In the 1950s, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song Different Strokes, also from 1967, featured recently on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.
Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including Is It Because I'm Black, which reached Number 11 in the R&B charts in 1969.
In 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, for whom he recorded three albums and a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded music of power and enduring value, including the hits We Did It, Back for a Taste of Your Love and Take Me to the River, his biggest success, reaching Number 7 on the R&B charts in 1975. However, at Hi Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green's shadow commercially, if not artistically.
After the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records and produced Johnson's last hit record, the title cut.
Around the mid-eighies, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.
In 1992, Johnson found out that his classic song "Different Strokes" have been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Hammer, and the Ghetto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a come back in the music business. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.
Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson, are his brothers.
Me and Bobby McGee
Syl Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waitin' for the train
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down
Just before it rained
Rode us all the way to New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
And was playing soft
With them windshield wipers slappin' time
I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free
Feelin' good was easy, Lord,
When he sang the blues
And feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
From Kentucky coal mines
To the California sun
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, Lord
Through everything I done
Bobby baby kept me from the cold
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord
I let him slip away
Lookin' for the home I hope he'll find it
And I'd trade all of my tomorrows
For one single yesterday
Holdin' Bobby's body next to mine
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' left is all that Bobby left me
Feelin good was easy, Lord
When he sang the blues
And buddy, that was good enough for me
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
The lyrics of Syl Johnson's "Me and Bobby McGee" tell the story of two travelers on the road, one of whom is reminiscing about their time spent with Bobby McGee. They are both feeling down on their luck, "busted flat in Baton Rouge" and waiting for a train, feeling "nearly faded as my jeans." But then Bobby thumbs down a diesel truck and they ride it all the way to New Orleans. As they drive, the singer pulls out their harpoon and starts playing music while Bobby sings the blues. They find solace in their music and in each other's company, singing every song the driver knows.
The chorus of the song, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose / Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free," encapsulates the sentiment of the narrative. Living in poverty and without much hope for the future, they have "nothin' left to lose," but they still have their freedom. Despite their circumstances, they find comfort in each other and in their music. The second verse takes them on a journey from Kentucky coal mines to California, with Bobby helping the singer throughout their travels. Near Salinas, the singer lets Bobby slip away, hoping he finds a home. The final verse shows that the singer would give anything to hold Bobby again, knowing that freedom comes at a price.
Line by Line Meaning
Busted flat in Baton Rouge
Stranded and out of luck in Baton Rouge
Waitin' for the train
Waiting for transportation
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
Feeling exhausted and worn down
Bobby thumbed a diesel down
Bobby hitchhiked a ride on a diesel truck
Just before it rained
Shortly before the rainfall started
Rode us all the way to New Orleans
The truck ride took them all the way to New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
I took out my harmonica from my red bandanna
And was playing soft
I played the harmonica softly
While Bobby sang the blues
Bobby sang the blues songs
With them windshield wipers slappin' time
Windshield wipers were making rhythmic sounds
I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
I was holding Bobby's hand
We sang every song that driver knew
We sang along with all the songs that the driver played
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Being free means having nothing to lose
Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free
Even though something might not be valuable, if it's free it still has worth
Feelin' good was easy, Lord,
Feeling good was effortless
When he sang the blues
Because Bobby sang the blues
And feelin' good was good enough for me
Just feeling good was satisfying enough
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
We were both content with just feeling good
From Kentucky coal mines
From the coal mines of Kentucky
To the California sun
All the way to the sunny state of California
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Bobby knew my deepest thoughts and feelings
Through all kinds of weather, Lord
Through all types of weather and conditions
Through everything I done
Through everything I did
Bobby baby kept me from the cold
Bobby protected me from the coldness of the world
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord
Somewhere close to Salinas
I let him slip away
I lost Bobby
Lookin' for the home I hope he'll find it
Looking for Bobby's home, hoping he has found it
And I'd trade all of my tomorrows
I would give up my future
For one single yesterday
To have one day in the past again
Holdin' Bobby's body next to mine
Holding Bobby's physical form next to me
Nothin' left is all that Bobby left me
All that Bobby left me with was nothing
And buddy, that was good enough for me
But friend, that was satisfactory enough for me and Bobby McGee
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRED FOSTER, FRED L FOSTER, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steevidrums
Great version of this classic... love the groove on this!!!