Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.
In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.
Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.
Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.
John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.
Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.
Further On Up the Road
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
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Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me
Further on up the road
Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me
Further on up the road
Baby, just you wait and see
You gotta reap just what you sow
You gotta reap just what you sow
That old saying is true
Just like you mistreat someone
Someone's gonna mistreat you
You been laughing, pretty baby
Someday you're gonna be crying
You been laughing, pretty baby
Someday you're gonna be crying
Further on up the road
You'll find out I wasn't lying
Further on up the road
Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me
Further on up the road
Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me
Further on up the road
Baby, just you wait and see
Further on up the road
When you're all alone and blue
Further on up the road
When you're all alone and blue
You're gonna want me back
But I'll have somebody new
The Steve Miller Band's "Further On Up the Road" is a blues-rock song that is a warning to a person who has mistreated their lover. The song predicts that karma will come back around and that somebody is going to hurt this person just as they have hurt the object of their affection. The repetition of "Further on up the road" serves as a metaphor, indicating that pain and regret may not happen immediately but at some point in the future. When the offender is alone and blue, they will realize their mistake and wish to rekindle their relationship. However, by that point, the person would have moved on, and they will be left with the regret of their actions.
The song's lyrics represent a recurring theme in blues songs of warning people to treat others well, or it will come back to haunt them. The song's uptempo melody is in stark contrast to the dark lyrics, which adds to the song's effectiveness. Steve Miller's passionate vocals, combined with well-placed guitar riffs, make for a powerful and effective blues song. The song was originally written by Don Robey and Joe Medwick in 1957 and has been performed by numerous artists, including Johnny Cash and Eric Clapton.
Line by Line Meaning
Further on up the road
As time goes on and circumstances change
Someone's gonna hurt you like you hurt me
The pain you caused will come back to you
Further on up the road
As time goes on and circumstances change
Baby, just you wait and see
You'll experience the same hurt and pain as I did
You gotta reap just what you sow
Your actions have consequences
That old saying is true
The old adage is still applicable
Just like you mistreat someone
Similar to how you mistreated me
Someone's gonna mistreat you
Others will reciprocate your actions
You been laughing, pretty baby
You've been carefree and enjoying yourself
Someday you're gonna be crying
At some point, you'll experience hardship and sadness
Further on up the road
As time goes on and circumstances change
You'll find out I wasn't lying
You'll eventually realize the truth of my words
Further on up the road
As time goes on and circumstances change
When you're all alone and blue
During a time of sadness and loneliness
You're gonna want me back
You'll desire to have me return
But I'll have somebody new
However, I'll have moved on to someone else
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Robey, Joe Medwick Veasey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind