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".
Insane Asylum
Koko Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I found my baby out there
I said please come back to me darlin'
What in the world are you doin' here?
Then the little girl raised up her head
Tears was streamin' down from her eyes
And these are the things
That the little girl said
When your love has ceased to be (Lord, have mercy)
There's no other place for me
If you don't hold me in your arms (Oh child oh child)
I'd rather be here from now on
Some people have an halfway fare
Without your love I ain't nowhere
Oh I can't eat and I can't sleep (oh child oh child)
Lord I can't even live in peace
Please take me baby for your slave (Oh)
And save me from that early grave
Some people have an halfway fare
Without your love I ain't nowhere
And then sorrow struck my heart
Tears began to stream down from my eyes
The only woman that I ever loved in whole my life
Out here in a place in a condition like this
And I began to thinkin' about what my mama told me when I was a little boy
She told me when I couldn't help myself, to get down on my knees and pray
Then I fell down on my knees
And these are the words that I said
Save me save me save me babe,
Save me save me save me dear,
Whoa I don't know just how we made it
But I'm so glad our love is here
But I'm so glad our love is here
But I'm so glad our love is here
The Koko Taylor song "Insane Asylum" tells the story of a man who visits a mental institution to find his beloved partner. When he finds her, he is shocked to see her in such a dire situation and pleads with her to return home with him. However, she claims that without his love, she has no place in the world and would rather stay at the asylum. She begs him to take her back and save her from an early grave. The man is heartbroken, and remembering his mother’s advice, he turns to prayer and pleads with his partner to come back to him.
The song effectively captures the emotional struggles of the man and his partner. The man is in disbelief that the woman he loves could end up in such a dark place, and it breaks his heart to hear her beg for his love. The woman, on the other hand, is at her wits' end and feels that she has nowhere else to turn without the love of her life. This scenario effectively portrays the impact of love on one's mental state.
Line by Line Meaning
I went out to the insane asylum
The singer visits an insane asylum.
And I found my baby out there
The singer discovers their loved one is at the asylum.
I said please come back to me darlin'
The singer asks their loved one to return with them.
What in the world are you doin' here?
The artist questions why their loved one is at the asylum.
Then the little girl raised up her head
The loved one looks up.
Tears was streamin' down from her eyes
The loved one is crying.
And these are the things
The singer quotes what their loved one says.
That the little girl said
The artist shares the loved one's words.
When your love has ceased to be (Lord, have mercy)
When the love between them ends, it's unbearable.
There's no other place for me
Being at the asylum is the only option left.
If you don't hold me in your arms (Oh child oh child)
The loved one needs physical affection to feel better.
I'd rather be here from now on
Being at the asylum seems better than life without the artist.
Some people have an halfway fare
Some people have a backup plan.
Without your love I ain't nowhere
Without the singer's love, the loved one feels lost.
Oh I can't eat and I can't sleep (oh child oh child)
The loved one is struggling to fulfill basic needs.
Lord I can't even live in peace
The loved one is unhappy and distressed.
Please take me baby for your slave (Oh)
The loved one is willing to do anything to stay with the artist.
And save me from that early grave
The loved one fears they'll die young without the singer's love.
And then sorrow struck my heart
The singer becomes emotional.
Tears began to stream down from my eyes
The artist cries.
The only woman that I ever loved in whole my life
The artist's loved one is the most important person to them.
Out here in a place in a condition like this
The artist can't believe their loved one is at the asylum.
And I began to thinkin' about what my mama told me when I was a little boy
The singer recalls advice from their mother.
She told me when I couldn't help myself, to get down on my knees and pray
The mother instructed the artist to pray when they're powerless.
Then I fell down on my knees
The singer gets on their knees.
Save me save me save me babe,
The singer requests salvation.
Save me save me save me dear,
The singer makes an emotional plea.
Whoa I don't know just how we made it
The artist is grateful to have their loved one with them.
But I'm so glad our love is here
The artist is happy they still have love in their lives.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind