Call him the next Duane Allman or Jimi Hendrix, but whatever you do, don’t call Marcus King a child prodigy. Sure, the guitar shredder’s talent shimmers with the same resonance as his heroes, but he’s been wielding an axe since he learned to talk – he started playing when he was 2.
King was born into music, gifted with steel-string DNA and two generations of men before him who nurtured the boy’s musical nature. King’s dad, the slyly talented Marvin King, has been a force in Upstate South Carolina’s music heritage for as long as anyone can remember. Marvin’s father and Marcus’s granddad, Bill, played a big part, too.
It was only natural, then, that the boy who got his first guitar (a Squier Strat) at age 7 would land his first paying gig a year later. When he was 11, he joined his father’s Marvin King & The Blues Revival to open for Muddy Waters’s onetime bassist Mac Arnold at The Handlebar, the storied venue in their Greenville, S.C., hometown. Around that time, he also played on his dad’s critically acclaimed album, Huge in Europe. And when he was 15, the Marcus King Band opened for the legendary Johnny Winter.
A particular MKB achievement came with the September 2014 release of Soul InSight. The album’s 12 original tunes, including three instrumentals, showcase a literal lifetime of virtuosity, along with vocals as clear and as soulful as Marvin Gaye’s and as nuanced as Amy Winehouse ’s.
Adding to all that, King knows jazz. That’s because he built on his Southern-rock foundation with lessons from one of the best instrumentalists around: Steve Watson, the formidable guitarist renowned for his performance on TV’s seminal Hill Street Blues theme song.
King still continues to grow, to experiment, to share his passions, although he’s not much of a talker. He lets his guitar do that, using it to tell the same story we all tell, to share emotions we all feel.
“I can say more truthfully in song what I can say in words,” he says. “Music breaks down the awkward barrier.” (For the record, whenever he hears the shopworn “teen angst,” Marcus recoils with the same allergic reaction that he has to “child prodigy.”)
Of the band, Jack Ryan plays drums with a musicianship that brings to mind Ginger Baker and Charlie Watts. Bassist Stephen Campbell drives MKB the same way that Garry W. Tallent keeps Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band on course. Through it all, King gives his mates plenty of breathing room to jam.
The result is a fusion of wildly eclectic genres, offering a live experience as mesmerizing as it is dance-inducing.
King himself lists an intriguing roster of favorites and influences: Duane Allman, of course, as well as Warren Haynes, Little Feat and Aretha Franklin, to name a few, and his band on any given night plays covers from Bob Marley to Lauryn Hill and from Les McCann to Black Sabbath.
That’s King – an engaged and engaging young man with a lifetime of experience, still coming into his own, still carrying his guitar with him, and promising us all a promising future.
Where I'm Headed
The Marcus King Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leaning over my railing
Trying to see what she's found as she goes
What she found as she goes
Hear the sound of my highway
I get stoned as I pray
Think I'll just fade away
Lord who's gonna care
'Cause I don't know where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
'Cause I don't where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
She came down from the mountain
Singing songs to me
Always left me wondering where she may be
All the places that she's seen
Hear the thunder in the sky
See the pain in her eyes
You're always safe here with me
But your heart is somewhere else
And I don't know where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
And I don't where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
Hanging out of my window
Leaning over my railing
Trying to see what she's found as she goes
What she's found as she's going
She came down from the mountain
Singing songs to me
Always left me wondering where she may be
All the places that she's seen
'Cause I don't know where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
'Cause I don't know where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
'Cause I don't know where I'm headed, babe
But I know I'll see you there
The song "Where I'm Headed" by The Marcus King Band is a melancholic and reflective piece about feeling lost and uncertain but finding comfort in the presence of someone you love. The song starts with the singer hanging out of his window, looking over his railing, trying to see what another person has found as she goes through life. This implies that he feels stagnant and disconnected, and perhaps envious of the person's experiences. The sound of the highway becomes a meditative backdrop to his thoughts, as he gets stoned and prays to find a way out of his confusion. He wonders who will care about his struggles and what is the point of everything.
The second part of the song shifts the focus to the person he loves, who has come down from the mountain to be with him briefly. She sings songs to him, but always leaves him wondering where she may be going next, what adventures she will have. He can sense that her heart is not fully there with him, even though she is physically present. He wants to keep her safe and close, but he knows that she needs to follow her own path. In the last repetition of the chorus, the singer acknowledges that he doesn't know where he is headed, but he knows he will see his loved one there, wherever there is. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with a sense of longing and resignation.
Overall, "Where I'm Headed" is a song about the human condition of being lost and searching for meaning, but also about the power of love to transcend uncertainty and offer a glimpse of hope. The lyrics are poetically rich in imagery and mood, and the music is soulful and bluesy, complementing the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Hangin' out of my window
The singer is hanging out of their window and trying to observe something happening outside.
Leaning over my railing
The singer is leaning over a railing to have a better look at whatever is happening outside.
Trying to see what she's found as she goes
The singer is attempting to discern something that a woman is discovering as she continues with her actions.
What she found as she goes
The artist is curious about what the woman they are observing has discovered while continuing with her actions.
Hear the sound of my highway
The artist is listening to the sounds of the highway near them.
I get stoned as I pray
The singer gets high while they pray.
Think I'll just fade away
The singer is considering the possibility of fading away or disappearing entirely.
Who's gonna care now
The artist is questioning if anyone will care if they fade away.
Lord who's gonna care
The artist is directing their question to a higher power, wondering if anyone will care if they disappear.
'Cause I don't know where I'm headed, babe
The artist is uncertain about where they are going in life.
But I know I'll see you there
Despite being uncertain about their direction, the singer is confident in the fact that they will meet someone they care about at their destination.
'Cause I don't where I'm headed, babe
Once again, the artist expresses their uncertainty about their life direction.
But I know I'll see you there
The singer remains confident that they will see the person they care about at their destination.
She came down from the mountain
A woman whom the singer knows came down from a mountain.
Singing songs to me
The woman is singing songs to the singer.
Always left me wondering where she may be
The woman's actions have previously left the artist wondering about where she might be headed.
All the places that she's seen
The artist is considering all the different places the woman they know has been to.
Hear the thunder in the sky
The singer is listening to the sound of thunder overhead.
See the pain in her eyes
The singer notices that the woman they know is in distress.
You're always safe here with me
The artist is reassuring the woman they know that she is safe with them.
But your heart is somewhere else
Despite being physically safe with the artist, the woman's heart is somewhere else.
And I don't know where I'm headed, babe
The artist is still uncertain about their life direction.
But I know I'll see you there
Despite their uncertainty, the singer is confident that they will meet the woman they care about at their destination.
And I don't where I'm headed, babe
Once again, the artist is uncertain about their life path.
But I know I'll see you there
The singer remains confident that they will see the woman they care about at their destination.
Hanging out of my window
The singer is again hanging out of their window while observing something outside.
Leaning over my railing
The singer is leaning over the railing for a clearer view of whatever they are observing.
Trying to see what she's found as she goes
The artist is once again attempting to see what the woman they have observed is discovering as she moves forward.
What she's found as she's going
The artist remains curious about what the woman they have observed is discovering as she moves forward.
Contributed by Amelia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@570pyro4
This is so smooth. It instantly puts me in a good mood.
@danewilliams3825
Love this band. This is the kind of talent that endures. Good luck MKB.
@michaelray4563
Saw these guys this weekend opening for Chris Stapleton in Bossier City, LA. Dude can play the hell out of a guitar.
@bellavampire2996
Michael Ray cool!!!!!
@mikevalko1596
One of my favorite MKB tunes to date! It gives me chills every time!
@guillaumegellenoncourt
That slide guitar @3:50 is pure genius !
@maazvdo
Love this sonority ! Thanks, The Marcus King Band .
@musical.meygan6412
I love Marcus king so much! I saw him at the peace center in greenville on june 13 and he did amazing! And may I add it was y first concert and it was the best night ever!
@musical.meygan6412
@Agnus Dei yes
@cavalryscout8720
Guys like the Marcus King band give me faith that real music ain't dead..