While Cray was among artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood who got wider radio airplay and regular MTV video exposure during the late 1980s, he started playing guitar in his early teens. At Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia, his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. Originally, Robert Cray wanted to become an architect, but at about the same time he was going to study design in architecture he formed a local band "Steakface", described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray on guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Fleetwood Mac, the Grease Band, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull, Forever More, Spirit, and The Faces.
By the time he was twenty, Cray had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert, and decided to form his own band. His band started playing college towns on the west coast. After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to Mercury Records in 1982. His third release, Strong Persuader, received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition.
By then Cray was an opening act for such major stars as Eric Clapton (who remains a friend to this day), and sold out larger venues as a solo artist. Cray has generally played Fender guitars (Telecasters and Stratocasters) and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocasters models available from Fender.
Cray continues to record and tour.
Chicken In The Kitchen
Robert Cray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're always running around
I do all the cooking in our house babe
You're always running around
There'll be no more chicken in the kitchen
If you don't try to settle down
And your tale I just ain't buying
You come home late for supper now babe
And your tale I just ain't buying
Well I got a feeling you're eating out now babe
And someone else is doing the frying
Well you know that I get burned now babe
That's one thing that can't be denied
And when I serve up my main course now babe
You always get your choice of size
Well you know that I get burned now babe
That's one thing that can't be denied
And when I serve up my main course now babe
You always tell me you're so satisfied
You gotta change your ways now babe
I can't take no more of this mess
You gotta make up your mind now, pretty babe
I can't take no more of this mess
Cause when it comes to real fine cuisine now babe
You'll realize I was the best
There'll be no more chicken in the kitchen
I am the best
In Robert Cray's song "Chicken in the Kitchen," the singer who seems to be a woman, is tired of doing all the cooking in her relationship because her significant other never seems to be around. She warns her partner that she will no longer cook for them if they don't start settling down and making time for the relationship. She also suspects that her partner has been eating out with someone else when they're not home and worries that they might be doing the cooking instead. The singer expresses frustration with always feeling unappreciated and never being valued, giving an ultimatum that if things don't change, she's not going to put up with the messes and lies anymore.
The song sheds light on the challenges that women face, particularly in relationships, where they are often expected to bear the bulk of household responsibilities. The inequality in cooking responsibilities becomes a metaphor for the broader power dynamic between the couple, where one person is putting in more effort than the other. By removing herself from the situation, the singer hopes to force her partner to acknowledge her emotional labor and take responsibility for their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I do all the cooking in our house babe
I am the one who cooks food in our house.
You're always running around
You are always busy and hardly stay at home.
There'll be no more chicken in the kitchen
There will be no more food in our kitchen.
If you don't try to settle down
Unless you try to settle down, we won't have any food at home.
You come home late for supper now babe
You come home late for supper.
And your tale I just ain't buying
I don't believe the excuses you tell me for coming late.
Well I got a feeling you're eating out now babe
I think you are eating outside now.
And someone else is doing the frying
Someone else is cooking for you.
Well you know that I get burned now babe
You know that I get hurt.
That's one thing that can't be denied
It is an undeniable truth.
And when I serve up my main course now babe
When I cook the main dish.
You always get your choice of size
You always get to choose the size of the meal.
You always tell me you're so satisfied
You always tell me that you are fully satisfied after the meal.
You gotta change your ways now babe
You need to change your behavior now.
I can't take no more of this mess
I cannot tolerate this anymore.
You gotta make up your mind now, pretty babe
You need to decide now, my dear.
Cause when it comes to real fine cuisine now babe
When it comes to really good food.
You'll realize I was the best
You will realize that I was the best cook.
There'll be no more chicken in the kitchen
There won't be any food in our kitchen.
I am the best
I am the best cook.
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
buddy4darby
Robert Cray is awesome! I saw him in concert last week and I cannot stop thinking about how great the show was !!
Stephanie Murray
So awesome! My dad and I saw him in concert , he puts his soul into his performances
Michael Allard
This song is DEFINITELY one of my favorites. It rocks the cradle !
Johnney-Bass
Man Robert Cray is driving me nuts...He is so great, what a sound !!!!!!!!
GARYT1956
Robert Cray is a Living Legend.
Susie Scalise
This man has got it goin on for sure-so classic - so bluesy-he is the man!
Tim de Jong
We saw him in the open air theatre de Goffert in Nijmegen, last week. Great performance👍
parker toad
seen robert cray twice , he is the dogs marbles , and im so glad i bumped in to his sound , love it.
KnorpelDeluxe
I saw him in the Mountain Winery, Saratoga with BB sometime in September (near St. Jose)! Absolutely amazing, both of them.
MJR Guitar
Saw The Robert Cray Band live yesterday evening at C-mine Genk Belgium, the band was cookin' some very spicy Chicken in Robert's Kitchen ;-) Totally awesome !!!