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.
Nine Below Zero
Sonny Boy Williamson II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People ain't that a cryin' shame
Ain't that a pity
I declare it's a cryin' shame
She wait till it got nine below zero
And put me down for another man
I give her all my money
All of my money
All of my lovin' and everything
It done got nine below zero
And she done put me down for another man
Nine below zero
The little girl she done put me down
Nine below zero
The little girl she done put me down
She know I don't have nowhere to stay
And I don't have not one dime
The lyrics to Sonny Boy Williamson's song "Nine Below Zero" convey a sense of heartbreak and betrayal. The repeated phrase "ain't that a pity" and "cryin' shame" suggests that the singer is feeling sorry for himself and is lamenting his situation. He reveals that his lover, the "little girl," has left him for another man, and he is left with nothing, not even a place to stay or a dime in his pocket. The reference to the temperature being nine below zero adds to the sense of desperation and hopelessness that the singer is feeling.
The lyrics also reveal that the singer had given his lover everything he had, his money, and his love, and yet she still left him. The use of repetition in the lyrics, both in the phrases "all of my money" and "nine below zero," emphasizes the singer's desperation and isolation. The lyrics suggest that the singer is at a low point in his life, and that he feels like he has nothing left to give.
Overall, "Nine Below Zero" is a song that conveys a deep sense of heartbreak and desperation. The singer is left alone and destitute, his love and his money gone, and he is left to face the bitter cold alone. The repeated phrases in the lyrics emphasize his desperation, and the use of the temperature adds to the sense of isolation and hopelessness that the singer is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, ain't that a pity
An expression of disappointment or regret about a situation
People ain't that a cryin' shame
It's sad how people behave in certain situations
Ain't that a pity
Repeating the expression of disappointment or regret
I declare it's a cryin' shame
Strong assertion that the situation is very upsetting
She wait till it got nine below zero
Referring to a woman who waited until it was very cold outside to do something
And put me down for another man
Betrayed by the woman who chose to be with someone else
I give her all my money
He gave her all of his money
All of my lovin' and everything
He gave her all his love and everything he had
All of my money
Repeating that he gave her all his money
All of my lovin' and everything
Repeating that he gave her everything he had
It done got nine below zero
Repeating that it became very cold outside
And she done put me down for another man
Repeating that she betrayed him by being with someone else
Nine below zero
Repeating the extremely cold temperature
The little girl she done put me down
Referring to the woman who betrayed him
Nine below zero
Repeating the cold temperature again
The little girl she done put me down
Repeating that the woman betrayed him
She know I don't have nowhere to stay
The woman knew he had nowhere to go
And I don't have not one dime
He has no money or resources
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind