After arriving in London, Hendrix sat in on a Cream show, and asked if he c… Read Full Bio ↴After arriving in London, Hendrix sat in on a Cream show, and asked if he could jam with Eric Clapton and the band. This was an audacious request; Cream, the world's first rock and roll supergroup, were especially famous for their skill as live performers. Undaunted, Hendrix gets on stage and launches into Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor." He's a one man spectacle, playing with his teeth, behind his back, between his legs, all without breaking a sweat. This kind of showboating got Jimi in trouble with some of the bands he previously played with, but he blew away the audience in London. Clapton, who had previously deemed the song "impossible" to play, could only look on in awe. He was rock's reigning guitar God, a title he earned in part due to a famous piece of graffiti at a subway station in Islington, and he had just been upstaged.

The song would become a staple of Jimi's live act with the Experience. It was part of the band's famous set at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and was also included in the Winterland box-set. The band also recorded a version for BBC Radio. Hendrix played the song at a much faster pace than the original, and re-wrote the bass and rhythm guitar parts as well.

Killing Floor
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I should of quit you
A long time ago
I should of quit you baby
A long time ago
But you got me messin' round with you baby
You got me cryin' on a killin' floor, yeah
If I don't fallow, yeah
My first mind

If I don't fallow pretty baby
My first mind
I would have been gone since my second time
Yeah
Lord knows, right now
I should've been gone
Lord knows, I should've been gone
You got me messin' round with you baby
You got me cryin' on a killin' floor
Yeah, that's all

Ooh, you got me cryin' baby
Ohh, you got me cryin'

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's song "Killing Floor" are about a relationship that has taken a toll on the singer. He regrets not leaving the person he is with a long time ago, but he is unable to resist their allure, which has caused him to suffer on the "killing floor." The killing floor is a term used to describe a bloody and brutal place, like an industrial slaughterhouse, where animals are killed. In this case, the singer likens his emotional pain to being slaughtered on a killing floor. He is in distress, crying, and deeply hurt by the situation.

The repetition of the line "You got me messin' round with you baby" underscores the singer's inability to break free from the toxic relationship. The line "Lord knows, I should've been gone" suggests that the singer recognizes the unhealthy nature of the relationship but is trapped in it nonetheless. In the end, he is left crying, unable to break free from the hold of the person he is with.

Overall, the lyrics of "Killing Floor" tell a story of heartbreak and emotional pain resulting from a difficult relationship. The singer wishes he had ended it a long time ago, but he is unable to leave due to his deep emotional attachment to the person he is with.

Line by Line Meaning

I should of quit you
I should have left you a long time ago

A long time ago
It's been a while since I should have left you

I should of quit you baby
I should have ended this relationship, my dear

But you got me messin' round with you baby
You have me continuously caught up with you, dear

You got me cryin' on a killin' floor, yeah
Your actions have caused me to shed tears in a place of pain and danger

If I don't fallow, yeah
If I don't listen to what's truly right

My first mind
My instinctual thoughts and feelings

If I don't fallow pretty baby
If I don't listen to my gut, my dear

My first mind
My intuitive senses

I would have been gone since my second time
I would have left after the second occurrence of this hurtful behavior

Lord knows, right now
At this moment, it's clear