She's 19 Years Old
Muddy Waters Lyrics


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I'm gonna say somethin' to you
I don't care how you feel
You just don't realize
You got yourself a good deal

She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied

I'm gonna say this to you
I don't care if you get mad
You 'bout the prettiest little girl
That I ever had

She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied
What kind of woman is that?

Can't ask her where she's going
She tells me where she's been
She start a conversation
That don't have no end

She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her




Whoah, yeah, whoah, yeah, whoah, yeah
To make this young woman feel satisfied

Overall Meaning

Muddy Waters's song "She's Nineteen Years Old" is a blues song that tells the story of a man who is in love with a nineteen-year-old girl who acts like a baby and cannot be pleased. The song shows the man's love for the girl but also his frustration with her. He is trying to make her happy, but she is never satisfied with anything he does. The lyrics reflect the societal norms of the time, where men were expected to be the providers and protectors of their women, but the woman's behavior would dictate the level of satisfaction and happiness in the relationship.


Waters's lyrics, "Nothin' I can do to please her," show the struggle of a man trying to please a woman who is impossible to please. He is constantly trying to do things to make her happy, but even his best effort is not enough. The line, "Can't ask her where she's going, She tells me where she's been," shows the independent spirit of the woman, which was not mainstream behavior for women in the 1950s.


The lyrics also reflect the sexualization of younger women in the blues culture. The age of nineteen is highlighted throughout the song as Waters sings, "She's nineteen years old." The man is enamored with the girl's youthfulness, but also recognizes that she has the behaviors of a child. The song may serve as a commentary on the idea of older men pursuing younger women and the power dynamic that comes with such a relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna say somethin' to you
I have something important to tell you


I don't care how you feel
I am not concerned about your reaction


You just don't realize
You are unaware of something important


You got yourself a good deal
You are lucky to have what you have


She's nineteen years old
The subject of this song is a young woman who is 19 years old


And got ways just like a baby child
She behaves in a very innocent, childlike manner


Nothin' I can do to please her
No matter what I do, I cannot make her happy


To make this young woman feel satisfied
My attempts to satisfy her are unsuccessful


I'm gonna say this to you
I have another important statement to make


You 'bout the prettiest little girl
You are very attractive


That I ever had
I have had many relationships, but you are the most beautiful


Can't ask her where she's going
She is secretive about her plans


She tells me where she's been
She shares where she has been in the past, but not where she is going


She start a conversation
She initiates a conversation


That don't have no end
The conversation seems to have no conclusion


Whoah, yeah, whoah, yeah, whoah, yeah
This is a refrain that repeats throughout the song


What kind of woman is that?
The artist is confused and frustrated by this young woman's behavior




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MC KINLEY MORGANFIELD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@jackwalker1822

100% pure blues. Was glad I got to see Muddy Waters once in concert.

@gokhanu1661

You are fortunate to have had that experience, sir. Muddy Waters is the musician who can turn any shitty day into a perfect day more than half a century later.

@antonmikofsky2073

Also saw, heard Muddy.

@vintagepipesnightmares

Yes and I also love how he always fakes playing guitar.

@tomluton8005

Privileged to spend an evening with Sonny Boy Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, and others at Croydon in 1963. He let me carry his attaché case, which contained several harps and a bottle of Johnny Walker. He passed around the table and insisted we all take a swig.
All the kids were transfixed as Sonny did his set backed by Eric Clapton( I’d Never Heard of him) what a magic evening….
If the Lord asks about one of my best times on earth, this was the most memorable…Sonny Boy wanted to live in England.. he
really made a mark. It didn’t happen and he died in 1965, the year I emigrated to the Us. Thank God for YouTube…😊

@liecht

This is the pinnacle of blues playing,guys,we are listening to the exceptional and the uncommon

@koko-pu5vn

Yes!! You nailed it!!

@rb5935

this is as good as it'll ever get. the faces, the clothes, the grain on that camera... and not to mention the sounds! Cannot be topped!

@blue._pee

faces are so damn bluesy as if they all just broke up with a girl right before the show 😭😭😭😭

@MrJudo2go

Man, those two slow blues guitar solos are AWESOME. Especially the Pee Wee Madison part. I try to play blues guitar and his tone is something I aim for. 😊🎸

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