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.".
Shotgun
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes I said go bring me my shotgun, go and bring me back a pocketful of shells
Yes if I don't get some competition, you know there's gonna be trouble here
Yes you know my woman tried to quit me, when I ain't done nothing wrong
She done put me out of doors babe, and I even ain't got no home
I said go, bring me my shotgun, whoa Lord and a pocketful of shells
Yes if I don't get some competition you know there's got to be trouble here
Yes you know my mama told me, the day that I left the door
She says you gonna have bad luck son, and I don't are where you go
I said just bring me my shotgun, boy you can bring just one or two shells
Yes if I don't get some competition, you know there's go to be trouble here
Well I cried bye, bye baby, you know you done me wrong
I'm gonna take my little shotgun now, I'm gonna carry it back home
I said go out in the morning, boy, and carry my shotgun home
Yes I figured the best thing I can do was leave that woman alone
"Shotgun" is a blues song by Lightnin' Hopkins, which talks about the frustration of a man who has been wronged by his woman, and who is ready to defend himself with his shotgun if necessary. The first two lines of the song, "Yes I said, go bring me my shotgun, go and bring me back some shells,"spell out the main theme of the song: the man, angry and hurt, is asking for his shotgun and some bullets to get ready for what might come next. The third line, "Yes if I don't get some competition, you know there's going to be trouble here,"reveals his underlying frustration with the situation: he feels like he needs to defend his honor against whoever might challenge him, and he is not afraid to use force to do so. The song continues with the man reminiscing about his past with his woman, and how even though he did nothing wrong, he was still kicked out of his home. He wonders why he is the one being punished, and why he is the one being left alone.
The next verses talk about how his mother warned him about the consequences of his actions, but he refused to listen. He insists on his right to own a shotgun, and he warns those who would dare to mess with him that they would be in for trouble. The final verses show him taking his leave from his woman, declaring that he is done with her. He is not concerned about what the future holds for him, as he knows he can protect himself with his shotgun.
Lightnin' Hopkins was an influential blues musician who was known for his unique style of playing the guitar and his emotive lyricism. He wrote "Shotgun" at a time when the American South was still reeling from the aftermath of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Junior Wells, Blues Brothers, and Tony Vega among others.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes I said, go bring me my shotgun, go and bring me back some shells
I am requesting for my shotgun and some shells to defend myself
Yes if I don't get some competition, you know there's gonna be trouble here
If I don't get some competition or if someone doesn't challenge me, there's going to be a problem
Yes you know my woman tried to quit me, when I ain't done nothing wrong
My woman attempted to leave me even though I didn't do anything wrong
She done put me out of doors babe, and I even ain't got no home
She threw me out of my own place, and now I'm homeless
I said go, bring me my shotgun, whoa Lord and a pocketful of shells
I repeated my demand to retrieve my shotgun and some shells to protect myself
Yes you know my mama told me, the day that I left the door
My mother advised me on the day I left my home
She says you gonna have bad luck son, and I don't are where you go
My mother warned me that I'm going to have bad luck wherever I go
I said just bring me my shotgun, boy you can bring just one or two shells
I rephrased my demand for my shotgun and specified a small number of shells
Yes you know my woman tried to quit me, when I ain't done nothing wrong
I repeated my lament about my woman leaving me for no reason
Well I cried bye, bye baby, you know you done me wrong
I said goodbye to my woman who betrayed me
I'm gonna take my little shotgun now, I'm gonna carry it back home
I plan to carry my small shotgun back to my new home
I said go out in the morning, boy, and carry my shotgun home
I instructed someone to go get my shotgun and bring it back to me in the morning
Yes I figured the best thing I can do was leave that woman alone
I concluded that the best course of action for me is to let go of that woman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Sam Hopkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ThiagoConsentini
Woah, go bring me my shotgun
Oh I'm gonna start shootin' again
Go bring me my shotgun
You know I just got to start shootin' again
You know I'm gonna shoot my woman
Cause she's foolin' around with too many men
Yes bring me my shotgun
Yes man and a pocket full of shells
Yes go bring me my shotgun
Yes man and a pocket full of shells
Yeah you know I'm gonna kill that woman
I'm gonna throw her in that old deep dug well
Hide her from everybody they won't know where she at
That woman said Lightnin' you can't shoot me
She said now you is dead of tryin'
I don't take a day off for nobody
She said Lightnin' you can't shoot me
She said yes and you dare to try
I said the only reason I don't shoot you little woman
My double barrel shotgun, it just won't fire
@waynepolk4179
This is probably the hardest core blues song ever! And how Lightnin is never mentioned as one of the greatest guitar players is a mystery to me!
@jordonhodges8493
He is! Rolling lists him as one of the 100 greatest/most influential guitarists of all time. But he should be more talked about.
@jodyvance4114
Amen 🙏🏻
@PedroOliveira-xo5zs
concordo com voce cara, lightnin sabe fazer um belo Blues, hoje em dia é muito raro alguem que faz um Blues semelhante por que igual nunca sera!
@jamesbueker11
Saw him live at Liberty Hall in Houston. My drunk friend asked if he could buy him a beer between sets. He looked him straight in the eye and said why would I need a beer from you boy.? I loved it. He was amazing. Fearless and fantastic
@RockerCityClash
Thats a great story, man...
@davidwalker5054
Lightnin was late for a gig. Promoter says to one of the backing band. Where the fuck is lightnin he's late has he not got a watch. Bandmember says ole lightnin dont need no watch. Lightnin decides what time it is. Coolest mutha ever
@audreywilborn2018
Now if he had said whiskey it would have been a different story .
@bluefig797
Lol
@mkultra2456
Hey where's the 5th comment?