Willie Dixon (born July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Miss., U.S.-died Jan. 29, 1992,… Read Full Bio ↴Willie Dixon (born July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Miss., U.S.-died Jan. 29, 1992, Burbank, Calif.) was a U.S. musician who influenced the emergence of electric blues and rock music. In 1936 Dixon moved from his native Mississippi to Chicago, won an Illinois Golden Gloves boxing championship, and began selling his songs. He played double bass in several bands before joining Chess Records. His lively compositions, which he sold for as little as $30, included “Little Red Rooster,” “You Shook Me,” and “Back Door Man”; many were later recorded by Muddy Waters, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones. Dixon toured widely throughout the U.S. and Europe.

extensive subsequent covers, include:

"29 Ways" – Marc Cohn, Willie Dixon, The Blues Band
"300 Pounds Of Joy" – Howlin' Wolf, Tom Jones & Jools Holland
"After Five Long Years" – Willie Dixon
"As Long as I Have You" – Led Zeppelin
"Back Door Man"[9] – Howlin' Wolf, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Shadows of Knight, Bob Weir
"Big Boss Man" – Jimmy Reed, Elvis Presley, The Animals, The Grateful Dead
"Bring It on Home" – Sonny Boy Williamson II, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Dread Zeppelin, Johnny Thunders
"Built for Comfort" – Howlin' Wolf, Canned Heat, UFO
"Crazy For My Baby" – Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Willie Dixon
"Crazy Love" – Buddy Guy
"Crazy Mixed Up World" – Little Walter
"Close to You" – Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Doors
"Dead Presidents" – Little Walter, The J. Geils Band
"Diddy Wah Diddy" – Bo Diddley, Captain Beefheart, The Blues Band
"Do Me Right" – Lowell Fulson
"Do the Do" – Howlin' Wolf
"Don't Go No Farther" – Muddy Waters
"Don't Tell Me Nothin´" – Willie Dixon – used in the movie The Color of Money
"Down in the Bottom" – Howlin' Wolf, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
"Earthquake and Hurricane" – Willie Dixon
"Eternity" – Grateful Dead
"Everybody Needs Something" – Little Walter
"Everything But You" – Jimmy Witherspoon
"Everything's Got a Time" – Willie Dixon
"Evil" – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Canned Heat, Captain Beefheart, Monster Magnet, Derek and the Dominos, Gary Moore, Cactus, The Faces, Steve Miller, Koko Taylor
"Flamin' Mamie" – Willie Dixon
"Help Me" – Sonny Boy Williamson II
"Gone Daddy Gone" - the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano incorporated elements of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" into his track; the former was later covered by Gnarls Barkley
"Grave Digger Blues" – Willie Dixon
"Groanin' the Blues" – Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton
"Hidden Charms" – Howlin' Wolf, Link Wray
"Hoochie Coochie Man"[6] – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Shadows of Knight, Eric Burdon, The Nashville Teens, Dion, The Allman Brothers Band, Alexis Korner, Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry, Motörhead, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Healey, Manfred Mann
"Howlin' For My Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, George Thorogood
"I Ain't Superstitious" – Howlin' Wolf, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, Megadeth, The Jeff Beck Group, Chris Spedding
"I Can't Quit You Baby" – Little Milton, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Gary Moore, Dread Zeppelin, Nine Below Zero
"I Can't Understand" – Los Lobos (co-written with Cesar Rojas)
"I Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Willie Dixon
"If the Sea Was Whiskey" – Chris Thile
"I Got What It Takes" – Koko Taylor
"I Just Want To Make Love To You"[6] – Muddy Waters, The Animals, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Shadows of Knight, Mungo Jerry, Grateful Dead, Foghat, The Rolling Stones, Etta James, Van Morrison, Paul Rodgers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, April Wine, Robben Ford, Meat Puppets, Cold Blood
"I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love" – Muddy Waters, Willie Nelson
"I'm Ready"[6] – Muddy Waters, Humble Pie, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith, Long John Baldry, Eric Burdon, George Thorogood, Albert King
"Insane Asylum" – Koko Taylor, Kathy McDonald and Sly Stone, Diamanda Galás, Asylum Street Spankers, The Detroit Cobras, Oxbow feat. Marianne Faithful
"I Don't Play" – Robben Ford
"I Got My Brand on You" – Muddy Waters
"It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Styx
"I Want To Be Loved" – Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones
"Let Me Love You Baby" – Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters, B. B. King
"Little Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, The Rolling Stones
"Little Red Rooster"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Luther Allison, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Mama Thornton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Love, Life & Money" – Johnny Winter
"Mellow Down Easy" – Little Walter & His Jukes, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Black Crowes, Carey Bell, ZZ Top, Jimmy Reed, Holly Golightly
"Million Dollar Baby" – Dizzy Gillespie
"My Babe"[6] – Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Spencer Davis Group, John P. Hammond, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Othar Turner & The Rising Star Fire and Drum Band
"My Baby's Sweeter" – Little Walter, Fleetwood Mac
"My Captain" – Muddy Waters
"My John the Conqueror Root" – Muddy Waters
"Nervous" – Willie Dixon
"Oh Baby" – Little Walter
"One More Chance With You" – Little Walter
"Pain In My Heart" – Willie Dixon, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Grateful Dead
"Pie in the Sky" – Willie Dixon
"Pretty Thing" – Bo Diddley, Pretty Things, Canned Heat
"Seventh Son" – Willie Mabon, Mose Allison, Bill Haley, Johnny Rivers, Sting, Climax Blues Band, Long John Baldry
"Same Thing" – The Band
"Sin And City" – Buddy Guy
"Shake For Me" – Stevie Ray Vaughan
"Sit and Cry (The Blues)" – Buddy Guy (co-written with Buddy Guy)
"Spoonful"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Dion, Paul Butterfield, Cream, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Ten Years After, The Who, Etta James Salty Dog
"Study War No More" – Willie Dixon
"The Same Thing" – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers Band, Sue Foley, Marc Ford, Grateful Dead
"The Seventh Son" – Willie Dixon
"Study No More" – Willie Dixon
"Third Degree" – Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Leslie West
"Tollin' Bells" – Lowell Fulson, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Robert Cray
"Too Late" – Little Milton, Little Walter
"Too Many Cooks" – Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Mick Jagger
"Violent Love" – Otis Rush, The Big Three, Oingo Boingo, Dr. Feelgood
"Walkin' The Blues" – Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Kay
"Wang Dang Doodle"[6] – Koko Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Grateful Dead, Savoy Brown, Box Tops, PJ Harvey, Rufus Thomas, The Pointer Sisters, The Blues Band, Widespread Panic
"Weak Brain, Narrow Mind" – Willie Dixon, Widespread Panic
"When My Left Eye Jumps" – Buddy Guy
"When The Lights Go Out" – Jimmy Witherspoon, Kim Wilson
"Who" – Little Walter
"Wigglin' Worm" – Willie Dixon
"You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At Its Cover" – Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Cactus, The Yardbirds, Beat Farmers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tim Hardin, The Merseybeats, Elliott Murphy, Long John Baldry, The Monkees, Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan.
"You Don't Love Me" – Booker T. & the M.G.s, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills
"You Know My Love" – Otis Rush, Gary Moore
"You'll Be Mine" – Howlin' Wolf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dr. Feelgood
"You Need Love" – Muddy Waters, Mick Clark Band
"Whole Lotta Love" – Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was appropriated, without credit, from Dixon's "You Need Love". Although the main guitar riff was composed by Jimmy Page himself, Robert Plant based the lyrics on Dixon's song. Dixon and his music publisher received credit and royalties, after a 1985 lawsuit was settled out of court.
"You Need Loving" recorded by The Small Faces in 1965, is another uncredited loose version of the song
"You Shook Me"[9] – Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Dread Zeppelin
"Young Fashioned Ways" – Muddy Waters
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

You may also see Willie Dixon & The Allstars and Chicago Blues Allstars on Last.fm.

I Got a Razor
Willie Dixon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Who me?

Man, you know I ain't never
Lost no fight
I'm way too fast for that cat

Now look!
If me an a grizzly's havin' a fight

No! Don't you think the fight ain't fair
You talkin' 'bout helpin' me?
You better help that grizzly bear

I've got a razor, man
And I've got a *chib, this a cinch

Man, I can split a bolt a-lightnin'
Befo' the lightnin' could move an inch

Now, look!
If me an a wildcat
Is all in a clinch
You ain't got to worry
I've got him cinched

Man, I'll tie a couple knots
In his tail
Then I'll pull his teeth
An clip his nails

I've got a razor, man!
I got chib, this a cinch
Yeah!
I could split a bolt a-lightnin'
Before the lightnin' could move a inch

Now, look!
Man, I can toss up a apple
And then shoot out the co'
Yeah! I can peel it and then slice it
Befo' it hit the flo'

Man, you know I've got a razor
And can't nobody win over me
When I got a razor

Man, I always got a razor!

And I don't never miss

You know I got a razor.
~

*chib is club or knife
Shive is a knife. Willie pronounces it 'chib'

Overall Meaning

The song "I Got a Razor" by Willie Dixon is a boastful anthem about his strength and combat skills. He claims to have never lost a fight, and even suggests that people should help his opponents instead of him, as he is confident in his abilities to win any physical altercation he gets into. Dixon uses vivid imagery to illustrate his dominance, such as saying he could "split a bolt a-lightnin'" before the lightning could even move an inch. He even compares fighting a wildcat to simply tying knots in its tail and trimming its nails after he's won.

Throughout the song, Dixon repeats the phrase "I've got a razor" to emphasize his preparedness for any kind of fight. The repeated line becomes almost like a mantra or a warning to anyone looking to challenge him. The song ends with him stating that he "always" has a razor and he "never" misses, further solidifying his confidence in himself.

Overall, "I Got a Razor" is a powerful declaration of strength and self-assurance. Dixon's use of metaphors and exaggerated imagery to describe his fighting prowess makes for a vivid and engaging listen.

Line by Line Meaning

Who me?
Willie Dixon is being addressed and asked a question.

Man, you know I ain't never Lost no fight I'm way too fast for that cat
Willie Dixon is a quick fighter who has never lost a fight.

Now look! If me an a grizzly's havin' a fight No! Don't you think the fight ain't fair You talkin' 'bout helpin' me? You better help that grizzly bear
Willie Dixon is a fearless fighter who is being compared to a grizzly bear in the song. His opponents are likely to be at a disadvantage in a fight with him.

I've got a razor, man And I've got a *chib, this a cinch Man, I can split a bolt a-lightnin' Befo' the lightnin' could move an inch
Willie Dixon is armed with a razor and a knife(chib) which he is confident will make winning a fight a certainty. He is also quick with his hands.

Now, look! If me an a wildcat Is all in a clinch You ain't got to worry I've got him cinched
Willie Dixon is saying that he can handle a fight with a wildcat and subdue it with ease.

Man, I'll tie a couple knots In his tail Then I'll pull his teeth An clip his nails
Willie Dixon is confident of his fighting skills and believes he can handle and subdue a wildcat. He is also not afraid to use any means necessary to achieve this.

I've got a razor, man! I got chib, this a cinch Yeah! I could split a bolt a-lightnin' Before the lightnin' could move a inch
Willie Dixon is repeating his message that he is a skilled fighter armed with weapons that make defeating anyone he fights against easier. He is also quick in his movements.

Now, look! Man, I can toss up a apple And then shoot out the co' Yeah! I can peel it and then slice it Befo' it hit the flo'
Willie Dixon is boasting about his quick movements by shooting the core out of an apple and slicing it before it hits the floor. He is showing off his quick reflexes and movements.

Man, you know I've got a razor And can't nobody win over me When I got a razor
Willie Dixon is reminding us that he is a confident fighter who cannot easily be defeated when armed with a razor.

Man, I always got a razor!
Willie Dixon is a fighter always armed with a razor and cannot be caught off guard by an opponent.

And I don't never miss You know I got a razor.
Willie Dixon is a sharpshooter with his razor and never misses his target. He is confident in his fighting abilities and the efficacy of the tools he uses.

Contributed by Eliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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