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 By the end of 1974, he had withdrawn from the music scene.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.

Walkin' the Road
Peter Green Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Written by Peter Green.

Now the cupboards are empty
But baby you don´t care
This way that I´m living
Now that you´re not here
I´m walkin?the road

But there´s a long long way to go

My socks need mending
They´re so full of holes
Take a look at my trousers
And man, how it shows
I´m walkin?the road
But there´s a long long way to go

I sit at the table
Since I got the news
I´m so full of cigarettes
And I´m drunk with the blues
I´m walkin?the road
But there´s a long long way to go

I gave you my loving
I gave you my car
Now I gotta keep moving
To the next backstreet bar

I´m walkin?the road
But there´s a long long way to go

Overall Meaning

In Peter Green's "Walkin' the Road," the singer laments the state of his life after a breakup. The first verse reveals that he is struggling to make ends meet, with empty cupboards and a difficult way of life. The second verse describes his appearance, with torn socks and trousers, highlighting the neglect and decline that has come with his breakup. The third verse indicates his depression, as he tries to drown out his sorrow and takes solace in smoking and drinking.

The chorus, "I'm walkin' the road, but there's a long long way to go," underlines the sense of hopelessness and uncertainty that the singer is feeling. He's unsure of what his future holds, and the idea of continuing down this path seems daunting.

Overall, Green uses simple, straightforward language to describe the singer's situation, but the emotions and images he evokes are powerful. One can feel the desperation and sadness in the singer's voice, and the simple but effective guitar work adds to the melancholy atmosphere.

Line by Line Meaning

Now the cupboards are empty
Despite the cupboards being empty, it doesn't matter to the person being addressed.

But baby you don´t care
The person being addressed doesn't care that the cupboards are empty.

This way that I´m living
The way of living the person has embarked on.

Now that you´re not here
The person that the song is about is no longer around.

I´m walkin?the road
The singer is making a journey on foot.

But there´s a long long way to go
There's a long journey yet to be traveled.

My socks need mending
The person has socks with holes, in need of repair.

They´re so full of holes
The holes in the socks are quite bad.

Take a look at my trousers
The person's trousers are in dire need of an inspection.

And man, how it shows
The trousers' bad condition is evident.

I sit at the table
The person is seated at a table.