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.".
The Foot Race Is On
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's the matter with you, I fixin' to, whoa
That man gonna jump on me
And I just got to move on out of his way
That's all there is to it but I'm goin'
Tell me, baby, what you tryin' to do?
Mama told me now understand
Just keep-a truckin' like a man
I'm gone, sure gone
I ain't jokin', no time waitin' on
Just keep on goin'
Look it here, baby, what you tryin' to do?
Tryin' to love me and my brother too
Mama told me now understand
Sit and listen with a plate in her hand
I know, gotta go
Gotta go, pretty baby
God knows I ain't lyin'
See, that's when it's gettin' soft
See, I was gettin' a little tired now
And I just slowed down a little bit
Foot race is on though
Look-a yonder what I do see
Whole lotta somethin' comin' after me but, I'm gone
They'll have a hard time catchin' ol' lightnin'
Now that I got a little air
Feel a little better now
Keep on runnin'
You know they run me, edge of town
They got tired and they turned around
I sure felt good, I didn't have to run no more
I ain't jokin', I ain't jivin'
God knows I ain't carryin' on
The Foot Race Is On by Lightnin' Hopkins is a song that tells the story of a man who is being chased by someone, but he doesn't know why. At the start of the song, the man seems confused, asking why the person is chasing him and stating that he has done nothing wrong. He knows that he needs to get out of the other person's way, and that's all he plans to do, but he's also determined to keep moving forward. The lyrics suggest that this may be a metaphor for the struggles of life, where sometimes we may face obstacles and challenges that we don't understand, but we must keep pushing forward.
As the song progresses, the man mentions that someone else (possibly a woman) is also trying to cause him some trouble. He remembers his mother's advice to keep going and not let anyone get in his way. He admits that he is feeling tired, but he knows that he needs to keep going because the "foot race is on." The man keeps running until he sees that the people chasing him have given up and turned back. He concludes that he is not joking and that he is not going to give up or carry on about his struggles.
In summary, The Foot Race Is On is a song that speaks to the perseverance and determination needed to overcome obstacles in life. It uses the metaphor of a foot race to illustrate this point, with the singer being chased but refusing to give up.
Line by Line Meaning
What you look at me for? Look out man
Why are you staring at me? Be careful and watch out.
What's the matter with you, I fixin' to, whoa
What's wrong with you? I'm getting ready to move, slow down.
That man gonna jump on me
That man is going to attack me.
And I just got to move on out of his way
I need to get out of his path to avoid being attacked.
That's all there is to it but I'm goin'
That's the only solution, I have to leave.
Tell me, baby, what you tryin' to do?
What do you want from me?
Tryin' to mistreat me and I ain't done nothin' to you
Are you trying to harm me when I have done nothing to you?
Mama told me now understand
My mother taught me to comprehend.
Just keep-a truckin' like a man
Keep going without giving up.
I'm gone, sure gone
I'm leaving, without doubt.
I ain't jokin', no time waitin' on
I'm serious and don't have any time to waste.
Just keep on goin'
Keep moving forward.
Look it here, baby, what you tryin' to do?
Listen here, what are you really trying to do?
Tryin' to love me and my brother too
Trying to love me and my sibling.
Mama told me now understand
My mother taught me to comprehend.
Sit and listen with a plate in her hand
She sat and listened to me with her food in her hand.
I know, gotta go
I know, I have to leave now.
Gotta go, pretty baby
I have to leave, dear.
God knows I ain't lyin'
I'm telling the truth.
See, that's when it's gettin' soft
That's when I'm getting tired.
See, I was gettin' a little tired now
I was starting to feel fatigued.
And I just slowed down a little bit
I slowed down my actions a bit.
Foot race is on though
Even though I'm slowing down, I'm still racing to the finish line.
Look-a yonder what I do see
Look over there, what do I see?
Whole lotta somethin' comin' after me but, I'm gone
A lot is coming after me, but I'm already gone.
They'll have a hard time catchin' ol' lightnin'
It will be difficult for them to catch me since I'm moving so fast.
Now that I got a little air
Now that I'm a bit ahead.
Feel a little better now
I'm starting to feel better about the situation.
Keep on runnin'
Continue running.
You know they run me, edge of town
You know they chased me to the outside of town.
They got tired and they turned around
They became fatigued and decided to stop chasing.
I sure felt good, I didn't have to run no more
I felt relieved since I did not have to keep running anymore.
I ain't jokin', I ain't jivin'
I'm not kidding, I'm not playing around.
God knows I ain't carryin' on
I'm not exaggerating or lying.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MACK MCCORMICK, SAM HOPKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Very similar to Ray Charles' What'd I say