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.
Mighty Long Time
Sonny Boy Williamson II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Been so long, a mighty long time
Yes a mighty long time
Since I seen that little girl of mine
Yes it's been so long
Until I just can't sleep at night
Been so long that I just can't sleep at night
I go to eat my breakfast in the morning
And my teeth and tongue begin to fight
Yes it's been so long
The carpet have faded on the floor
Been so long
The carpet have faded on the floor
If she ever come back to me
I'm not going but to leave her no more
No more no
The lyrics of Sonny Boy Williamson II's song Mighty Long Time express the overwhelming feeling of longing and nostalgia that comes with missing someone for an extended period of time, specifically a past romantic partner. The repeated use of "mighty long time" emphasizes the duration of the separation, and the singer's emotional state is conveyed through lines such as "until I just can't sleep at night." The metaphorical description of his oral conflict during breakfast with his "teeth and tongue" adds a physical element to his mental anguish, while the reference to the faded carpet hints at the idea that the passage of time has left physical marks on his surroundings.
The final lines of the song express an almost desperate desire for his partner to return, with a promise that he will never leave her again if she does. The repetition of "no more" adds a sense of finality and resolution to the song, underscoring the idea that the reunion of the two lovers would bring an end to the singer's struggles and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh been so long, been a mighty mighty long time
It has been an extremely long time since I last saw that girl of mine.
Been so long, a mighty long time
It has been a long time, a really long time.
Yes a mighty long time
Yes, it has indeed been a very long time.
Since I seen that little girl of mine
Since I last saw my dear girl, a lot of time has passed.
Yes it's been so long
It really has been a long time.
Until I just can't sleep at night
It has been so long that I am unable to sleep at night.
Been so long that I just can't sleep at night
It has been such a long time that I cannot sleep peacefully at night.
I go to eat my breakfast in the morning
When I have my breakfast in the morning,
And my teeth and tongue begin to fight
I feel like my teeth and my tongue are battling each other.
Yes it's been so long
It really has been a long time.
The carpet have faded on the floor
The carpet on the floor has lost its color due to the passage of time.
Been so long
It has been such a long time.
If she ever come back to me
In case she ever decides to return to me.
I'm not going but to leave her no more
I will never leave her again.
No more no
Absolutely not ever again.
Contributed by Lily M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Craig Ruskey
Stunning. His Trumpet sides (in my opinion) remain near the top as some of his absolute best work. Cliff Givens provides a rare example of some great vocal bass accompaniment.
Gina Hearn
It was the last record played by Paul Jones, former lead singer of Manfred Mann, when his BBC Radio 2 Blues Show ended in 2018 after 32 years. He said it was one of his favourite blues records.
Phil Collins
My favourite sonnyboy song wow this should've been used as one of the tracks in the film crossroads what a blues song
Walt frisby
" I been so long I eat my breakfast in the morning and my teeth and tongue begin to fight '... Genius!
Ted Powers
Love how he uses the Ray Charles riff to create a new song Soulful has
Sean Murphy
WICKED TOON SIR SONNY BOY ❤
King Dubly
Perfect.
Ted Powers
The master at work. Was this before the Ray Charles riff?
Jesse Cavazos
Arial Arial in the sky