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.".
Give Me Back That Wig
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
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Give me back that wig I bought you, baby; darling, let your doggone head go bald
Yes, I come to find out this morning (God bless your heart), baby, you don't need no hair at all
Yeah, you know I bought you a wig
I say, "We're going out and have some fun"
I looked around for you baby and what did I face?
A great big gun
Give me back that wig I bought you, woman, please ma'am, let your doggone head go bald
Yes, you know I done come to find out you don't need no hair at all
Yeah, you know my mama she done told me, told me just what a woman'd do
Yeah, you know my mama she done told me, told me just what a woman'd do
Yes, "If she can't get a wig from the store, she'll come 'round and try to buy one of them things from you"
In the song "Give Me Back That Wig" by Lightnin' Hopkins, the artist is pleading with his lover to give back the wig he bought her and let her natural hair go bald. The song starts with the artist asking for his lover to return the wig, stating that he has realised that she doesn't need it. He then goes on to recount how he bought her the wig and planned to go out and have fun, only to be faced with a gun when he went to collect her. The rest of the song is Hopkins explaining that he had been warned by his mother that women would do anything to get a wig, including trying to take it from someone else.
The lyrics of this song can be interpreted in a few different ways. On the surface, it seems that Hopkins is simply asking his lover to return the wig that he bought for her. However, there is likely a deeper message behind the words. The fact that he is asking her to let her natural hair go bald suggests that he wants her to be comfortable in her own skin and not feel as though she needs to rely on wigs or other accessories in order to be beautiful. There is also a clear warning message about the lengths that some women will go to in order to get a wig, with Hopkins referencing a gun being pulled on him.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me back that wig I bought you, baby; darling, let your doggone head go bald
Hopkins is requesting his lover to return the wig he purchased for her and to stop hiding her natural baldness.
Yes, I come to find out this morning (God bless your heart), baby, you don't need no hair at all
Hopkins discovers his lover's baldness in the morning and realizes that she does not require a wig.
Yeah, you know I bought you a wig
Hopkins reminds his lover of the wig he bought for her.
I say, "We're going out and have some fun"
Hopkins expresses his excitement to take his lover out with her new wig.
I looked around for you baby and what did I face?
Hopkins is surprised to find his lover holding a gun when he looks for her.
A great big gun
Hopkins emphasizes the size and danger of the gun held by his lover.
Give me back that wig I bought you, woman, please ma'am, let your doggone head go bald
Hopkins pleads with his lover to return the wig and embrace her natural baldness.
Yes, you know I done come to find out you don't need no hair at all
Hopkins reiterates that his lover does not need hair and should not be ashamed of being bald.
Yeah, you know my mama she done told me, told me just what a woman'd do
Hopkins recalls his mother's guidance about women's tendencies.
Yes, "If she can't get a wig from the store, she'll come 'round and try to buy one of them things from you"
Hopkins quotes his mother's warning about women who resort to obtaining a wig from their partner, even if it means using force.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.