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".
It's Just Work for Me
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got my dozer-hauling truck.
And I got my demolition order,
Got to be out there by sunup.
So I head west on Arroyo,
Right turn at Bishop Road.
Pull up by the schoolhouse and
Jack down my dozer load.
Dirt roads, beat up shacks,
Stretched out as far as I can see.
Don't throw that brick my way, buddy,
'Cause it's just work:it's just work for me.
Now they called out all the police.
Police dragged some old lady
Right downstairs, hollering,
"Move your ass, all you taco benders.
We're gonna protect and serve you right on away from here."
It ain't none of my business,
And it ain't my master plan.
You got to go where they send you
When you're a dozer-drivin' man.
I see dirt roads, beat up shacks,
Stretched out far as I can see.
Don't walk down on me like that, buddy!
I'm telling you, it's only work:it's just work for me.
Now this old truck is getting tired.
This old bank account is getting low.
Don't even own our old house-trailer in Fontana,
So I gotta do this work, you know.
Some of you may like baseball,
Well I guess baseball's alright with me.
Someday there'll be a big old ballpark here
Where your little old town used to be.
Dirt roads, country shacks,
Old dogs, and dry grass, dusty trees.
This ain't your world, tell ya, buddy.
Sure ain't my world.
Just a job, a work:just work for me.
Ni el mio tampoco.
Solo un trabajo... trabajo para mi.
"It's Just Work for Me" by Ry Cooder delves into the idea of a blue-collar worker who doesn't have a deep connection to the community in which he's working. The singer operates his bulldozer with a no-nonsense attitude; he has a job to do, and he's there to do it. He's not interested in the historical or emotional significance of the land he's clearing. He sees nothing but dirt roads, beat-up shacks, and dry, dusty trees. When the police officers come to clear out the residents, the singer doesn't bat an eye. He knows it's not his business or his master plan. To him, it's just work.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the monotony and soul-crushing nature of his job. He's tired of the constant moving, the never-ending cycle of demolition and construction. He knows that he's not making a significant difference in the world; he's just doing what he needs to do to pay the bills. He has no aspirations to be a baseball player or a politician. He's just a dozer-driving man, and that's all he ever will be.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I got my old bulldozer.
I have my old bulldozer with me.
Got my dozer-hauling truck.
I have my truck that carries the bulldozer.
And I got my demolition order,
I have a demolition order to carry out.
Got to be out there by sunup.
I need to be there by sunrise.
So I head west on Arroyo,
I go west on Arroyo.
Right turn at Bishop Road.
I take a right turn at Bishop Road.
Pull up by the schoolhouse and
I stop by the schoolhouse and
Jack down my dozer load.
I unload my bulldozer using the jack.
What I'd see?
What do I see?
Dirt roads, beat up shacks,
I see dirt roads and run-down houses.
Stretched out as far as I can see.
The view seems endless.
Don't throw that brick my way, buddy,
Don’t throw a brick at me, buddy,
'Cause it's just work:it's just work for me.
Because this is just a job for me.
Now they called out all the police.
The police have been called out.
Police dragged some old lady
The police have forcibly removed an elderly woman,
Right downstairs, hollering,
She was screaming out loud as she was taken,
"Move your ass, all you taco benders.
"Leave, all you Mexican people.
We're gonna protect and serve you right on away from here."
We are going to protect and serve you by removing you from this neighborhood."
It ain't none of my business,
It's not my concern,
And it ain't my master plan.
It's not part of my plan.
You got to go where they send you
You have to go where you are told,
When you're a dozer-drivin' man.
If you are driving a bulldozer.
I see dirt roads, beat up shacks,
I see dirt roads and run-down houses.
Stretched out far as I can see.
The view seems endless.
Don't walk down on me like that, buddy!
Don't act superior to me, buddy!
I'm telling you, it's only work:it's just work for me.
I'm telling you, this is just a job for me.
Now this old truck is getting tired.
My old truck is losing its endurance.
This old bank account is getting low.
My bank balance is getting low.
Don't even own our old house-trailer in Fontana,
I don't even own our old house-trailer in Fontana,
So I gotta do this work, you know.
So, I have to do this job, you know.
Some of you may like baseball,
Some people may like baseball,
Well I guess baseball's alright with me.
But I don't mind baseball.
Someday there'll be a big old ballpark here
Someday, there might be a baseball field here,
Where your little old town used to be.
Where your small town used to exist.
Dirt roads, country shacks,
I see dirt roads and rural houses.
Old dogs, and dry grass, dusty trees.
There are old dogs, dry grass, and dusty trees around.
This ain't your world, tell ya, buddy.
This is not your world, tell you the truth, buddy.
Sure ain't my world.
It's not my world either.
Just a job, a work:just work for me.
This is just a job for me.
Ni el mio tampoco.
Neither is it mine either.
Solo un trabajo... trabajo para mi.
Just a job... a job for me.
Contributed by Lily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.