Wold was born in Oakland, California. When he was four years old, his parents split up. His father played boogie-woogie piano and Wold tried to learn when he was five or six, but could not. At the age of eight, he learned to play the guitar from K. C. Douglas, who worked at his grandfather's garage, later realizing that he had been taught the blues. Douglas wrote the song "Mercury Blues" and had played with Tommy Johnson in the early 1940s. Wold left home at 13 to avoid abuse at the hands of his stepfather, and lived rough and on the road in Tennessee, Mississippi and elsewhere, until 1973. He would travel long distances by hopping freight trains, looking for work as a farm labourer or in other seasonal jobs, often living as a hobo. At various times, Wold worked as a carnie, a cowboy and a migrant worker. Paraphrasing H. L. Mencken, Wold described this time of his life by saying "Hobos are people who move around looking for work, tramps are people who move around but don't look for work, and bums are people who don't move and don't work. I've been all three."
When asked about his nickname, Wold has said: "because it's just true: I always get seasick". When he was ill on a ferry from Norway to Copenhagen, later in his life, a friend began playfully using the name and, despite Wold not rising to it for a while, it stuck. When asked about his name on British Sunday morning television show, Something for the Weekend, he replied, "I just get sick on boats". On Top Gear, when asked about his name, Wold replied "Well, I guess I just don't like boats!"
Wold made his first UK television appearance on Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny BBC TV show on New Year's Eve 2006. He performed a live rendition of "Dog House Boogie" on the "Three String Trance Wonder" and the "Mississippi Drum Machine". After that show his popularity exploded in Britain, as he explained in an interview:
"I can't believe it, all of the sudden I'm like the cat's meow!"
He was well received in the UK, winning the 2007 MOJO Award for Best Breakthrough Act and going on to appear at major UK festivals such as Reading, Leeds and Glastonbury. In 2007 he played more UK festivals than any other artist.
Wold toured early in 2008, playing in various venues and festivals in the UK. He was joined on stage by drummer Dan Magnusson. KT Tunstall also dueted with Wold at the London Astoria in January 2008.[20] Wold also played many other festivals throughout the world in 2008, including Fuji Rock in Japan, East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Australia, also in April 2008,[21] and Roskilde in Denmark.
Wold's major-label debut, I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left was recorded with Dan Magnusson on drums, was released by Warner Music on September 29, 2008, and features Ruby Turner and Nick Cave's Grinderman.
He has toured the UK extensively since 2007 being supported by Duke Garwood, Gemma Ray, The Sugars, Billie the Vision and the Dancers in January 2008, Amy LaVere in October 2008, Melody Nelson at the Brighton Dome on 7 October, and Joe Gideon & The Shark in January 2009. His tours in October 2008 and January 2009 were all sold out and included performances at the Royal Albert Hall, the Edinburgh Queen's Hall, the Grand Opera House in Belfast, the Apollo in Manchester, the City Hall in Newcastle and the London Hammersmith Apollo.
In 2009, Wold was nominated for a Brit Award in the category of International Solo Male Artist, That same year, BBC Four broadcast a documentary of Wold visiting the southern USA entitled Seasick Steve: Bringing It All Back Home. On January 21, Wold hosted "Folk America: Hollerers, Stompers and Old Time Ramblers" at the Barbican in London, a show that was also televised and shown with the documentary on BBC Four as part of a series tracing American roots music.
In an interview with an Australian magazine, Wold attributes much of his unlikely success to his cheap and weather-beaten guitar, "The Trance Wonder" and reveals the guitar's mojo might come from supernatural sources. "I got it from Sherman, who is a friend of mine down in Mississippi, who had bought it down at a Goodwill store. When we were down there last time he says to me, 'I didn't tell you when you bought it off me, but that guitar used to be haunted'. I say, 'What are you talking about, Sherman?'. He says, 'There’s 50 solid citizens here in Como who'll tell you this guitar is haunted. It's the darnedest thing – we’d leave it over in the potato barn and we'd come back in and it would be moved. You'd put it down somewhere and the next morning you’d come back and it would have moved. When you took that guitar the ghost in the barn left'. He told me this not very long ago and I said to him, 'Sherman! Why didn't you tell me this before?' and he said, 'Well the ghost was gone – I didn't want it around here no more!'"
On January 3, 2010, Wold appeared on the popular BBC motoring show Top Gear as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car. He was the last star to drive in the blue Chevrolet Lacetti.
In February 2010, Wold was nominated for a Brit Award in the category of International Solo Male Artist for the second consecutive year.
In 2010, Wold made numerous festival appearances throughout the summer, including the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, the main stage at V Festival, the main stage at the Hop Farm Festival and many more.
In February 2011, Wold signed to Play It Again Sam to release his new album with the exception of the US, where it will be released on Third Man Records. Subsequently his new album You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks was released on his new labels and it was announced that former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones had played on the new album, and performed alongside Wold to promote it.
On 16 August 2014 he was the headline act at Beautiful Days in Exeter, UK, and on the 24th August he headlined at 'Victorious Festival' in Southsea, Portsmouth, UK.
It's A Long Long Way
Seasick Steve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's long long way and i been there before.
You probably won't take no advice from me
I never took none myself you see
It's just when you get older
You'd like to pass some on,
But nobody is listening.
And it's long long way cause i been there before
It's a long long way and i been there before.
Why do we make the same mistakes
Year after year tear after tear
Just when we've learned a lesson or two,
It's the time when our life's almost through.
And it's a long long way cause i been there before
It's a long long way and i been there before.
I ain't trying to be no saint, shoot i ain't even often right
But i'm still here fighting that good old fight
So the only thing i'm saying, don't give up on your dreams
Or they will give up on you.
And it's a long long way cause i been there before
It's a long long way and i been there before
Thanks for taking time to listen to an old man
Your time is a valuable thing
And i ain't trying to preach, i'm only passing by
And i hope you like the song that i sing.
And it's long long way cause i been there before
It's a long long way and been there before
And it's long long way cause i been there before
And i don't think i'm going there no more.
Seasick Steve's song "It's A Long Long Way" is an introspective piece that speaks of the challenges of life and the lessons that one can learn from those challenges. The repetition of "It's a long long way and I been there before" carries a sense of experience and wisdom, as if the singer has traversed the path of life many times and knows what lies ahead. He realizes that, despite his own mistakes and failures, he still has the desire to offer some advice to those who are willing to listen.
The singer acknowledges that he is not a saint nor does he claim to have all the right answers. He admits that even he has made the same mistakes over and over again, year after year. However, he believes that the lessons he learned from those mistakes can be passed on to others as advice. He encourages the listener not to give up on their dreams, reminding them that if they do, their dreams will give up on them.
The final verse of the song serves as a way of thanking the listener for taking the time to listen to an old man. He recognizes that time is valuable and hopes that the message of the song resonated with the listener. The phrase "And I don't think I'm going there no more" suggests that the singer has learned from his mistakes and is ready to move beyond them, but remains aware that the path of life remains uncertain and challenging.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long long way cause i been there before
I have gone through difficult experiences that have taught me important lessons and I am now sharing this knowledge.
You probably won't take no advice from me
People often disregard advice, even from those with experience, because they want to learn from their own mistakes.
I never took none myself you see
I too have made mistakes and did not always listen to advice, but I have learned from these experiences.
It's just when you get older
As you get older, you gain wisdom from your experiences and often want to share that with others.
You'd like to pass some on,
You want to share the knowledge and lessons you have learned with others in the hopes of helping them.
But nobody is listening.
Unfortunately, people often do not listen to advice, even when it comes from those with experience.
Why do we make the same mistakes
It is a common human tendency to repeat mistakes, even after having learned from them.
Year after year tear after tear
Despite the emotional pain that comes with making the same mistakes repeatedly, people often continue to do so.
Just when we've learned a lesson or two,
Even when we think we have learned from our mistakes, life can present us with new challenges and lessons to be learned.
It's the time when our life's almost through.
Unfortunately, it is often not until the end of our lives that we truly understand the lessons we have learned and the mistakes we have made.
I ain't trying to be no saint, shoot i ain't even often right
I am not claiming to be perfect or always do the right thing, but I am still trying to live a good life and learn from my mistakes.
But i'm still here fighting that good old fight
Despite the challenges and mistakes I have faced, I am still persevering and trying to live a good life.
So the only thing i'm saying, don't give up on your dreams
Even when faced with challenges and setbacks, it is important to keep pursuing your dreams and not give up.
Or they will give up on you.
If you do not continue to pursue your dreams, they may fade away or become unattainable.
Thanks for taking time to listen to an old man
I appreciate that you have taken the time to listen to me and my experiences.
Your time is a valuable thing
I understand that your time is precious, and I am grateful that you have given me some of it.
And i ain't trying to preach, i'm only passing by
I am not trying to impose my views on you or tell you how to live your life, I am simply sharing my experiences.
And i hope you like the song that i sing.
I hope that you enjoy the music and the message in my song.
And i don't think i'm going there no more.
I have learned from my mistakes and I do not plan on repeating them in the future.
Contributed by Scarlett J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PDMF
It's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
It's a long, long way
And I've been there before
You prob'ly won't take no advice from me
I never took none myself, you see
It's just when you get older
You'd like to pass some on but nobody's listening
And it's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
It's a long, long way
And I've been there before
Why do we make the same mistakes
Year after year, tear after tear?
Just when we've learned a lesson or two
It's the time when our life's almost through
And it's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
It's a long, long way
And I've been there before
I ain't tryin' to be no saint
Shoot I ain't even often right
But I'm still here fightin' that good ol' fight
So the only thing I'll say
Don't give up on your dreams
Or they will give up on you
And it's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
It's a long, long way
And I've been there before
Thanks for takin' time to listen to an old man
Your time is a valuable thing
And I ain't tryin' to preach, I'm only passin' by
And I hope you like the song that I sing
And it's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
It's a long, long way
And I've been there before
And it's a long, long way
'Cause I've been there before
And I don't think I'm goin' there no more...
Machinee
Just came back from a concert and Seasick is so freakin awesome! I cannot even express my feelings right now.
Ryan Candler
Love this song Steve keep on rocking them
talister106
It`s been a long, long time since I felt myself crave such good music. Boy you sure know how to bring it. Thanks.
simonwhiteman11
Steve is just amazing! I've seen him 3 times now, (was at Goldcoast) and he's one of my favourite artists ever! Keep up the good work dude, you're a legend.
Big Papi
I sat down and learned this song today on my 3 string Trance Wonder!! Man, it’s fun as hell to play!!
BSSVK
wonderful! thumbs up for this music! Seasick for life!
EDWARDS EXPERIENCE
Great song of a great man! I appreciate you, sir
Iskra Londinense
Puto amo. A sus 73 años se come en directo a bandas compuestas por posibles nietos suyos. Con sus instrumentos manufacturados por la sapiencia del Mississippi...un bluesman de los que merecen cada gota de whisky...
Jack G Montgomery
What an awesome song! So true it slightly hurts.
Martin van der Meer
Epic show at Lowlands, Steve - you rock!