Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
He Made a Woman Out of Me
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little bit south of Montgomery
Mama worked in the big house
And, daddy, he worked for the county
I never had no learning
Until I turned sixteen
When Joe Henry come up the river
(Yes, he did)
Lord, he made a woman out of me
I used to tease Joe Henry
I guess it served me right
Wasn't long till he left me
Crying out in the night
Joe Henry had his say
He wouldn't set me free
I'm here to tell everybody
That the man made a woman out of me
Lord, he made a woman out of me
When I think back
To that day so long ago
I get a little feeling
On my mind
Although it hurt me
There's one thing I know
When he left, he left him
A woman behind
When I meet another young man
Wanting to love and run
My mind goes back to Joe Henry James
And the heck of a job he done
Ain't no other man let me down
You see I been set free
Ever since way back yonder
When Joe made a woman out of me
(Yes, he did)
Lord, he made a woman out of me
(He made a woman)
Lord, he made a woman out of me
Joe made a woman out of me
Lord, he made a woman out of me
(Yes, he did)
Joe made a woman out of me
(He made a woman)
Oh, he made a woman out of me
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's song He Made a Woman Out of Me tell the story of a woman who was born and raised on a levy in the South, where her mother worked in a big house and her father for the county. The singer explains that she never had any proper education until she was sixteen when a man named Joe Henry came up the river and made a woman out of her. The song professes that Joe Henry took the singer's innocence hence giving her the label of a “woman”. The lyrics also mention that she used to tease him, and although he left her crying out in the night, she had been set free since that time.
The lyrics of this song paint a picture of a woman who had been sheltered from the world, both in terms of education and experience. Although the experience which the singer talks about is one that many people would view as negative, she holds it dear, as it helped her to become who she is today. Overall, the song speaks to the idea that sometimes, the things that hurt us the most can be the things that help us to grow and become stronger.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born on a levy
I was born in a flood-prone area.
A little bit south of Montgomery
My birthplace was located south of Montgomery.
Mama worked in the big house
My mother worked in a large house, probably as a maid or servant.
And, daddy, he worked for the county
My father was a county worker.
I never had no learning
I didn't have much education growing up.
Until I turned sixteen
My education started when I turned sixteen.
When Joe Henry come up the river
My education started when Joe Henry arrived in my life.
Lord, made a woman out of me
Joe Henry helped me grow and mature into a woman mentally and emotionally.
I used to tease Joe Henry
I used to playfully tease Joe Henry, maybe not taking him seriously.
I guess it served me right
I deserved to be heartbroken because of my past behavior.
Wasn't long till he left me
Joe Henry left me soon after our relationship started.
Crying out in the night
I was devastated by the breakup and cried a lot, especially at night.
Joe Henry had his say
Joe Henry expressed his feelings and made his decision.
He wouldn't set me free
Joe Henry didn't give me another chance or let me go easily.
I'm here to tell everybody
I want everyone to know about my experience and how Joe Henry impacted my life.
That the man made a woman out of me
Joe Henry helped me grow and mature into a woman mentally and emotionally.
When I think back
When I reflect on my past.
To that day so long ago
To the day when my relationship with Joe Henry started.
I get a little feeling
I have mixed emotions and memories.
On my mind
That stay with me.
Although it hurt me
Even though it hurt.
There's one thing I know
I learned something valuable from the experience.
When he left, he left him
When Joe Henry left, he left behind the woman he helped create.
A woman behind
He left a more mature and confident woman behind.
When I meet another young man
When I meet another potential partner.
Wanting to love and run
Who only wants a physical relationship or doesn't want commitment.
My mind goes back to Joe Henry James
I remember Joe Henry James and how he helped me grow.
And the heck of a job he done
I remember how well Joe Henry James did in helping me grow.
Ain't no other man let me down
I haven't been disappointed by other men because of my growth.
You see I been set free
I'm now liberated and confident because of the growth Joe Henry James helped me achieve.
Ever since way back yonder
Since that time in the past when Joe Henry James helped me grow.
When Joe made a woman out of me
Joe Henry James helped me grow and mature into a woman mentally and emotionally.
Joe made a woman out of me
Joe Henry James helped me grow and mature into a woman mentally and emotionally.
Lyrics © SHELBY SINGLETON MUSIC INC
Written by: DON HILL, FRED B BURCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind