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.
Never Say No
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
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Waitin' for the time I could head to town
All those pretty girls, I'll be looking for the pearl
That could bring me up and ease me down
Flying down the dusty road
Little foreign wheels putting on a show
My thoughts are hazy about this girl
Never say, never say no
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no
You better say never say no
Then she stopped to my surprise
Little foreign wheels want to cross the line
With her voice so soft
Turned the poppin' Johnny off
Then I began to realize
She said her daddy needs to know
'Bout this ol' boy 'fore he lets her go
I'll work for him, then time will tell
He'll get to know me, I bet he will
Never say, never say no
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
No, never say, never say no
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no, no
Never say, never say no
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no, no
Don't ever say, never say no
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Never say, never say no
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
The verses of Steve Miller Band's song "Never Say No" narrate a story about a man who works on virgin ground and is waiting for the right time to go to town and find a girl who could bring him up and ease him down. The man is driving down a dusty road and begins to have hazy thoughts about the girl he might meet. He thinks she might make him crazy, but he still wants to pursue her. The chorus of the song, "Never say, never say no," is an encouragement to the girl to stay with him and never let him hear her say she's got to go.
In the bridge, the girl stops and tells the man that her father needs to know about him before he lets her go. The man says he'll work for the father, and time will tell if she'll stay with him. The song ends on the same chorus, with the man pleading with the girl to never say no and to stay with him.
This song is an upbeat love song with a rock and roll vibe that captures the energy and spontaneity of falling in love. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they convey the excitement and hope that come with pursuing a new relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Out working on the virgin ground
I'm out in the wild, untouched land, doing some work.
Waitin' for the time I could head to town
I'm waiting for the right moment to go to town.
All those pretty girls, I'll be looking for the pearl
I'll be searching for a special girl among all the pretty girls.
That could bring me up and ease me down
She'll keep me happy and grounded.
Flying down the dusty road
I'm driving fast on a dirt road.
Little foreign wheels putting on a show
My foreign car looks impressive as I drive it.
My thoughts are hazy about this girl
I'm not sure what to think about this girl.
Might make me crazy, I bet she will
She might drive me crazy, but I still want her.
Never say, never say no
Don't refuse me outright.
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Then she stopped to my surprise
She suddenly stopped, which surprised me.
Little foreign wheels want to cross the line
Her car is getting too close to mine.
With her voice so soft
She speaks softly.
Turned the poppin' Johnny off
She turned off the radio or music playing in the background.
Then I began to realize
I started to understand what was happening.
She said her daddy needs to know
Her father wants to meet me and approve of me.
'Bout this ol' boy 'fore he lets her go
About me before he allows her to leave with me.
I'll work for him, then time will tell
I'll work hard for her father, and the future will reveal how he feels about me.
He'll get to know me, I bet he will
I'm confident that her father will grow to like me.
No, never say, never say no
I don't want her to refuse me outright.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Don't ever say, never say no
Don't reject me.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't leave me.
Never say, never say no
Don't reject me.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Never say, never say no
Don't refuse me outright.
No, never say, never say no
I don't want to hear her say no.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Never say, never say no
Don't reject me.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Never say, never say no
Don't refuse me outright.
Never say, never say no
Don't reject me.
Don't ever let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Never say, never say no, no
I don't want to hear her say no.
Don't ever say, never say no
Don't refuse me.
Never let me hear ya say ya gotta go
Don't tell me that you have to leave me.
Never say, never say no
Don't reject me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: GARY MALLABER, KENDALL LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind