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.".
Everything
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you wanna shake?
Look a here, darling
Don't you wanna shake?
I want you to shake like me
Don't make no mistake
Shake it to the right
Shake it to anybody
That will keep it to their self
Do you wanna shake?
Do you wanna shake?
If you shake it with me
Don't make no mistake
Yeah, don't you wanna shake?
I want you to shake with me, baby
But I don't want you to make no mistake
I'd give you my money
I'd give to see you on time
I don't want you to go crazy
And I don't want you to lose your mind
I want you to shake
I want you to shake
If you shake with poor Lightnin'
Darling, I don't want you to make no mistake
And she said she wouldn't and she said
I said shake, I said shake
I said shake, I said shake
I said shake with poor Lightnin', baby
Don't make no mistake
The song "Everything" by Lightnin' Hopkins is a classic blues song that is all about getting people to let loose and have a good time on the dancefloor. The song starts with Lightnin' urging his partner to "shake" along with him, promising that it will be a good time. He then goes on to give specific instructions about how to shake, to the right, to the left, or to anyone who will keep it to themselves. He reiterates that he wants his partner to shake like he does, and that he doesn't want them to make any mistakes.
Throughout the song, Lightnin' uses the idea of shaking as a metaphor for freedom and uninhibited expression. He wants his partner and anyone around them to let go of their inhibitions and simply enjoy themselves. He even offers to pay for his partner's time, which shows how important it is to him that they share this moment together.
Overall, the song captures the energy and spirit of the blues, reminding listeners that it's okay to let loose and have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Look a here, baby
Listen to me closely, my dear
Don't you wanna shake?
Wouldn't you like to dance and move your body?
I want you to shake like me
I want you to dance the way I do
Don't make no mistake
Make sure you understand me clearly and don't mess up
Shake it to the right
Move your body to the right
Shake it to the left
Move your body to the left
Shake it to anybody
Dance with anyone who wants to dance with you
That will keep it to their self
As long as they keep it to themselves and don't tell anyone
Do you wanna shake?
Would you like to dance with me?
If you shake it with me
If you dance with me
Yeah, don't you wanna shake?
Don't you want to dance and have fun?
I'd give you my money
I would offer you all of my money
I'd give to see you on time
I would pay to see you dance on time and in rhythm
And I don't want you to lose your mind
I don't want you to become overwhelmed or crazy
If you shake with poor Lightnin'
If you dance with me, who is poor and struggling
And she said she wouldn't and she said
She said she wouldn't make a mistake and she promised
I said shake, I said shake
I encouraged her to dance and move her body
I said shake with poor Lightnin', baby
I invited her to dance with me, who is poor and struggling
Don't make no mistake
Make sure you understand me clearly and don't mess up
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BETH NICOLE HOPKINS, JOHN WILLIAM DEXTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind