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.".
I Mean Goodbye
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I mean goodbye
Goodbye darling
I said farewell
Goodbye darling
I said farewell
I don't wanna meet you in earth nowhere
I ain't joking to you
I'm gonna tell you
Put a bowl in a bar
Cause if I've got to meet you in hell
You'd still be my gal
Well Imma tell you pretty bold babe
Just put a bowl in bar
When I tell ya that's gon rain...
(Solo)
Put it in a bowl yuh
You know there's bound to be that lightning
Rain come falling down
You know it's bound to be that lightning
And the rain'll come falling down
Well I wanna put another bowl in another
Bar but there ain't enough bowls in this town
I ain't joking
I said leave me now
She said I didn't mind it well
She's alive and I don't wanna meet you nowhere on earth
I said where you wanna meet the man?
She let it be down in hell
I said I'm going with you darling, and I just might as well
The lyrics to Lightnin' Hopkins's song "I Mean Goodbye" are a simple and straightforward expression of farewell to a significant other. Hopkins emphasizes his goodbye by saying it twice in the first two lines of the song. He then goes on to tell his lover that he doesn't want to meet them anywhere on earth, but he also doesn't want to meet them in hell. He expresses this sentiment in a matter of fact way, stating that he isn't joking about it. Hopkins then asks his lover to put a bowl in a bar, indicating that this small action will protect her from the lightning and rain that he believes will come. He further outlines his plans to follow her to hell, saying that he might as well since he doesn't want to be in a world without her.
The song itself is simple, with Hopkins's guitar playing taking center stage. The lyrics are blunt and to the point, with Hopkins dispensing with any flowery language or euphemisms. He tells his lover what he wants and what he doesn't want, which makes the song powerful in its honesty. The repeated use of "goodbye" and his forthright approach to the topic give the song a sense of finality and resolve that is rare in many other breakup songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes goodbye
I am saying goodbye
I mean goodbye
I truly mean it when I say goodbye
Goodbye darling
Farewell, my beloved one
I said farewell
I said goodbye
Goodbye darling
Farewell, my beloved one
I said farewell
I said goodbye
I don't wanna meet you in earth nowhere
I don't want to see you anywhere on this earth
But I don't wanna meet you in hell
However, I also don't want to see you in hell
I ain't joking to you
I'm not joking with you
I'm gonna tell you
I will tell you now
Put a bowl in a bar
Set up a protective measure for me
Cause if I've got to meet you in hell
Because even if I meet you in hell
You'd still be my gal
You would still be my woman
Well Imma tell you pretty bold babe
I will tell you honestly and blatantly
Just put a bowl in bar
Please protect me from any harm
When I tell ya that's gon rain...
When I say that trouble is coming...
(Solo)
Put it in a bowl yuh
Please set up the protective measure
You know there's bound to be that lightning
You know that danger or conflict is inevitable
Rain come falling down
Trouble will come your way
You know it's bound to be that lightning
You know that danger or conflict is inevitable
And the rain'll come falling down
Trouble will come your way
Well I wanna put another bowl in another
I want to set up another protective measure
Bar but there ain't enough bowls in this town
But there are not enough protective measures in this town
I said leave me now
I told her to leave me
She said I didn't mind it well
She didn't react positively to my request
She's alive and I don't wanna meet you nowhere on earth
She's still around and I don't want to see you anywhere on this earth
I said where you wanna meet the man?
I asked her where she wants to meet me
She let it be down in hell
She suggested meeting in hell
I said I'm going with you darling, and I just might as well
I agreed to go with her to hell, might as well face it together
Writer(s): Sam Hopkins
Contributed by Claire A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Francois Froge
♥♥♥
William Minarcik
Yes, goodbye, I mean goodbye Goodbye darling, I just fare you well. x2
I don t wanna meet you on earth nowhere but I don t wanna meet you in hell I ain´t jokin´ neither... I´m on tell you.