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.
Roll With It
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Believe I better go with with it
There's a train goin' by the highway
Believe I better roll with it
I don't know what's got into me
All I know is I've got to be free
Take off all these chains that bind me
Did she love you
Mmmm Hmmm
Did she need you
Mmmm Hmmm
Did she please you
Mmmm Hmmm
Did she leave you
Mmmm Hmmm
Iiii, Iiii, Iiii, Iiii
Iiii, Iiii, Iiii, Iiii
The Steve Miller Band's "Roll With It" is a catchy rock song with lyrics about embracing the freedom that comes with getting away from the constraints of daily life. The repeated refrain "There's a plane goin' down the runway, believe I better go with it" and "There's a train goin' by the highway, believe I better roll with it" suggests a desire to escape and move on to something new. These forms of transportation are symbolic of the possibility of leaving one's current circumstances behind and the song encourages the listener to take the plunge and look towards a new future.
The lyric "All I know is I've got to be free, take off all these chains that bind me" is a clear indication of a deep need for independence and a desire to break free from anything that confines or restricts. The lines "Once I'm gone, you'll never find me, did she love you, mmm hmm, did she need you, mmm hmm, did she please you, mmm hmm, did she leave you, mmm hmm" suggest a past relationship or situation that has been left behind, and the singer feels free to move on to the next chapter of their life without looking back.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a plane goin' down the runway
I see a plane that is about to leave and I think I should get on it
Believe I better go with it
I strongly feel that I should leave with the plane
There's a train goin' by the highway
I see a train passing by and I think I should go on it
Believe I better roll with it
I strongly feel that I should leave with the train
I don't know what's got into me
I am not sure why I have this urge to leave
All I know is I've got to be free
I just know that I need to be unbound and unrestricted
Take off all these chains that bind me
I want to be rid of all the things that hold me back
Once I'm gone, you'll never find me
If I leave, you won't be able to locate me
Did she love you
Did she have feelings of affection towards you?
Mmmm Hmmm
Yes, that's correct
Did she need you
Did she require your presence or help?
Mmmm Hmmm
Yes, that's correct
Did she please you
Did she satisfy or delight you?
Mmmm Hmmm
Yes, that's correct
Did she leave you
Did she depart or abandon you?
Mmmm Hmmm
Yes, that's correct
Iiii, Iiii, Iiii, Iiii
Vocalization representing the singer's emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: EDWARD JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND, WILL JENNINGS, STEVE WINWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raddmann
Love that guitar at the end !
lordsong7
oh ya SMB had it all ! Cool factor, unique compositions, great players, ...
francesca
Music is Love! ☆♡♡♡☆
Justalittleofftopicbut
Way too good.
Wayne Whiteside
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this.
Karta Iglesias
It's just the best song ever get out and walk out with that
Taber Craxous
thanks for uploading this man
KittyCatLove _AJPW And More!!!
blues meets acid
TheDillestWeed
This is a yes.
Salvatore Guarino
The Hammond. Intense.