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".
Suitcase in My Hand
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's just one thing that you should know
As through this world you ramble and through this world you roam
Just take this little suitcase when you go
And when the evening sun goes down and you're tired of rambling round
Just set her on the ground and climb right in
You won't ever have to worry about the cold night wind
Little suitcase in my hand, I'm rolling through this land
A mansion is much too big for me
When the stars come out at night everything will be alright
'Cause I got my little suitcase in my hand
Now a hard-boiled egg's yellow inside
There's some in every crowd you will find
Now they're afraid to have to do an honest day of work
So the'll blame the workingman every time
But the harder they come, the bigger they fall
Just hold your ground and take your stand
'Cause the free and independent life's still the best of all
When you got your little suitcase in your hand
Little suitcase in my hand, I'm rolling through this land
A mansion is much too big for me
When the stars come out at night everything will be alright
'Cause I got my little suitcase in my hand
The opening lines of "Suitcase in My Hand" by Ry Cooder, tells the story of a conversation between a father and his son, passing on wisdom about traveling through the world. The father tells the son to always carry a suitcase with him as he navigates through life, as this would protect him from the cold night wind when he is tired and provides him with a sense of comfort even when he is all alone in his journey. The suitcase in this context is not only a physical object but a metaphorical representation of one's life journey, a personal space of comfort and security that one takes with them wherever they go.
The second verse contrasts this idea of comfort and security with the notion of hard-boiled eggs that are yellow inside. This can be interpreted as a reference to the corrupt and untrustworthy individuals who take advantage of others by blaming the workingman for their own shortcomings. It is a reminder to hold your ground and remain true to yourself and your values even when faced with such people. The song ends with a reaffirmation of the importance of the little suitcase, representing the ability to be free and independent in one's quest for a fulfilling life.
In summary, "Suitcase in My Hand" is a song about navigating through the world, the importance of carrying one's personal comfort and security wherever one goes and staying true to one's own values.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was still a kitten, daddy told me, Son,
When I was young, my father advised me
There's just one thing that you should know
My father told me one important thing
As through this world you ramble and through this world you roam
As I travel through this world
Just take this little suitcase when you go
Bring this little suitcase with you everywhere you go.
And when the evening sun goes down and you're tired of rambling round
When the day is over and I'm tired from traveling
Just set her on the ground and climb right in
I put my suitcase down and rest inside it.
You won't ever have to worry about the cold night wind
I won't be cold at night because I have my suitcase.
When you got your little suitcase in your hand
With my suitcase in hand
Little suitcase in my hand, I'm rolling through this land
I travel with my little suitcase in hand.
A mansion is much too big for me
I don't need a big house or fancy things.
When the stars come out at night everything will be alright
At night, everything is peaceful and fine.
'Cause I got my little suitcase in my hand
Because I have my trusty suitcase with me.
Now a hard-boiled egg's yellow inside
People can be deceitful inside.
There's some in every crowd you will find
There are always deceitful people in every group.
Now they're afraid to have to do an honest day of work
Some people are afraid of hard work.
So they'll blame the working man every time
They put the blame on those who work hard.
But the harder they come, the bigger they fall
Those who are full of themselves will fall harder.
Just hold your ground and take your stand
Stay confident and stand up to those people.
'Cause the free and independent life's still the best of all
Being free and independent is the best way to live.
Contributed by Andrew V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.