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.".
Beggin' You to Stay
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hurts you go bad for us to part
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
She's on my mind, she's on my mind, every place I go
How much I love her nobody knows
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
So many nights, since you been gone,
I been wonderin', how my life goes on
And my story, here's all I got to say,
"Goodbye baby, don't care what you do"
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
In "Someday Baby," Lightnin' Hopkins sings about a relationship that has ended and his hope that someday, he will move on fully from the heartbreak. The opening lines indicate that the breakup has been a painful experience as he cries out to the Lord in anguish. While he acknowledges that it hurts him deeply for them to part, he hopes that one day, she won't have a hold over his life anymore. Throughout the song, he seems to be struggling with the constant reminders of her, as she is always on his mind. He emphasizes the depth of his love for her and how nobody can truly understand it. Despite this, he finishes with a sense of finality, letting her know that he is saying goodbye and that she won't have any effect on his life in the future.
One interpretation of the song could be that Lightnin' Hopkins is trying to convince himself that he's over the relationship. He acknowledges that the breakup is painful and that he thinks about her constantly. However, by repeating the reassuring line that someday she won't worry him anymore, he is trying to convince himself that he will move on eventually. The fact that he ends the song with a definitive "Goodbye baby" indicates that he is taking steps to move on, and that perhaps singing about it is one of those steps.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Lordy Lord, Oh Lordy Lord
Expression of pain and sorrow for the current situation
Hurts you go bad for us to part
Leaving hurts both parties involved deeply
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
The pain caused by the departed person will eventually disappear
She's on my mind, she's on my mind, every place I go
The departed person's memory is still fresh and vivid
How much I love her nobody knows
The depth of love felt towards the departed person is immeasurable
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
The pain caused by the departed person will eventually disappear
So many nights, since you been gone,
The time since the person's departure has been long and difficult
I been wonderin', how my life goes on
Contemplation on how to move on without the departed person
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
The pain caused by the departed person will eventually disappear
And my story, here's all I got to say,
The artist is about to give a final message to the departed person
"Goodbye baby, don't care what you do"
A final farewell to the departed person with a message of indifference
But some day baby, you ain't gonna worry my life any more
The pain caused by the departed person will eventually disappear
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SAM HOPKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind