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".
Nobody
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody knows but me
When life seems full of clouds and rain
And I am filled with naught but pain
Who soothes my thumpin' bumpin brain?
Nobody
And me with hunger and cold feet
Who says, "Here's a quarter, boy now you go and eat"?
Nobody
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
And I ain't never got nothin'
From nobody, no time
And until I get somethin'
From somebody sometime
Well, I don't intend to do nothin'
For nobody, no time
Then summer comes all cool and clear
And my good friends they see me drawin' near
Who says, "Come on in here, man, have a beer?"
Nobody
Last christmas eve it was about daybreak
I was in that railroad wreck
And who was it hauled the engine off my neck
Not a livin' soul
I ain't ever done nothin' to nobody
And I ain't never got nothin'
From nobody, no time (oh yes)
Until I get me somethin' (oh yes)
From somebody sometime (oh yes)
Well, I been thinkin' it out and beyond a doubt
I ain't gonna do nothin' for nobody no time
When I don't intend to do nothin'
For nobody, no time
Nobody no time
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's Nobody convey a feeling of loneliness and a sense of being left to deal with one's problems alone. He highlights the fact that there are times in life when one goes through tough times alone and that nobody can truly understand the depth of one's sorrow. Through the lines "When life seems full of clouds and rain, and I am filled with naught but pain, who soothes my thumpin' bumpin brain? Nobody," we see a person struggling with depression and physical pain, with no one stepping in to help.
The second verse highlights moments of hunger and cold, where no one seems to care. The line "Who says, 'Here's a quarter, boy now you go and eat'? Nobody," shows a complete lack of empathy towards the singer. He feels this loneliness so acutely that he thinks of himself as a person who hasn't ever done anything for anyone and hasn't ever got anything from anyone. This theme transpires the entire song as he repeats the line "I ain't gonna do nothin' for nobody no time" towards the end of the song.
The final verse illustrates the story of an accident in which the singer was involved. He was left wounded, and no one came to help, but he got lucky and was ultimately saved. This event again represents the "nobody" theme of the song. Amid all the people, nobody came forward to help, so he somehow managed to save himself. The song is an evocative commentary on the human condition and the isolation that individual's feel during their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody knows the trouble I see
No one is aware of the difficulties I face in my life.
Nobody knows but me
The singer is keeping their struggles to themselves and not sharing them with anyone else.
When life seems full of clouds and rain
During times when everything feels bleak and hopeless.
And I am filled with naught but pain
The artist is consumed by their emotional and physical suffering.
Who soothes my thumpin' bumpin brain?
There is no one to comfort the artist or ease their mental anguish.
And when winter comes with snow and sleet
During harsh weather conditions when the singer is vulnerable and in need of help.
And me with hunger and cold feet
The singer is hungry and struggling to stay warm.
Who says, "Here's a quarter, boy now you go and eat"?
No one is offering assistance to the artist in their time of need.
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
The artist has not wronged anyone in any significant way.
And I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time
The artist has not received any assistance or kindness from others.
And until I get somethin' from somebody sometime
The singer is waiting for someone to show them kindness or help them when they're in need.
Well, I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time
The artist won't voluntarily offer help or kindness to others until they receive it themselves.
Then summer comes all cool and clear
A time when things are happier and brighter for the singer.
And my good friends they see me drawin' near
The singer's friends notice them being in a better mood and more sociable.
Who says, "Come on in here, man, have a beer"?
Friends invite the singer to hang out and enjoy each other's company.
Last Christmas Eve it was about daybreak
The artist recalls a specific time in the past.
I was in that railroad wreck
The artist was involved in a train accident.
And who was it hauled the engine off my neck
No one came to the singer's rescue or helped them in their time of need.
Not a livin' soul
No one was around to offer assistance during the accident.
When I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time
The artist has no desire to offer kindness or help to anyone else.
Nobody, no time
The artist emphasizes their decision to not help others under any circumstances.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEX ROGERS, BERT WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind