Sly & the Family Stone were an important and influential band from Vallejo,… Read Full Bio ↴Sly & the Family Stone were an important and influential band from Vallejo, California, United States. Active from 1966 until 1975, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia. Headed by singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his family members and friends, the band was the first major American rock band to have an integrated lineup in both race and gender.

Brothers Sly Stone and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone combined their bands (Sly & the Stoners and Freddie & the Stone Souls) at the end of 1966. Sly and Freddie Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Gregg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham completed the original lineup; Sly and Freddie's sister, singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, joined within a year. This collective recorded five Top 10 hits and four groundbreaking albums, which greatly influenced the sound of American pop music, soul, R&B, funk, and hip hop music. In the preface of his 1998 book For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History, Joel Selvin sums up the importance of Sly & the Family Stone's influence on African American music by stating "there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone". The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
During the early 1970s, the band switched to a grittier funk sound, which was as influential on the music industry as their earlier work. The band began to fall apart during this period because of drug abuse and ego clashes; consequently, the fortunes and reliability of the band deteriorated, leading to its dissolution in 1975. Sly Stone continued to record albums and tour with a new rotating lineup under the "Sly & the Family Stone" name from 1975 to 1983. In 1987, Sly Stone was arrested and sentenced for cocaine use, after which he went into effective retirement.

Cynthia Robinson - January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015

Seventh Son
Sly & The Family Stone Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody's talkin' about the seventh son
In the whole wide world, there is only one

And I'm the one, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm the one, there you go
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one they call the seventh son

I can tell your future, it will come to pass
I can say things to you, make your heart beat fast
Look in the sky, predict the rain
I can tell when a woman got another man

I'm the one, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one they call the seventh son

I can say things to you, make it sound so sweet
I can even make your little heart skip a beat
Heal the sick, raise the dead
I can make the little girls talk out of their head

And I'm the one, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm the one

I'm the one, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one they call the seventh, yeah

Overall Meaning

In this song, Sly and the Family Stone are boasting about being the seventh son, which according to folklore is a special and powerful position in society. There is said to be only one seventh son in the world, so the singer is claiming that title for himself. He states that he has special abilities such as being able to tell the future, predicting the rain, and even knowing when a woman has another man. He also claims he can heal the sick and raise the dead, which adds to the idea of him possessing supernatural powers.

The repetition of "I'm the one" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's confidence in his abilities and his place as the seventh son. In addition to boasting about his powers, he also claims to have the ability to make people feel good, such as making their hearts beat fast or making little girls talk out of their heads. The song ends on a triumphant note, with the declaration that he is indeed the seventh son and the one that people call upon for his special gifts.

Overall, the song celebrates the idea of individuals having unique and powerful talents that set them apart from the rest of society. The seventh son is seen as a symbol of that uniqueness, with his abilities going beyond what is considered normal or expected.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody's talkin' about the seventh son
Everyone is discussing the rarity of a seventh son.

In the whole wide world, there is only one
The seventh son is a unique individual in the entire world.

And I'm the one, yeah, yeah, yeah
The singer is confident that he is the seventh son.

I'm the one, there you go
He reiterates that he is indeed the one.

I'm the one, I'm the one
He emphasizes again that he is the seventh son.

I'm the one, I'm the one they call the seventh son
He is recognized as the seventh son.

I can tell your future, it will come to pass
The singer claims he has the gift of divination.

I can say things to you, make your heart beat fast
By making predictions, he can evoke excitement in people.

Look in the sky, predict the rain
The singer can forecast the weather with his gift.

I can tell when a woman got another man
He can sense infidelity in relationships.

I can say things to you, make it sound so sweet
The seventh son knows how to deliver his predictions in an appealing way.

I can even make your little heart skip a beat
He can excite and thrill people with his gift.

Heal the sick, raise the dead
He claims to have the power of miraculous healing.

I can make the little girls talk out of their head
His predictions can stun even young girls.

And I'm the one, yeah, yeah, yeah
He concludes the song by reiterating that he is the seventh son.

I'm the one
Yet again, he emphasizes that he is the one and only seventh son.

I'm the one, I'm the one
He emphasizes that he is the seventh son.

I'm the one, I'm the one they call the seventh, yeah
He is recognized as the rare and gifted seventh son.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY GLOVER, MORRIS LEVY, IVERSON MINTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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