Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Centerville, Texas. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

The musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick opined that Hopkins is "the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing its ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act".

Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, and as a child was immersed in the sounds of the blues. He developed a deep appreciation for this music at the age of 8, when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas. That day, Hopkins felt the blues was "in him".[citation needed] He went on to learn from his older (distant) cousin, the country blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander. (Hopkins had another cousin, the Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims, with whom he later recorded.) Hopkins began accompanying Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Jefferson reputedly never let anyone play with him except young Hopkins, and Hopkins learned much from Jefferson at these gatherings.

Hopkins's style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive fingerstyle technique often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, and percussion at the same time. He played both "alternating" and "monotonic" bass styles incorporating imaginative, often chromatic turnarounds and single-note lead lines. Tapping or slapping the body of his guitar added rhythmic accompaniment.

Much of Hopkins's music follows the standard 12-bar blues template, but his phrasing was free and loose. Many of his songs were in the talking blues style, but he was a powerful and confident singer.[citation needed] Lyrically, his songs expressed the problems of life in the segregated South, bad luck in love and other subjects common in the blues idiom. He dealt with these subjects with humor and good nature. Many of his songs are filled with double entendres, and he was known for his humorous introductions to songs.

Hopkins died of esophageal cancer in Houston on January 30, 1982, at the age of 69. His obituary in the New York Times described him as "one of the great country blues singers and perhaps the greatest single influence on rock guitar players.".

Bald Headed Woman
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Give me - I'm gonna take it - back that wig I bought you woman,
Oh Lord let your doggone head go bald
Give me back that wig I bought you woman
- I'm mad at you as I can be -
Let your doggone head go bald
You know the special del'vry brought me a letter this mornin',
Cryin', woman you don't need no hair at all
Special delivery man said he seed you on the corner last night -

You was talking with another man -
He said you was tagging all around with a -
Whiskey bottle in your hand -
I say give me back that wig I bought you, oh Lord let your doggone head go bald
Yes you know the news I got from downtown,
Woman you don't need no hair at all
(what you want with a woman who ain't got no hair?
What's the matter with you girl?)
I'm just gonna tell you -
Po' Lightnin' is fair -
I'm just gonna cut out one of these -
Little locks of my hair

Cause don't be bothered with you no more
Yes I want you to have pretty hair here, hair every place we go.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Bald Headed Woman" tell the story of a man who is fed up with his partner's infidelity and deceitful ways. He demands that she gives back the wig he bought her and lets her hair go bald. The singer reveals that he received a letter from a special delivery man that informed him of his woman's unfaithful activities. He then goes on to describe how he saw her last night with another man, holding a whiskey bottle. The woman's bald head represents her dishonesty and untrustworthiness in the singer's eyes. He declares that he no longer wants anything to do with her and that he will move on to someone who he will be proud to be seen with.

The song touches on themes of love, trust, and betrayal in relationships. It delves deep into the emotions of a man who has been hurt and deceived by someone he thought he could trust. The woman's bald head serves as a symbol of her deceitful and unreliable nature. She has lost the trust of her partner, and he no longer wants anything to do with her. The song is a tale of heartbreak and disappointment, illustrating the importance of honesty and trust in a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Give me - I'm gonna take it - back that wig I bought you woman
I want you to return the wig I bought you.

Oh Lord let your doggone head go bald
I want you to stop wearing wigs and let your natural hair grow.

You know the special del'vry brought me a letter this mornin'
I received a letter this morning from a special delivery man.

Cryin', woman you don't need no hair at all
The special delivery man told me that you don't need to wear wigs or have hair at all.

Special delivery man said he seed you on the corner last night -
The special delivery man saw you on the street corner last night.

You was talking with another man -
You were talking with another man.

He said you was tagging all around with a -
He said you were wandering around aimlessly with a.

Whiskey bottle in your hand -
You were holding a bottle of whiskey.

I say give me back that wig I bought you, oh Lord let your doggone head go bald
I am demanding that you return the wig I bought you and stop wearing wigs.

Yes you know the news I got from downtown,
I heard some news from downtown.

Woman you don't need no hair at all
You don't need to wear wigs or have any hair at all.

(what you want with a woman who ain't got no hair?
Why would you want to be with a woman who doesn't have hair?

What's the matter with you girl?)
What's wrong with you?

I'm just gonna tell you -
I am going to tell you something.

Po' Lightnin' is fair -
I'm a good and reasonable person.

I'm just gonna cut out one of these -
I'm going to cut off a lock of my hair.

Little locks of my hair
Small amounts of my hair.

Cause don't be bothered with you no more
I don't want to be bothered with you anymore.

Yes I want you to have pretty hair here, hair every place we go.
I want you to have beautiful hair when we go out together.

Contributed by Gabriella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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