He was strongly influenced by Muddy Waters, Lightnin‘ Hopkins and Arthur Crudup, but he found his own voice, his own style and his own form of expression. Louisiana Red’s albums have been called masterpieces by critics, and in 1983 he won a W.C. Handy Award as best traditional blues artist. After living in Germany for 20 years, he made a several triumphant comeback tours in the United States.
But if you asked Red about it, he wouldn’t tell you much about his success. He’d much rather talk about his latest CD project, about a new song or a new guitar lick. Because Louisiana Red was constantly creating, always searching for another expression of his blues. For once, the hyperbole was justified: Louisiana Red was the Blues.
1932 Born in Bessema, Alabama as Iverson Minter. His mother died a week after his birth.
1941 Louisiana Red’s father was killed by the Ku-Klux-Klan.
1972 His first beloved wife died from cancer.
1975 Festival in Montreux
1981 Louisiana Red leaves the United States for living now in Germany
1983 W.C. Handy Award as best traditional blues artist.
1984 Marriage with his beloved wife Dora.
1997 The first triumphant comeback tours in the United States.
1998 Several comeback tours in the United States.
Red
Louisiana Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
I dreamed of callin' old Castro
To the morning flo'
Looked him right in the eye and said, "Boy,
You got to go!
I'm tired of your foolishness
I'm goin' grab you by your beard,
Give you a Georgia shave!"
It was a dream, a dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
Then I told old Khrushchev
Sittin' there looking bad,
"Get that junk outta Cuba
‘Fore you make me mad.
Dig up them missile bases
Take them planes and all
Or I'll grab me a bat
With your head for the ball!"
It was a dream, dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
Then into Washington they call me
An' I went
Hadda be the guest
Of the President
He said, "Red, I'm glad to see you,
So glad you come down here
To help me run the Russians
From the western hemisphere!"
I said, "You can run the country
I'm goin' to run the Senate
Oughtta make a few changes
With a few soul brothers in it.
Ray Charles and Lightnin' Hopkins
And a guy like Jimmy Reed
Bo Diddley and Big Mabel
Be all I need!"
It was a dream, a dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
The lyrics to Louisiana Red's song "Red's Dream" depict a dream that he had where he went to the United Nations and set the whole nation right. In the dream, he confronts Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev, warning them to get rid of their weapons or face consequences. He also meets with the President of the United States, who welcomes him and asks for his help in dealing with the Russians. However, Louisiana Red decides that he would rather leave politics to the President and focus on putting some soul into the Senate by adding influential musicians like Ray Charles, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed.
The dream portrayed in the lyrics can be seen as a manifestation of Louisiana Red's desire for power and influence. It seems that he wants to wield political power and use it to face down enemies and make changes, but at the same time, he values the contributions of artists and wants them to have a voice in government. The dream also reflects his belief in the power of music to bring people together and create change.
Overall, "Red's Dream" is a humorous and somewhat surreal song that touches on themes of power, politics, and music. While the dream sequence is clearly fantastical, it also speaks to deeper desires and beliefs that Louisiana Red holds.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a dream, dream I had last night
Louisiana Red is reflecting on a dream he had the previous night.
I dreamed I went to the UN
In his dream, Louisiana Red finds himself at the United Nations headquarters.
And set the whole nation right
He envisions himself taking action to correct what he perceives as problems within the country or the world.
I dreamed of callin' old Castro
In his dream, Louisiana Red imagines confronting the Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
To the morning flo'
He pictures Castro being brought to his office early in the morning.
Looked him right in the eye and said, 'Boy, You got to go!'
Louisiana Red confronts Castro and demands that he leave Cuba.
I'm tired of your foolishness
Louisiana Red expresses his anger and frustration with Castro's actions.
And if you don't behave, I'm goin' grab you by your beard, Give you a Georgia shave!
He threatens to physically harm Castro if he does not comply with his demands.
Then I told old Khrushchev Sittin' there looking bad, 'Get that junk outta Cuba ‘Fore you make me mad.
Louisiana Red imagines a scenario where he confronts Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev about missiles in Cuba, warning him to remove them before causing more conflict.
Dig up them missile bases Take them planes and all Or I'll grab me a bat With your head for the ball!'
He threatens Khrushchev with violence if he does not comply with his demands to remove missiles from Cuba.
Then into Washington they call me An' I went Hadda be the guest Of the President
He imagines being summoned to the White House and meeting with the American president.
He said, 'Red, I'm glad to see you, So glad you come down here To help me run the Russians From the western hemisphere!'
The president expresses gratitude for Louisiana Red's assistance in dealing with the Soviets in the Western Hemisphere.
I said, 'You can run the country I'm goin' to run the Senate Oughtta make a few changes With a few soul brothers in it.
Louisiana Red envisions himself as a powerful political figure, aiming to make meaningful changes with the help of some like-minded individuals.
Ray Charles and Lightnin' Hopkins And a guy like Jimmy Reed Bo Diddley and Big Mabel Be all I need!'
Louisiana Red suggests a group of influential African American musicians as potential political allies to help him achieve his goals.
It was a dream, a dream I had last night
Louisiana Red finishes reflecting on his vivid dream from the previous night.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HENRY GLOVER, MORRIS LEVY, TEDDY REIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wongsala4407
It was a dream, dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
I dreamed of callin' old Castro
To the morning flo'
Looked him right in the eye and said, "Boy,
You got to go!
I'm tired of your foolishness
And if you don't behave,
I'm goin' grab you by your beard,
Give you a Georgia shave!"
It was a dream, a dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
Then I told old Khrushchev
Sittin' there looking bad,
"Get that junk outta Cuba
‘Fore you make me mad.
Dig up them missile bases
Take them planes and all
Or I'll grab me a bat
With your head for the ball!"
It was a dream, dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
Then into Washington they call me
An' I went
Hadda be the guest
Of the President
He said, "Red, I'm glad to see you,
So glad you come down here
To help me run the Russians
From the western hemisphere!"
I said, "You can run the country
I'm goin' to run the Senate
Oughtta make a few changes
With a few soul brothers in it.
Ray Charles and Lightnin' Hopkins
And a guy like Jimmy Reed
Bo Diddley and Big Mabel
Be all I need!"
It was a dream, a dream I had last night
I dreamed I went to the UN
And set the whole nation right
@danielnagy7123
My country was with the UN, but man, I dig this era's music.
@TrueNeutralEvGenius
What a brilliant creative song.
@TheAlamla
Ah, anti-communist songs. That never gets old
@airraid9614
IC23
COMMIE SPOTTED
MUST ELIMINATE
@btm240
@@airraid9614 he's sitting in 1600 pa ave right now
@airraid9614
btm240
FBI IS ON ITS WAY
THANK YOU
@comrademax5302
even as a marxist, song is good
@redbird300011
i need more songs like this
@LynxStarAuto
This song was is absolute fire
@ps3master72
Dont forget gonna be fire