Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. In 1965, Taylor was signed by Chess Records, for which her single Wang Dang Doodle (written by Dixon, and a hit for Howlin' Wolf five years earlier) became a major hit, reaching number four on the R&B charts in 1966 and selling a million copies. Taylor recorded many versions of this Dixon-penned song over the past several decades and added more material, both original and covers, but never repeated that initial chart success.
National touring in the late 1960s and early 1970s improved her fan base, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed with Alligator Records in 1975. Recording over a dozen albums for that label (many nominated for Grammy awards), she came to dominate the female blues singer ranks, winning 24 W. C. Handy Awards -- more than any other artist. After her recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1989, the 1990s found Taylor in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000. She opened a blues club on Division St. in Chicago in 1994, but closed it in 1999. Taylor released a new album in 2007 called "Old School."
Koko Taylor influenced such musicians as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi.
Koko Taylor died on the afternoon of June 3rd 2009 (at the age of 80), while recovering from surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding. Koko Taylor is still referred to by fellow blues musicians and her fans as the "Queen of the Blues".
Going Back to Iuka
Koko Taylor Lyrics
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Live From Chicago - An Audience With the Queen
Going Back to Iuka (Nix)
You know my teardrops fell
Oh, from the letter I read
My teardrops fell
It said, "Come on home
Your baby′s almost dead"
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Well, I'm going back to Iuka
That′s where I belong
Oh!
(Solo)
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Well, I'm going back to Iuka
That's where I belong
Oh, when I get there
If my baby pass on by
Oh, when I get there
If my baby pass on by
Oh, when I get there
Please tell me where he lie
You know my teardrops fell
Oh, from the letter I read
You know my teardrops fell
Oh, from the letter I read
It said, "Come on home
Your baby′s almost dead"
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
Well, I′m going back to Iuka
That's where I belong
Whoa! Take it on home!
The lyrics to Koko Taylor's "Going Back to Iuka" are a powerful and emotional depiction of a woman's journey back home upon receiving devastating news from a letter. The song begins with her heartbreak and teardrops falling after reading a letter telling her to come home because her baby is almost dead. The pain and urgency in her voice are palpable as she sings about how she will ride the train all night long to get back to Iuka, the place where she belongs.
The solo in the middle of the song adds an element of raw emotion to an already powerful song. The solo provides the listener with a moment to take in all the emotion surrounding the woman's journey back home. The lyrics following the solo once again emphasize the urgency of her journey, as the repetition of the train that she rides all night long highlights the distance and time it will take her to get to Iuka.
The final lyrics depict the heart-wrenching possibility that she may not make it back in time to see her baby before he passes away. The line "please tell me where he lie" reinforces the pain and uncertainty surrounding what she will find when she finally arrives in Iuka. The song ultimately ends with a cry of "whoa! take it on home!" which emphasizes the importance of home and family in her journey back to Iuka.
Line by Line Meaning
You know my teardrops fell
I was so sad that I cried
Oh, from the letter I read
I received a letter that made me sad
My teardrops fell
I cried
It said, "Come on home
Your baby's almost dead"
The letter said that my loved one is very ill and I should come home as soon as possible
Oh, the train that I ride
I ride it all night long
I am riding the train all night to get back home quickly
Well, I'm going back to Iuka
That's where I belong
I am returning to my hometown, where I feel most at home
Oh, when I get there
If my baby pass on by
I am worried that my loved one may have already passed away before I could make it back home
Please tell me where he lie
If my loved one has passed away, please tell me where he is buried so I can pay my respects
Whoa! Take it on home!
Sing it out loud and proud! Let's go back home together
Writer(s): Don Nix
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.