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 By the end of 1974, he had withdrawn from the music scene.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.
Sweet Home Chicago
Peter Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh baby don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago
Oh baby don't you want to go
Oh baby don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
Now one and one is two
Two and two is four
I'm heavy loaded baby
I'm booked I gotta go
Cryin' baby
Honey don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago
Now two and two is four
Four and two is six
You gonna keep monkeyin' round here friend-boy
You gonna get your business all in a trick
But I'm cryin' baby
Honey don't you wanna go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago
Now six and two is eight
Eight and two is ten
Friend-boy she trick you one time
She sure gonna do it again
But I'm cryin' hey hey
Baby don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago
I'm goin' to California
From there to Des Moines Iowa
Somebody will tell me that you
Need my help someday
Cryin hey hey
Baby don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago
The lyrics to Peter Green Splinter Group's song Sweet Home Chicago are about a person who is urging their loved one to go back to their hometown of Chicago with them. The person is nostalgic about their sweet home in Chicago and is feeling homesick for the city. The chorus repeats the same line twice, emphasizing the desire to go back to the land of California, which was perhaps where the person and their loved one were staying at the time. The verse talks about numbers, possibly suggesting that the person is calculating something important and needs to leave urgently. The phrase "cryin' baby" throughout the song implies the urgency of the situation and the need to make a quick decision to return home.
The song is about someone who wants to leave their current place and return home. The singer wants to go back to Chicago, where they have fond memories and people they care for. The song highlights themes of nostalgia, homesickness, and urgency, with the singer urging their loved one to make a decision to leave with them. The title of the song is a reference to Chicago, a city that is known for its deeply rooted musical legacy, particularly in the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh baby don't you want to go
Hey, my baby, you wanna go somewhere else?
Oh baby don't you want to go
Why don't you wanna come with me?
Back to the land of California
I want to go back to California.
To my sweet home Chicago
Chicago is my home and it's sweet.
Now one and one is two
The sum of one and one is two.
Two and two is four
When you add two and two, you get four.
I'm heavy loaded baby
I'm carrying a lot of stuff, baby.
I'm booked I gotta go
I have a lot of things to do and I must leave.
Cryin' baby
I'm crying, baby.
Honey don't you want to go
My dear, don't you want to leave this place?
Now two and two is four
The sum of two and two is four.
Four and two is six
When you add four and two, you get six.
You gonna keep monkeyin' round here friend-boy
If you keep messing around, friend, you're gonna get in trouble.
You gonna get your business all in a trick
You're gonna mess up your business.
But I'm cryin' baby
But I'm still crying, baby.
Honey don't you wanna go
Wouldn't you like to leave this place now?
Now six and two is eight
The sum of six and two is eight.
Eight and two is ten
When you add eight and two, you get ten.
Friend-boy she trick you one time
You've been tricked once, my friend.
She sure gonna do it again
She's likely to do it again.
But I'm cryin' hey hey
But I'm still crying, hey hey.
Baby don't you want to go
Don't you want to leave now, baby?
I'm goin' to California
I'm headed to California.
From there to Des Moines Iowa
And then I'm going to Des Moines, Iowa.
Somebody will tell me that you
Someone will let me know if you need my help.
Need my help someday
In case you ever need my help.
Cryin hey hey
Still crying, hey hey.
Baby don't you want to go
Baby, come with me and let's leave.
Back to the land of California
Let's go back to California, where I feel at home.
To my sweet home Chicago
Chicago is my home, my sweet home.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Taj Mahal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind