Black Gal Blues
Sonny Boy Williamson Lyrics


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Well, that I got somethin' to tell ya, black gal

Black gal, that ya' ought know

I can get me a woman, black gal

Most ev'rywhere I go
But Lord, knows I'm-a wild about you, black gal

I'm just as crazy as I can be

Lord, knows I'm wild about you, black gal

You ought to be a fool about me

Well now, look-a-here, black gal

Black gal, you oughta be ashamed

The way that my baby brother know you, black gal

He's scared to call your name

And my brother says he's wild about you black gal

He's just as crazy as he can be

My brother says, wild about you black gal

You oughta be a fool about him

Well now, here's my picture, black gal

I want you to keep it in yo' frame

Now this other boy, days is all you been lookin' at

Sonny want just the same

And Lord, knows I been worrin' about you, black gal

I be as crazy as I can be

Now, I'll be thinkin' 'bout you, black gal

I hope you be kinda worried about me



Now, fare you well, black gal

I ain't got no mo' to say

There's mister so an so taken my kingdom

I want you to have yo' way

Lord, knows I'm wild about you, black gal

I'm just a crazy as I can be

You know I'm wild about you, black gal





You ought to be a fool about me.

Overall Meaning

In "Black Gal Blues," Sonny Boy Williamson expresses his love and admiration for a black woman. He emphasizes that he can easily get any woman he wants, but he's particularly wild about this black woman. He urges her to reciprocate his feelings and be a fool about him too. Williamson believes that his brother also desires this black woman, evident from his brother being scared to call her name, and Williamson tells her that she should be a fool about his brother too. He provides her with his picture and asks her to keep it in her frame, hoping that she will worry about him as he thinks about her.


The song seems to reflect the musical era that it was produced in and the social attitudes of the time. At this time, black women were not commonly celebrated in popular media, and Williamson's embrace of a black woman as his object of affection was a significant deviation from societal norms. Moreover, the song's theme of male rivalry for the same female individual was also common in blues and other African American popular music. Through the theme of a love triangle, Williamson explores the complexities of African American relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

Well, that I got somethin' to tell ya, black gal
Hey black gal, I have something important to tell you


Black gal, that ya' ought know
It's something you really need to know


I can get me a woman, black gal
I can easily find another woman


Most ev'rywhere I go
Almost everywhere I go


But Lord, knows I'm-a wild about you, black gal
But God knows I'm crazy in love with you, black gal


I'm just as crazy as I can be
I'm really going crazy over you


You ought to be a fool about me
You really should like me a lot


Well now, look-a-here, black gal
Hey look, black gal


Black gal, you oughta be ashamed
You should feel ashamed, black gal


The way that my baby brother know you, black gal
The way my little brother talks about you, black gal


He's scared to call your name
He's afraid to say your name


And my brother says he's wild about you black gal
My brother is also crazy in love with you, black gal


He's just as crazy as he can be
He's going really crazy over you


You oughta be a fool about him
You should really like him a lot too


Well now, here's my picture, black gal
Here's my photo, black gal


I want you to keep it in yo' frame
I want you to keep it in a frame


Now this other boy, days is all you been lookin' at
Lately, you've been looking at this other guy a lot


Sonny want just the same
But I want the same thing


And Lord, knows I been worrin' about you, black gal
And God knows I've been worrying about you, black gal


I be as crazy as I can be
I'm going really crazy over you


Now, I'll be thinkin' 'bout you, black gal
I'll be thinking about you, black gal


I hope you be kinda worried about me
I hope you're thinking about me too


Now, fare you well, black gal
Goodbye, black gal


I ain't got no mo' to say
I have nothing else to say


There's mister so an so taken my kingdom
Someone else has taken my place


I want you to have yo' way
I want you to do what you want


You know I'm wild about you, black gal
You know I'm crazy in love with you, black gal


You ought to be a fool about me.
You should really like me a lot




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