Worried Life Blues" is based on "Someday Baby Blues" recorded by Sleepy John Estes in 1935 (Decca 7279). Estes' song is performed as a vocal and guitar country blues, whereas Maceo's is a prototypical Chicago blues. To illustrate the lyrical differences of the originals, the first few verses are as follows:
"Worried Life Blues" Big Maceo (1941):
Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord
It hurts me so bad, for us to part
But someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life anymore
"Someday Baby Blues" Sleepy John Estes (1935):
I don't care how long you go, I don't care how long you stay
But that good kind treatment, bring you back home someday
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry my mind anymore
Over the years the differences have become blurred by various cover versions of the songs, which use elements from both songs, often combined with new lyrics and variations in the music.
Worried Life Blues
The Blues Magoos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It hurts me so bad for us to part.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
So many nights since you've been gone.
I've had to worry my life along.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
I want you as a lover, you're no good to me as my friend.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
You're on my mind every place I go.
And how much I love you, baby you'll never know.
Someday baby,I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
That's my story, that's all I gotta tell you.
So goodbye baby, I don't care what you do.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
In The Blues Magoos's song Worried Life Blues, the singer is expressing his pain and despair over a recent break-up. He starts off by saying "oh lordy lord" twice, which in the context of blues music, is a way of expressing one's sadness and desperation. The singer then laments how much it hurts him to part ways with his lover. He talks about how he has been worrying his life along since she left and how she is on his mind every place he goes. He also expresses his desire to have her as his lover rather than just a friend.
However, the singer ultimately decides that he won't worry anymore about his life or his lost love. He concludes by saying "Goodbye baby, I don't care what you do. Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more." This signifies his commitment to moving on from the relationship and not being held back by it anymore. The lyrics of this song clearly showcase the sadness and heartbreak that is often present in blues music.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh lordy lord, oh lordy lord.
Expressing deep anguish and sorrow over a love that has ended.
It hurts me so bad for us to part.
The pain and heartache of breaking up is so intense that it's almost unbearable.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
Looking forward to a time when the memories and pain of lost love will no longer burden the mind and soul.
So many nights since you've been gone.
The absence of the loved one has created long, lonely nights with a sense of deep loss.
I've had to worry my life along.
The worry and anxiety has become a constant companion, making it hard to move forward in life.
I want your brown eyes till my days end.
Desiring the return of the lover with whom there was a deep connection and intimacy.
I want you as a lover, you're no good to me as my friend.
The lover is deeply desired for the intimacy and love that they can provide rather than a friendship, which will no longer suffice.
You're on my mind every place I go.
The memories and longing for the lover are a constant presence, following everywhere the artist goes.
And how much I love you, baby you'll never know.
The depth of love and longing is so strong that it cannot be expressed, even to the one who is being addressed in the song.
That's my story, that's all I gotta tell you.
The painful story of lost love is all the artist has left to share with the world, expressing a sense of finality.
So goodbye baby, I don't care what you do.
The relationship has come to a close, and the singer is letting go of the past with a sense of finality and detachment.
Someday baby, I ain't gonna worry my life no more.
Reiterating the hope for a time when the pain and worry of lost love will no longer hold sway over the artist's life.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOHN LEE HOOKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
P. Psilocin
Brilliant music, perfect tunes for the psychedelic eucharist.
Steve Bolton
This brings back memories of when you went to the drive in with your girl and necked under the stars great band !!!!
joseph lemko
This is one of their better efforts. Fine organ & guitar playing on this cut.
joseph lemko
@Sarah M : I agree with you that Valentine's guitar work on "Worried Life Blues" is excellent. I recommend "Animals On Tour." I believe it is their second album(That is if you don't already own it). I personally believe it is the best album The Animals ever recorded. Now, Alan Price is one of my favorite musicians ever. I saw him live at Lincoln Center in the late 1970s. The man was great, however it was sad to see the auditorium only three-quarters full. In 1984, The original Animals toured the U.S. & I got to see them at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. The Band, minus Robbie Robertson, opened the show. Eric Burdon & Alan Price were magnificent. This still ranks as one of the best concerts I ever attended.
Stay healthy!
Sarah M
@joseph lemko I've listened to a few of the Clapton recordings and I know I have to listen to the others, (I think I listened ti the Big Maceo Merriweather version too) which is when I realized that my favorite verse, the I want you brown eyes, etc., was an Eric Burdon add-on. The Animals version is extremely sexy, sexual in a way, and completely devastating. And OMG, the instrumentals. Hilton Valentine is totally underrated. His guitar in this. And Alan Price goes without saying. And if you haven't figured it out by now, I love, love love Eric Burdon and find him vastly superior to most other singers. I will go and listen to many more versions. This is a great song and should be better known.
joseph lemko
Sarah M: I agree with your assessment of this recording. I personally think that The Animals' version is superior. If you like "Worried Life Blues" here are some other versions that you may enjoy. The song is attributed to Big Maceo Merriweather(1941). His version is excellent. However, he used a Sleepy John Estes song "Someday Baby Blues"(1935 or 1936) for the basis of his song. B.B. King & Eric Clapton recorded a fine duet of this song on the album "Riding With the King." In 1960, Chuck Berry covered this song on his album "Rockin @ the Hops." On his live album "Forever Man" Eric Clapton performed this song well. It also helps that he features Johnny Johnson on piano. Thanks for the comment. It is not often that I come across a person who has ever heard of this great song. Stay healthy!
Sarah M
Sounds like a cover of Tha Animals cover version of the song, even down to the Eric Burdon tweaked lyrics.
Benjamin H. Metternich
YOU GOTTA ADMIT . . . A HIGHLY UNDERRATED BAND, NO! SHIT! BRINGS ME BACK, WASHBURN, WIS.
altay turan
Blues Magoos Worried Life Blues