Although John Lee Williamson was a major blues star who had already released dozens of successful and widely influential records under the name Sonny Boy Williamson from 1937 onward, Aleck Miller would later claim to have been the first to use the name, and some blues scholars believe that Miller's assertion he was born in 1899 was a ruse to convince audiences he was old enough to have used the name before John Lee Williamson, who was born in 1914. Whatever the methodology, Miller became known as Sonny Boy Williamson.
Williamson had begun developing a following in Chicago beginning in 1953, when he appeared there as a member of Elmore James's band. In the 1960's he toured Europe during the height of the British blues craze, recording with The Yardbirds and The Animals. Accoring to the Led Zeppelin biography "Hammer of the Gods", while in England Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.
Some of his hit songs include "Fattenin' Frogs for Snakes", "Don't Start Me To Talking" ,"Keep It To Yourself", "Your Funeral & My Trial", "Bye Bye Bird", "Nine Below Zero", "Help Me", and the infamous "Little Village", with dialogue deemed 'unsuitable for airplay' by Leonard Chess. His song "Eyesight To the Blind" was performed by The Who as a key song in their rock opera Tommy (the only song in that opus not written by a band member) and it was later covered on the Aerosmith album Honkin' on Bobo. His recording og "One Way Out" was reworked from the Elmore James original and became popularized by The Allman Brothers Band in the early 1970s.
Sonny Boy Williamson II has had a big influence on modern day blues and blues rock artists and other legendary artists, as is shown by the number of his songs that are still covered. In interviews given in the concert documentary film The Last Waltz, members of the rock & roll group The Band recount jamming with Miller prior to their initial fame as Bob Dylan's electric backing band, and making plans to hook up with Williamson as his backing band. Unfortunately, Williamson's death prevented any such plans from ever being fulfilled.
Keep It to Yourself
Sonny Boy Williamson II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please, darling, do me a favor, keep our business to yourself
I don't want you to tell nobody in your family
And don't mention it to nobody else
Don't tell your mother
Don't tell your father
Don't tell your sister
Please, darling, keep our business to yourself
Don't you tell nobody
And don't mention it to nobody else
You have a husband
I have a wife
If you start to talking
That's gonna mess up our life
Please, please baby, keep our business to yourself
Don't you tell nobody
And don't mention it to nobody else
Goodbye darling
In Sonny Boy Williamson's song Keep It to Yourself, the singer addresses their lover and implores them to keep their affair secret. The singer is aware that their partner is married and that if anyone else were to hear about the affair, it could potentially ruin their lives. The singer urges their partner not to tell anyone, not even their family, as it could lead to disastrous consequences.
The lyrics are a classic example of a cautionary tale of the dangers of infidelity. The singer is terrified of the consequences of their actions being revealed and is doing everything in their power to keep their secret intact. The song is dripping with irony as the singer is asking the person who they are having an affair with to keep quiet. This creates a mood of tension and paranoia as the singer is always on alert, wondering if their lies will unravel.
Sonny Boy Williamson's Keep It to Yourself is a classic blues song that has been covered by a number of artists. The song is a testament to the power of the blues, which has the ability to capture and express the pain and fear of everyday life. The song speaks to the human experience of trying to keep secrets and the devastating impact that can have on one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, do me a favor, keep our business to yourself
Darling, please keep what happened between us a secret
Please, darling, do me a favor, keep our business to yourself
I am requesting you to not tell anyone about us
I don't want you to tell nobody in your family
It would be better if you don't tell your relatives anything about us
And don't mention it to nobody else
It is important to keep this secret and not tell anyone else
Don't tell your mother
Do not share this information with your mother
Don't tell your father
Don't let your father know about us
Don't tell your sister
It would be better if you keep this to yourself and not share with your sister
Don't mention it to your brother
I request you to keep this confidential and not mention it to your brother
Please, darling, keep our business to yourself
I request you to not share our secret with anyone
Don't you tell nobody
It is important to keep this secret and not share with anyone
And don't mention it to nobody else
Please do not share our secret with anyone else
You have a husband
You are married to someone else
I have a wife
I am married too
If you start to talking
If you share our secret with others
That's gonna mess up our life
This will have negative consequences for both of us
Please, please baby, keep our business to yourself
It is very important to keep our secret safe, please don't tell anyone
Don't you tell nobody
It is imperative to keep this information secret
And don't mention it to nobody else
Please do not share our secret with anyone else
Goodbye darling
Farewell, my love
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobaldo2339
This tempo is perfect and irresistible, had me dancing around by myself (my age is 79). Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) is the greatest! Funky, down to it, Chicago blues - my favorite kind.
@davidroberttaylor57
My mother, who died in 2019, had alzheimer's...I used to put on Sonny Boy and she beamed with pleasure.
@ddoeser5830
Ben ook een liefhebber van de muziek indrukwekkend R.I.P ❤🇳🇱 ONVERGETELIJK JAAR 2O22 🙏👋🌹🎼
@brianandcindy1
Robert Lockwood, Jr.'s guitar behind this is fantastic. It's quiet, but to me, it's the highlight of the song.
@SlimDavenport
He also does terrific backing on Little Walter cuts.
@crayhead
You can tell it’s Lockwood right away!!
@duncanmiller1288
Brilliant session musicians on these mid 50s cuts, just in love with the rhythm guitarists 😊
@bobaldo2339
Absolutely right!! Chess recorded him in great company. These guys play the kind of blues I like best.
@davidrekrut3432
Great song, great harp player!
@medoelwerfally
He is the king 👑 of the Harmonica
The one ☝🏼 and the only ! !