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.".
Once Was a Gambler
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I lost my money roll
Yeah, you know I once was a gambler
Boy, but I lost my money roll
That's the reason I don't have no sweet woman
Now I done lost my happy home
You take it down when you lose that no good money
When you lose that old dog gone money
You sit around with your head hung down
You will try to borrow you fifty dollars
To start all over again in another town
Too late you gonna lose
Your friends don't pay you no money
Baby, if you only will forgive me
I won't gamble no more
If you only will forgive me, baby
Lord, have mercy, poor Lightnin' won't gamble no more
She says I can't help you now
Sold out to the devil and that's no way to go
And I couldn't help but cry
I cried like I did
She said I didn't want you to gamble, Lightnin'
You know who I am, I'm your wife
She said I didn't want you to gamble, Lightnin'
You know who I am, I am your wife
She's looking at, brother, just like you lost your money
You had a good chance to lose your life
So go ahead on, Lightnin'
The song "Once Was a Gambler" by Lightnin' Hopkins is a song about regret, loss and the consequences of gambling. The song is about the singer who used to be a gambler, but has lost all of his money and his home in the process. The song starts with the singer acknowledging that he used to be a gambler, but he has lost his money roll in the process. The singer laments that he does not have a sweet woman anymore, as he has lost everything he had.
The lyrics of the song are a warning about the dangers of gambling and how it can ruin one's life. The singer talks about how he sat around with his head hung down after losing his money, and how he had to borrow money to start all over again in another town. He warns that it is too late to try to win back what you have lost, and that friends will not give you any money.
The singer asks for forgiveness, promising not to gamble anymore, but his wife tells him that it is too late and that he has sold his soul to the devil. She tells him that she did not want him to gamble and warns him that he could have lost his life in the process. The song ends with the singer being told to go ahead on.
Overall, "Once Was a Gambler" is a powerful song that warns about the dangers of gambling and its effects on one's life. The song uses simple lyrics and a bluesy melody to convey its message, making it a classic in the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, you know I once was a gambler
Lightnin' Hopkins used to gamble.
But I lost my money roll
He lost all of his money that he had gained through gambling.
That's the reason I don't have no sweet woman
He lost everything he had and his woman left him as a result.
Now I done lost my happy home
He lost his home as well as his woman and his money.
You take it down when you lose that no good money
When you lose money through gambling, you feel down.
He sat around with his head hung down
The feeling of disappointment weighs heavily on you.
When you lose that old dog gone money
Losing money through gambling can be frustrating and demotivating.
You sit around with your head hung down
It can make you feel hopeless and powerless.
You will try to borrow you fifty dollars
People who lose money through gambling often try to borrow money to start gambling again.
To start all over again in another town
They often hope to have better luck elsewhere.
Too late you gonna lose
It's too late to win back what you've lost.
Your friends don't pay you no money
Friends often refuse to lend money to their gambling friends.
Baby, if you only will forgive me
He's asking his woman for forgiveness.
I won't gamble no more
He promises to quit gambling.
Lord, have mercy, poor Lightnin' won't gamble no more
He prays that he won't gamble again.
She says I can't help you now
His woman is unwilling to help him anymore.
Sold out to the devil and that's no way to go
She believes that gambling is akin to selling one's soul to the devil.
And I couldn't help but cry
He is deeply saddened by the consequences of his actions.
She said I didn't want you to gamble, Lightnin'
His wife had warned him about gambling but he didn't listen.
You know who I am, I'm your wife
She reminds him of his relationship with her.
She's looking at, brother, just like you lost your money
His wife, in a way, sees him as someone who's lost everything.
You had a good chance to lose your life
She thinks that gambling is so dangerous that it can result in a loss of life.
So go ahead on, Lightnin'
His wife tells him to go on despite everything.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SAM HOPKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Foudil Moussaoui
C'est en 1966 que j'ai entendu pour la première fois cette chanson . Elle avait complètement révolutionné mes goûts musicaux. Comme j'habitais en Algérie, il m'avait fallu prés de 10 ans pour trouver le LP, ''Burnin' in L.A.'', qui contient cette chanson. Pour l'histoire cet album a obtenu le Prix Jazz Hot aux Etats-Unis. C'est un des disques les plus précieux que je possède. Merci pour ce clip ! Foudil from Algeria
Ya. BEL.
Please send me your link youtube
Moussaoui Foudil
@Ya. BEL. You're right Enzo, like the blues old school never die !
Please see my vinyls collection on youtube. The links, of a number of 5, are : ''Algerian Vinyl Collector''. This is the first part only.
Greetings from Algeria
Ya. BEL.
Bravo Moussawi...old sckool never die from algeria to Alabama
gcasey19631
If you have invested some $$ in a high quality home stereo system..and can crank this at a volume that Mr Hopkins intended it to be heard...you know how badass this song is
Jerald Barber
I gambled mine away. 😞
Omar Muñoz Castorena
i have good headphones and still sounds really good, lol
Really BadAim
An amazing visionary. Great music. A must study. Thank you for your contribution.
Dennis X
Totally awesome :) Love this :) This makes my evening :)
kasper spez
greatest piece of music.