partner may not have feelings for me anymore
Yeah my baby my bay don't love me no more
My intuition is telling me that my significant other has lost love for me
I love I love my baby, and I tell the world I do
Despite my doubts, I still have strong feelings of love for my partner and I want everyone to know it
Blue, blue, blue
My sadness and depression continue
Yeah yeah yeah
I am acknowledging and affirming my situation
Blue, blue, all day long
My sadness and depression persist throughout the entire day
Letter this morning, that my baby was coming home to me
I received a notification earlier today that my partner is returning back to me
Letter this morning, that my baby was coming home to me
I was informed that my significant other is finally coming back to me
I love I love my baby, and I tell the world I do
I still have a tremendous amount of love for my partner and I want everyone to know it
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.