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.
Santa Claus
Sonny Boy Williamson II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said, "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus."
My baby went shopping yesterday,
Said, "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus."
"I'm gonna take mine with me,"
"But I'll leave yours in my dresser drawer."
So, that started me to rambling,
Wow, that started me to rambling,
Looking all in my baby's dresser drawers.
Trying to find out,
What did she bought me for Santa Claus.
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer,
The landlady got mad and called the law.
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer,
The landlady got mad and called the law.
I was just trying to find,
What did she bought me for Santa Claus.
The police walked in and jarred me on the shoulder,
"What you doing with your hand in that woman's dresser drawer?"
I hand the police a letter my baby wrote me,
Showing where I should find my Santa Claus.
I just kept on pulling out all of my baby's dresser drawers.
I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguing,
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers."
Yes, I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguing,
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers."
But he said, "I got the letter and show the judge."
"The boy just trying to find his Santa Claus."
Oh yeah.
In Sonny Boy Williamson's "Santa Claus," the singer's lover has gone shopping for Christmas gifts and has promised to get them something for Santa Claus. The singer becomes curious about what he will receive and starts looking in his lover's dresser for clues. As he reaches the bottom drawer, the landlady gets upset and calls the police. The singer hands over a letter from his lover, which directs him to where he can find his Christmas present. He leaves amid the disturbance, and the police and landlady are left to argue.
The song can be interpreted in a few ways. One is that the singer is a trusting innocent who is just trying to find out what his lover got him for Christmas. Another is that he has a reputation for being a thief or snooper and that's why the landlady called the police. Regardless of the interpretation, the song highlights the anticipation and excitement surrounding Christmas, and it also touches on themes like trust, curiosity, and misunderstandings.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby went shopping yesterday,
My significant other went out to get some things yesterday,
Said, "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus."
My significant other mentioned that they were going to buy the things I needed for Christmas,
I'm gonna take mine with me,
However, I am to have mine with me,
"But I'll leave yours in my dresser drawer."
But they said they would put what I need in their dresser drawer.
So, that started me to rambling,
This got me thinking and kept me moving,
Looking in all of my baby's dresser drawers.
So I started looking through all of my significant other's dresser drawers.
Wow, that started me to rambling,
This got me really curious and kept me moving,
Looking all in my baby's dresser drawers.
So I continued to search through all of my significant other's dresser drawers.
Trying to find out,
I was attempting to figure out,
What did she bought me for Santa Claus.
What my significant other bought for me for Christmas.
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer,
When I reached the bottom of the dresser drawer,
The landlady got mad and called the law.
The apartment manager got angry and called the police.
I was just trying to find,
I wasn't doing anything wrong but just attempting to look for,
What did she bought me for Santa Claus.
What my significant other bought for me for Christmas.
The police walked in and jarred me on the shoulder,
Then the police entered and tapped me on the shoulder,
"What you doing with your hand in that woman's dresser drawer?"
Asking me what I was doing with my hand in my significant other's dresser drawer.
I hand the police a letter my baby wrote me,
I gave the police a letter my significant other wrote to me,
Showing where I should find my Santa Claus.
To show them where I could find what I needed for Christmas.
I just kept on pulling out all of my baby's dresser drawers.
I just continued to go through all of my significant other's dresser drawers.
I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguing,
I left the police and apartment manager arguing as I walked out,
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers."
They commented, "Just look at this man who pulled out all of this lady's dresser drawers."
But he said, "I got the letter and show the judge."
However, I told them, "I have the letter and can show it to the judge."
"The boy just trying to find his Santa Claus."
"I was just trying to find what I needed for Christmas."
Oh yeah.
Expressing agreement or confirmation.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gard Texas
My baby went shoppin' yesterday
Said "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus"
My baby went shoppin' yesterday
Said "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus
I'm gonna take mine with me
But I'll leave yours in my dresser drawer"
So that started me to
Ramblin'
Lookin' in all of my baby's dresser drawers
Whoa, that started me to ramblin'
Lookin' all in my baby's dresser drawers
Tryin' to find out
What did she bought me for Santa Claus
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer
The landlady got mad and called the law
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer
The landlady got mad and called the law
I was just tryin' to find
What did she bought me for Santa Claus
The police walked in and tapped me on the shoulder
"What you doing with your hand in that woman's dresser drawer?"
I hand the police a letter my baby wrote me
Showin' where I should find my Santa Claus
I just kept on pullin' out all of my baby's dresser drawers
I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguin'
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers"
Yes, I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguin'
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers"
But he said, "I got the letter and show the judge
The boy just tryin to find his Santa Claus"
Oh yeah
katherine hunter
Christmas Blues, is my favorite Christmas music!
Bless your Heart and Soul for sharing this !
โ๐๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐
Radio Culebra
@katherine hunter gracias! nos escuchasmos my frienda..
katherine hunter
@Radio Culebra Subscribed to your channel tonight !โ๐๐๐บ๐ธ๐ต๐
Radio Culebra
@katherine hunter ye! if u like suscribe the channel! mexican and variada music.. chau <3
katherine hunter
@Radio Culebra From Mexico?!
Fabulous!
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!โ๐๐ฏ๐๐จ๐ฆ
Radio Culebra
bless to u too.. greetings from mexico!! and happy new (and good) year
kruzrken
One of my all time favorite Christmas songs. Great story line- we never grow up!
Radio Culebra
enefecto miamigo! tambiรฉn una de mis canciones navideรฑas favoritas de todos los tiempos..
Gard Texas
My baby went shoppin' yesterday
Said "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus"
My baby went shoppin' yesterday
Said "I'm gonna buy what you need for Santa Claus
I'm gonna take mine with me
But I'll leave yours in my dresser drawer"
So that started me to
Ramblin'
Lookin' in all of my baby's dresser drawers
Whoa, that started me to ramblin'
Lookin' all in my baby's dresser drawers
Tryin' to find out
What did she bought me for Santa Claus
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer
The landlady got mad and called the law
When I pulled out the bottom dresser drawer
The landlady got mad and called the law
I was just tryin' to find
What did she bought me for Santa Claus
The police walked in and tapped me on the shoulder
"What you doing with your hand in that woman's dresser drawer?"
I hand the police a letter my baby wrote me
Showin' where I should find my Santa Claus
I just kept on pullin' out all of my baby's dresser drawers
I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguin'
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers"
Yes, I walked out and left the police and the landlady arguin'
Said, "Look at the man done pull out all the lady's dresser drawers"
But he said, "I got the letter and show the judge
The boy just tryin to find his Santa Claus"
Oh yeah
Bernice Ivery
Sunny Boy is Forever