The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham,… Read Full Bio ↴The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England. In their heyday, the group consisted of Steve Winwood on vocals and keyboards, Steve's brother Muff Winwood played bass, Pete York handled the drums, plus founder and lead-guitarist (and co-singer) Spencer Davis (1939–2020). With main producer the late Jimmy Miller, their best known songs include the UK number ones "Somebody Help Me" and "Keep on Running" (both written by reggae musician Jackie Edwards), "I'm a Man", and "Gimme Some Lovin'" (the latter reached #2 in the UK and #7 in the US). The band ceased to be active in 1968. Davis re-founded the group on two more occasions (without the involvement of the Winwood brothers), first in 1973–1974 for two more albums, and again from 2006, since when they have primarily been a touring act

Formed in 1963 in Birmingham after the Welsh guitarist Spencer Davis encountered vocalist and organist Steve Winwood (then aged 14 and still at school), and his bass playing brother Muff Winwood performing at a pub, the Golden Eagle, as the Muff Woody Jazz Band. He recruited them and Pete York on drums to form the Rhythm and Blues Quartette, which performed regularly in the city. In 1964, they signed their first recording contract after Chris Blackwell of Island Records saw them at an appearance in a local club; Blackwell also became their producer.

The group's first professional recording was a cover version of Dimples, but they came to success at the end of 1965 with Keep on Running, the group's first number one single. In 1966 they followed this with Somebody Help Me and When I Come Home. For the German market the group released "Det war in Schöneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Mädel ruck ruck ruck an meine grüne Seite" (the first is from a 1913 Berlin operetta, the second is a Swabian traditional) as a tribute single for that audience, Spencer Davis having studied in West Berlin in the early 1960s.

By the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, the group released two more hits, Gimme Some Lovin' (which was re-released in a live, nine-minute version by Steve Winwood's Traffic in 1971) and I'm A Man. These tracks proved to be their two best-known successes, especially in the U.S.

In 1967, Winwood left to form Traffic; his brother Muff moved into the music industry as A&R man at Island Records. In a so-called joint venture, the soundtrack to the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush featured both the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic.

Despite the Winwoods' departure, the Spencer Davis Group continued performing and released more singles, though not repeating earlier successes. These included Time Seller in July 1967; the b-side, Don't Want You No More, also received radio airplay.

This was followed by "Mr. Second-Class" in late 1967, which was heavily played on Radio Caroline (at that time one of the two remaining pirate radio ships off the British coast) and the group's last minor hit, "After Tea", in 1968. The latter song was released at the same time by the German band The Rattles, providing competition that led finally to a temporary stop to all activities of the band. Davis continued working, however, producing some jazz-oriented albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Although short-lived, The Spencer Davis Group - particularly its incarnation with Steve Winwood - was influential, with many of the band's songs covered by other artists over the years. Notable among these are Chicago's 1969 version of "I'm a Man," The Allman Brothers Band's 1969 take of "Don't Want You No More," Three Dog Night's 1970 recording of "Can't Get Enough of It," and The Blues Brothers' 1980 recording of "Gimme Some Lovin'."

I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
The Spencer Davis Group Lyrics

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I was born in macon, georgia, met my dad in a macon jail
He said, "son, if you keep your hands clean
You won't have them bloodhounds on your trail"

I fell in with bad companions, robbed a man in tennessee
Sheriff caught me way up in nashville
And they locked me up and they threw away the key

Refrain:
I washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands but they didn't come clean
Tried to do what my daddy told me

But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream

I asked the jailer when my time's up, he said, "son, we won't forget
If you try to keep your hands clean
We may make a good man of you yet."

I couldn't wait to do my sentence, I broke out of the nashville jail
I just crossed the line of georgia
And I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail

Refrain (2 times)

Overall Meaning

The Spencer Davis Group's song "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" tells a story of a young man's journey into a life of crime and his struggle to heed the advice of his father to keep his hands clean. The lyrics suggest that the singer was born in Macon, Georgia, and was raised by his father who had served time in a Macon jail. The father warns his son that if he doesn't keep his hands clean, he will have bloodhounds on his trail, indicating that he will be pursued by the law.

The singer falls in with bad companions and robs a man in Tennessee. The sheriff catches him in Nashville, and he is locked up with the key thrown away. The singer follows his father's admonition to keep his hands clean, but it appears he has washed his hands in a muddy stream, as they did not come clean. He is advised by the jailer that if he tries to keep his hands clean, he may yet be a good man.

Unable to wait for his sentence to be served, the singer breaks out of the Nashville jail and flees to Georgia. He can hear the bloodhounds on his trail, and the refrain is repeated, suggesting that despite his efforts to heed the advice of his father, the singer has failed, and his actions have returned him to a life of crime.

Line by Line Meaning

I was born in macon, georgia, met my dad in a macon jail
I was born in Macon, Georgia, and met my father for the first time when he was in jail there.

He said, "son, if you keep your hands clean You won't have them bloodhounds on your trail"
My father warned me that if I stayed out of trouble, I wouldn't have to worry about being hunted down by the authorities.

I fell in with bad companions, robbed a man in tennessee Sheriff caught me way up in nashville And they locked me up and they threw away the key
I got involved with a bad crowd, and we robbed someone in Tennessee. The sheriff caught me in Nashville and put me in jail for a long time.

I washed my hands in muddy water I washed my hands but they didn't come clean Tried to do what my daddy told me But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
I tried to follow my father's advice and stay out of trouble, but it didn't work. I feel like my attempts to clean up my act were futile, like washing my hands in muddy water.

I asked the jailer when my time's up, he said, "son, we won't forget If you try to keep your hands clean We may make a good man of you yet."
When I asked the jailer when I'd be released, he told me that if I tried to stay out of trouble, I might be able to turn my life around and be a better person.

I couldn't wait to do my sentence, I broke out of the nashville jail I just crossed the line of georgia And I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail
I was so eager to get out of jail that I broke out, even though I knew it would mean the authorities would be looking for me. I crossed the state line into Georgia, but I could still hear the bloodhounds chasing me.

Contributed by James R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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