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.".
Mean Old Frisco Blues
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and that low down Santa Fe
Yes, that mean old Frisco,
low down Santa Fe
Gone took my babe away,
yes, and blow smoke out to me
Well my mother, she done told me,
Yes, my mother she done told me,
father told me too
Son, every woman grins in your face,
well, she ain't no friend of you
Lord I wonder,
will she ever think of me
Lord I wonder,
will my baby think of me
Yes I wonder, I wonder,
will my baby think of me
Lord I ain't got no,
special rider here
Lord I ain't got no,
special rider here
I'm gonna leave,
'cause I don't feel welcome here
In Lightnin' Hopkins's iconic blues ballad "Mean Old Frisco," the singer bemoans the loss of his lover, who has been taken away by the mean old Frisco and the low-down Santa Fe. He attributes this loss to the pervasive sense of betrayal that characterizes his relationships with women: his mother and father warned him that every woman who grins in his face is not a friend to him. Despite this knowledge, he still wonders if his lover will ever think of him, as he has no "special rider" to accompany him through life's ups and downs.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, that mean old, mean old Frisco, and that low down Santa Fe
The cities of Frisco and Santa Fe are completely awful with terrible people.
Yes, that mean old Frisco, low down Santa Fe
The cities of Frisco and Santa Fe are so bad, they are worth mentioning again.
Gone took my babe away, yes, and blow smoke out to me
My lover was taken away from me, and the city 'blew smoke' in my face by being so terrible and hostile.
Well my mother, she done told me, and my father told me too
My parents warned me about the deceitful nature of women.
Yes, my mother she done told me, father told me too
My parents reiterated this warning about trusting women.
Son, every woman grins in your face, well, she ain't no friend of you
My parents conveyed the message that women are often disingenuous and not to be trusted.
Lord I wonder, will she ever think of me
I am pondering whether or not my lost love still thinks of me.
Lord I wonder, will my baby think of me
I am still curious about whether my ex-lover thinks of me.
Yes I wonder, I wonder, will my baby think of me
I am so curious about this that I repeat the question.
Lord I ain't got no, special rider here
I don't have anyone special in this city.
Lord I ain't got no, special rider here
I don't have anyone special in this city.
I'm gonna leave, 'cause I don't feel welcome here
I am going to leave this place because it makes me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR CRUDUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Bewall
The legendary Texas blues master Lightnin Hopkins!
Niclas1047
This is a pretty sweet version of the tune!
Harilal Solanki
Just love this man
CrossBonesAlex
Lightnin' rules the Blues World
CrossBonesAlex
Still top of the tops
cherrydabomb
happy birthday to lightnin!