Stones in My Passway
Nigel Watson; Peter Green Lyrics


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I got stones in my passway

And my road seem dark as night
I got stones in my passway
And my road seem dark as night
I have pains in my hearts
They have taken my appetite
I have a bird to whistle

And I have a bird to sing
Have a bird to whistle
And I have a bird to sing
I got a woman that I'm loving
Boy, she don't mean a thing
My enemies have betrayed me

Have overtaken poor Bob at last
My enemies have betrayed me
Have overtaken poor Bob at last
An' here's one thing certainly
They have stones all in my pass
Now you trying to take my life

And all my loving too
You laid a passway for me
Now what are you trying to do
I'm crying please
Plea-ease let us be friends
And when you hear me howling in my passway, rider
Plea-ease open your door and let me in
I got three legs to truck home

Boys, please don't block my road
I got three legs to truck home
Boys, please don't block my road




I've been feeling ashamed 'bout my rider
Babe, I'm booked and I got to go

Overall Meaning

The song "Stones in My Passway" by Peter Green talks about the struggles and obstacles one faces in life. The first lines suggest that the singer is facing a difficult time as he is trying to overcome stones in his passway, which is symbolic of the obstacles and challenges in his life. The road seems dark as night, indicating that the path towards his goals and ambitions is uncertain and unclear. The singer further explains the pain in his heart, which has taken away his appetite for life.


Despite these struggles, the singer still has a reason to sing and whistle, which are symbolic of hope and optimism. However, even with these positive things in his life, the singer faces betrayal from his enemies who have taken over him. He pleads with them to let him be and offers friendship instead of violence.


The use of "rider" and "three legs" in the lyrics is a reference to the African American culture of hobos and train-hopping, which was popular at the time. The "three legs" represent the three main parts of a train that hobos typically rode on. Additionally, the song borrows heavily from blues musician Robert Johnson's work, who was known for similar themes in his music.


Line by Line Meaning

I got stones in my passway
I'm faced with a lot of problems and obstacles.


And my road seem dark as night
It's very difficult for me to find my way out of this difficult situation.


I have pains in my hearts
I'm emotionally and mentally hurt.


They have taken my appetite
My problems have affected my ability to enjoy the things I used to love.


I have a bird to whistle
Even though things are hard, I have something to keep me going.


And I have a bird to sing
I still find joy in the good things in life.


I got a woman that I'm loving
I have someone I care about deeply.


Boy, she don't mean a thing
But unfortunately, she can't help me with my problems.


My enemies have betrayed me
People who I thought were on my side have turned against me.


Have overtaken poor Bob at last
My problems and enemies have finally caught up with me.


An' here's one thing certainly
Without a doubt, I'm facing some serious challenges.


They have stones all in my pass
The obstacles and problems I face seem insurmountable.


Now you trying to take my life
Someone is actively working against me and trying to harm me.


And all my loving too
They're not just trying to hurt me, but they're also targeting the people I care about.


You laid a passway for me
You set me up to fail and made it even harder for me to deal with my problems.


Now what are you trying to do
What's your endgame here?


I'm crying please
I'm begging for your understanding and mercy.


Plea-ease let us be friends
I wish we could reconcile and put this conflict to rest.


And when you hear me howling in my passway, rider
When I'm struggling and facing my obstacles head-on, I could use your help.


Plea-ease open your door and let me in
Please offer me your support and help me through this difficult time.


I got three legs to truck home
Despite all the challenges, I'm still trying to make progress and move forward.


Boys, please don't block my road
I'm trying to find a way forward and need your help to do it.


I've been feeling ashamed 'bout my rider
I feel bad about how my problems are affecting the people I care about, especially my partner.


Babe, I'm booked and I got to go
Even though it's hard, I have to keep moving and dealing with my problems.




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Robert Leroy Johnson, ROBERT JOHNSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@wilywascal2024

Apparently, some (early? foreign?) releases of the album didn't include tracks 6 (Terraplane Blues) and 13 (Kind Hearted Woman Blues). So what you see and hear here is only fourteen tracks. Paul Rodgers vocals are on tracks 14 (I Believe I'll Dust My Broom) and 16 (Sweet Home Chicago), which corresponds to tracks 12 and 14 on the abbreviated release presented here. The thirteen tracks in Green's previous album, 'Hot Foot Powder,' are the companion piece to this, with both albums together covering all 29 of Johnson's recorded songs. Below is the full track listing for this album (times represent song length):

1. When You Got A Good Friend (Studio) 2:46
2. 32-20 Blues (Studio) 2:56
3. Phonograph Blues (Studio) 3:28
4. Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Studio) 2:46
5. Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Studio) 3:18
6. Terraplane Blues (Studio) 3:44
7. Walkin' Blues (Studio) 3:06
8. Love In Vain Blues (Studio) 4:48
9. Ramblin' On My Mind (Studio) 3:00
10. Stones In My Passway (Studio) 2:56
11. Me And The Devil Blues (Studio) 3:02
12. Honeymoon Blues (Studio) 2:32
13. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Studio) 3:41
14. I Believe I'll Dust My Broom (Studio) 3:20
15. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day (Studio) 3:41
16. Sweet Home Chicago (Studio) 4:15



@wilywascal2024

Apparently, some (early? foreign?) releases of the album didn't include tracks 6 (Terraplane Blues) and 13 (Kind Hearted Woman Blues). So what you see and hear here is only fourteen tracks. Paul Rodgers vocals are on tracks 14 (I Believe I'll Dust My Broom) and 16 (Sweet Home Chicago), which corresponds to tracks 12 and 14 on the abbreviated release presented here. The thirteen tracks in Green's previous album, 'Hot Foot Powder,' are the companion piece to this, with both albums together covering all 29 of Johnson's recorded songs. Saw your comment was from years ago, but thought to be possibly helpful, anyway--to you or others confused by the incongruity. Below is the full track listing for this album:

1. When You Got A Good Friend (Studio) 2:46
2. 32-20 Blues (Studio) 2:56
3. Phonograph Blues (Studio) 3:28
4. Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Studio) 2:46
5. Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Studio) 3:18
6. Terraplane Blues (Studio) 3:44
7. Walkin' Blues (Studio) 3:06
8. Love In Vain Blues (Studio) 4:48
9. Ramblin' On My Mind (Studio) 3:00
10. Stones In My Passway (Studio) 2:56
11. Me And The Devil Blues (Studio) 3:02
12. Honeymoon Blues (Studio) 2:32
13. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Studio) 3:41
14. I Believe I'll Dust My Broom (Studio) 3:20
15. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day (Studio) 3:41
16. Sweet Home Chicago (Studio) 4:15



All comments from YouTube:

@michaelrosenow4393

"God Bless Robert Johnson and Peter Green" . The Music, The Talent and The Artistic Ability. 🙏🙏🙏

@jeanneannvalfre9581

A true blues player,he had the spirit that music is a good way to spent your time here-Play On.....

@zzzzzzz8417

we love you, Peter, as the true and best english bluesman

@zoranfilipovic4914

Legend , You will live forever..... R.I.P.

@MrMarkar1959

Send that Spirit this-a-way Greenie!!

@johnamaral1786

When you have Peter Green, in good form, with a group of talented (PG knows talent!) musicians, as we find here, doing covers of Robert Johnson tunes, you can't go wrong! Thank you GeraldoNX4!

@msmcamps

play with one string , sing wth one vocal cord and a genius remains a genius

@srvenenoforte

After so many years and Robert Johnson has no idea how much "damage " he made! RIP Peter.

@christophermacintyre5890

"We played it on the sofa, we played it by the wall, my needle's half got rusty, and will not play at all..."  Ha, ha...priceless lyric.

@stephenjamison6124

My hero for last 50 years

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