Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum in London, England on 29 October 19… Read Full Bio ↴Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum in London, England on 29 October 1946; died 25 July 2020) was an influential blues guitarist and founder of Fleetwood Mac (with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998) and Peter Green Splinter Group. In the late 1960s, Green fronted Fleetwood Mac when the band played a hard blues-rock sound, prior to the more pop/rock sound for which it became known by the 1970s. Rolling Stone ranked Green at number 58 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Green started off as a bass player in such bands as The Muskrats. Joining The Peter B's, led by Peter Bardens, later the frontman of Camel, (including drummer Mick Fleetwood) he switched to lead guitar and made his first recordings. He took over the lead guitar spot in John Mayall and the Blues Breakers in 1966 after the departure of Eric Clapton.
After recording on one Mayall album Peter left in 1967 to form Fleetwood Mac.

Green was the guiding force of Fleetwood Mac from 1967 to 1970 when he left for musical and personal reasons. Under Green's guidance, the Mac played a very gritty and authentic version of the electric blues popularized in bars on Chicago's south side. (They even did some fine recordings there--"Blues Jam in Chicago"--which saw release only after his tenure in the band had ended). A prolific song writer also, he penned such hits as Man of the World; Oh Well; Green Manalishi; Albatross and Black Magic Woman. Albatross reached number 1 in the UK charts, Black Magic Woman was also recorded by Santana on their Abraxas album.

From 1970 to 1974, Green played some sessions, and worked with several small bands, as well as releasing two solo singles and an album of extended jams, The End of the Game for Reprise. By the end of 1974, he had withdrawn from the music scene.

By 1979 Green was recording again for PVK records as a solo artist with the debut album In the Skies; 1980 Little Dreamer; 1981 Blue Guitar; 1981 Whatcha Gonna Do; 1981 White Sky; 1984 Kolors; 1987 Katmandu; 1988 Legend; 1992 One Woman Love;

Green again left the music world in 1984, and there followed a very difficult period in his life, which came to an end in the mid 90's, and coincided with renewed interest, partly generated by a biography written by Martin Celmins, and a tribute album recorded by Gary Moore.

Green formed a new group in 1995 with Nigel Watson called the Peter Green Splinter Group. Returning to form the group produced some of Peter’s best playing since leaving Fleetwood Mac. Albums include 1997 Splinter Group; 1998 Robert Johnson Songbook; 2002 Reaching For The Cold 100.

Green left The Splinter Group in 2003. Since then, he has played sporadically, appearing at a Lord's Taverner's benefit at The Royal Albert Hall, and doing some gigs with The British Blues All-Stars.

In February 2009, Green began playing and touring again, this time as Peter Green and Friends. In May 2009 he was the subject of the BBC Four documentary "Peter Green: Man of the World", produced by Henry Hadaway. Green and the band subsequently played a tour of Ireland, Germany and England. They went on to play several dates in Australia during March 2010, including the Byron Bay Bluesfest.

Give Me Back My Freedom
Peter Green Lyrics

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Written by m. d. green.

They put me in the jailhouse
They take away my money
Treat me like a white mouse
Man that isn't funny
Lock the door and throw away the key

No one is allowed to comfort me

Give me back my freedom
Let me see the daylight
Make them stop the bleeding
Can't you see it ain't right

Put me on the chain gang
And work me till I can't stand
Say it's for my brother
They treat me like a martyr

Put me in a false society
Make me something I don't want to be

Give me back my freedom
And let me see the daylight
Make them stop the bleeding
Can't you see it ain't right

Break:

Give me back my freedom
Let me see the daylight
Make them stop the bleeding
Can't you see it ain't right

Give me back my freedom
And let me see the daylight
Make them stop the bleeding
And can't you see it ain't right

Give me back my freedom
Let me see the daylight
And make them stop the bleeding
Can't you see it ain't right

Give me back my freedom

Give me back my freedom
Give me back my freedom

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Peter Green's "Give Me Back My Freedom" tell a story of imprisonment and the desire for freedom. The first verse describes being put in jail and treated like a "white mouse" – someone who is experimented on and confined. The singer is locked away in a cell and no one is allowed to comfort them. The chorus makes it clear that the singer is longing for their freedom and to see the daylight again. They want the bleeding to stop, seemingly a metaphor for the pain and suffering they are experiencing.

The second verse talks about being put on a chain gang and made to work until they can't stand. The reason given is that it's supposedly for the singer's brother, but they feel like a martyr – someone who is suffering for a cause they don't believe in. The bridge describes being placed in a false society and made into something the singer doesn't want to be.

The final chorus repeats the earlier plea for freedom and daylight, with an added emphasis on the bleeding stopping. The repetition at the end of the song seems to emphasize the singer's desperation and the depth of their desire to be free.

Overall, "Give Me Back My Freedom" is a powerful statement about the human need for freedom and the pain that comes with being imprisoned or confined against one's will.

Line by Line Meaning

They put me in the jailhouse
I am incarcerated

They take away my money
All my financial assets are seized

Treat me like a white mouse
I am treated like a test subject without regard for my well-being

Man that isn't funny
It's not amusing at all

Lock the door and throw away the key
I have no way of being released from this confinement

No one is allowed to comfort me
I am isolated and alone

Give me back my freedom
I am demanding to be released from this imprisonment

Let me see the daylight
I want to step outside and feel the sun on my skin

Make them stop the bleeding
I am in pain and need help

Can't you see it ain't right
This treatment is unjust and unfair

Put me on the chain gang
I am forced into manual labor