Sibling blues guitarists Jimmie Vaughan (born in 1951) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) were born and raised in Dallas, TX. Each began playing guitar during childhood, Stevie Ray inspired to take up the instrument by his older brother. Jimmie Vaughan played in various groups in Dallas and Austin before hooking up with singer/harmonica player Kim Wilson and forming the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1974. The group was signed to Chrysalis Records, for which they made four albums, starting with a self-titled 1979 debut. The second and third of them, What’s the Word (1980) and Butt Rockin’ (1981), made the lower reaches of the charts, but the band was dropped by the label after the commercial failure of T-Bird Rhythm in the fall of 1982.
Meanwhile, Stevie Ray Vaughan had been playing around Texas, at first with Triple Threat featuring singer Lou Ann Barton, and then, after her departure, with drummer Chris Layton and newly recruited bassist Tommy Shannon as Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. His appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 led to a recording contract with Epic Records and the release of his debut album, Texas Flood, a Top 40 hit, in 1983. He followed it with the even more successful Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984) and Soul to Soul (1985), each of which went gold within two years. (All three albums have since gone platinum.)
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s success stimulated Epic’s interest in his brother’s band. The Epic subsidiary CBS Associated signed the Fabulous Thunderbirds and issued Tuff Enuff (1986), which spawned a Top Ten single in the title-track and itself made the Top 20, going gold within six months and eventually platinum. The same year, Stevie Ray Vaughan issued Live Alive, which eventually went platinum.
The careers of both brothers subsided soon after. Stevie Ray Vaughan went into rehab, while the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ follow-ups to Tuff Enuff, Hot Number (1987) and Powerful Stuff (1989), did not match its commercial success. Jimmie Vaughan amicably parted from the band in June 1990. Stevie Ray Vaughan returned after more than two and a half years with In Step (1989), which became his biggest seller yet, eventually going double platinum. The brothers had long planned a duo project, and in 1990 they finally found time for it, recording Family Style. But the month before the album’s scheduled release, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990. The album appeared in September and it soared into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies.
Jimmie Vaughan helped oversee posthumous releases of his brother’s recordings, such as the two-million-selling Top Ten hit The Sky Is Crying (1991). He launched his own solo career in the spring of 1994 with Strange Pleasure, released by Epic.
'Vaughan Brothers' are also on Last.fm here: 'Vaughan Brothers'
Hard to Be
The Vaughan Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
Can't you see
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
When I'm alone with her
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
It's all I see
In my dreams, we'll be happy together
Side by side
I hope that our love will stay this way forever
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
Lookin' through her eyes
I see paradise, no mistake - she's full of fire
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
Well it's hard to be
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
Oh can't you see
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
When I'm alone with her
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
Hard to be, it's hard for me
It's hard to keep, keep me from my baby
The Vaughan Brothers' song "Hard to Be" is a love song about the struggles of being away from the one you love. The opening lines, "It's hard to be, it's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby," suggest that the singer is finding it difficult to maintain a distance from his lover. He goes on to explain that being away from her drives him crazy and that he can't help but miss her when she’s not around. He's torn between wanting to express his feelings to her and keeping himself in check.
The chorus of the song is about the singer's deep emotional connection to his lover. When they're together, he's in heaven, and in his dreams, they'll be happy together forever. This theme continues in the second verse, where he describes looking through her eyes and seeing paradise. She's full of fire and is his "burning desire."
The intensity of their love is mirrored in the repetitive use of the word "burning," which conjures up images of passion and desire. The song ends with a final reminder of how hard it is to be away from her and the longing the singer feels. Overall, "Hard to Be" is a beautiful and emotional love song that speaks to the difficulties of being apart from the people we love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard to be
It's difficult for me to control my impulses
It's hard for me to keep arm's length from my baby
I struggle to keep a distance from the person I love
Can't you see
Do you not understand
When I'm away from her it sho' 'nuff drive me crazy
When I'm not with her, I go crazy
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I feel a deep sense of longing when she's not around
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
I have an intense desire to express my feelings to her
When I'm alone with her
When we're together without any distractions
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
I feel incredibly happy when I'm holding her
It's all I see
All I can think about is being with her
In my dreams, we'll be happy together
I imagine a future where we're happy and together
Side by side
Together
I hope that our love will stay this way forever
I want our love to last forever
Lookin' through her eyes
Seeing things from her perspective
I see paradise, no mistake - she's full of fire
I see her as an exciting and attractive person
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's full of energy and passion
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
I have an intense and passionate desire for her
Well it's hard to be
It's difficult to resist my impulses
Oh can't you see
Do you not understand
Something inside of me, when she's gone I miss her so
I feel a deep sense of longing when she's not around
I wanna tell her how I feel, just gotta let her know
I have an intense desire to express my feelings to her
When I'm alone with her
When we're together without any distractions
And she's in my arms, I'm in heaven
I feel incredibly happy when I'm holding her
Like a real live wire, a house on fire
She's full of energy and passion
She's my burnin', she's my burnin', burnin' desire
I have an intense and passionate desire for her
Hard to be, it's hard for me
It's difficult for me to control my impulses
It's hard to keep, keep me from my baby
I struggle to resist the temptation to be with the person I love
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Club Geleen
What a great performance by the Vaughan Bros. Still miss SRV’s fine guitar solo’s and his voice…
Rick Lewis
What an album. Steve & Jimmie, two blues artists at their best..
Emiliano Garcia Vazquez
Genio de la guitarra... el sentimiento en cada nota maestro!!
Jack Spry
RIP and long live Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), aged 35
You will always be remembered as a legend.
Rafael Pereira
Dois monstros!!! Cada vez que ouço Rivera Paradise imagino que os deuses desceram na terra!!!
Steven Lawrence
I just can’t tell you how much I was blown away by this album!
Whispering Waterfalls
Me too. Its amazing
Peggy Conner
An amazing duo, Stevie rocked my world with his get down blues
Marcelo ezequiel Name
Gran banda, de rock and rol.
Las trompetas que acompañan son espectaculares.
Aloise Mason
Hey..Cool song and music..Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan two greatest guitar players ever to set foot on a stage..Real entertainers and performers..RIP Stevie ..you are never forgotten..thank god for guitars..r u with me?