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.".
Tim Moore's Farm
Lightnin' Hopkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This black man done was wrong
Yeah, you know it ain't but the one thing, you know
This black man done was wrong
Yes, you know I moved my wife and family down
On Mr.Tim Moore's farm
Yeah, you know Mr.Tim Moore's a man
He just said, "Keep out of the graveyard, I'll save you from the pen"
You know, soon in the morning, he'll give you scrambled eggs
Yes, but he's liable to call you so soon
You'll catch a mule by his hind legs
Yes, you know I got a telegram this morning, boy
It read, it say, "Your wife is dead"
I show it to Mr.Moore, he said, "Go ahead, nigger
You know you got to plow old Red"
That white man says, "It's been raining, yes, and I'm way behind
I may let you bury that woman, one of these old dinner times"
I told him, "No, Mr.Moore, somebody's got to go"
He says, "If you ain't able to plow, Sam
Stay up there and grab your hoe"
In Lightnin´Hopkins's song "Tim Moore´s Farm," the singer tells the story of a black man who moves his family down to Mr. Tim Moore's farm. The song starts with the singer acknowledging that the only mistake he made was to be black, and this is already enough to be subjected to wrongdoings. He then explains that he moved his family to Mr. Tim Moore's farm, but Moore is not the friendly type. Instead, he warns him to stay away from the graveyard, and if he sees him there, he is liable to catch him by his mule's hind legs.
The singer then reveals that he received a telegram that morning saying that his wife passed away. When he shows it to Mr. Moore, he tells him to go ahead and plow old Red, emphasizing how little he cares about the singer's personal tragedy. Then, Mr. Moore offers to let the singer bury his wife during lunchtime, but the singer insists that someone has to plow. Moore then tells him to stay and grab his hoe if he can't plow.
The song tells a sad story that highlights the harsh realities that black people faced in the South during that era. The lyrics paint a picture of a system built on oppression and disregard for black lives with no mercy or empathy for personal loss. The song was a commentary on the times and a call to acknowledge the systematic racism prevalent in the South.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, you know it ain't but the one thing, you know
There is only one reason for my current predicament that I'm sure you are aware of.
This black man done was wrong
I, as a Black man, am being punished for something that was not my fault.
Yes, you know I moved my wife and family down
I relocated my family to this place.
On Mr.Tim Moore's farm
It happens to be on Mr. Tim Moore's farm.
Yeah, you know Mr.Tim Moore's a man
Mr. Tim Moore is indeed a man.
He don't never stand and grin
He is not a person who puts on a show of being happy or content.
He just said, "Keep out of the graveyard, I'll save you from the pen"
He warned me not to break the law, promising that he would protect me from the consequences of doing so.
You know, soon in the morning, he'll give you scrambled eggs
During breakfast time, he serves scrambled eggs.
Yes, but he's liable to call you so soon
However, he might summon you immediately after.
You'll catch a mule by his hind legs
You'll be tasked with catching mules in a rather unconventional manner.
Yes, you know I got a telegram this morning, boy
Earlier today, I received a telegram, my friend.
It read, it say, "Your wife is dead"
It conveyed the news that my wife had passed away.
I show it to Mr.Moore, he said, "Go ahead, nigger
I showed it to Mr. Moore, who said, "Proceed, Black man.
You know you got to plow old Red"
You still have to complete the task of plowing the field.
That white man says, "It's been raining, yes, and I'm way behind
The White man said, "It has been raining, and I am running late.
I may let you bury that woman, one of these old dinner times"
I might allow you to bury your wife at one of our meal times.
I told him, "No, Mr.Moore, somebody's got to go"
I declined his offer, Mr. Moore. Someone has to leave.
He says, "If you ain't able to plow, Sam
He stated, "If you cannot plow, Sam
Stay up there and grab your hoe"
Then, stay there and pick up a hoe.
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.