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.
Who's Been Talkin'?
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My baby caught the train, left me all alone
She knows I love her, she doin' me wrong
My baby bought the ticket, long as her right arm
My baby bought the ticket, long as my right arm
She says she's gonna ride, long as I been from home
Well who been talking, everything that I do
Well you is my baby, I hate to lose
Well good bye baby, hate to see you go
Well good bye baby, hate to see you go
You know I love you, I'm the causin' of it all
I'm the causin' of it all
I'm the causin' of it all
I'm the causin' of it all
I'm the causin' of it all
In Steve Miller Band's song "Who's Been Talkin'," the lyrics describe a man who has been left by his lover after she caught a train and bought a ticket to ride. The singer of the song is heartbroken and confused about why his lover would leave him, knowing how much he loves her. The repetition of the line "My baby caught the train, left me all alone" emphasizes the singer's feelings of abandonment.
The chorus of the song asks the question "Well who been talking, everything that I do?" This line can be interpreted in different ways - either the singer is wondering if his lover has been talking about him to others, or he is questioning the rumors and gossip that he has heard about himself from others. The line "You is my baby, I hate to lose" demonstrates that despite the hurt and confusion the singer is feeling, he still cares deeply for his lover.
The song ends on a sad note with "Goodbye baby, hate to see you go / You know I love you, I'm the causin' of it all." This final line suggests that the singer may have contributed to the downfall of the relationship in some way, whether through his actions or perhaps by listening to and believing rumors about his lover.
Overall, "Who's Been Talkin'" is a classic blues song that captures the pain of heartbreak and the confusion that can arise when relationships end.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby caught the train, left me all alone
My significant other left me and went away, leaving me alone
She knows I love her, she doin' me wrong
Despite being aware of my love, my significant other is hurting me
My baby bought the ticket, long as her right arm
My significant other purchased a ticket for a long journey
She says she's gonna ride, long as I been from home
My significant other plans on taking a long journey without me
Well who been talking, everything that I do
I am concerned about someone spreading rumors about me
Well you is my baby, I hate to lose
Despite everything, I still care for my significant other very much
Well good bye baby, hate to see you go
It hurts to say goodbye to my significant other
You know I love you, I'm the causin' of it all
I am aware that my actions led to the current situation, but I still have deep feelings for my significant other
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Chester Burnett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind