Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Buddy Guy (born George Guy, July 30, 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana) is an American blues music and rock music guitarist, as well as a singer. Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix and other 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered as an important proponent of Chicago blues made famous by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He has influenced both widely known and local blues guitarists.

Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays with drumsticks and walks into the audience whilst playing, the latter being a gimmick he picked up from a local blues guitarist at an early age (joining or leaping into the audience has also long been common in both American popular and gospel music, as in the earlier work of Big Jay McNeely or the Dixie Hummingbirds).

Guy grew up in Louisiana where he learned to play guitar. In the early 1950s he began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. Soon after moving to Chicago in 1957, Guy fell under the influence of "Mighty" Muddy Waters. In 1958 he won a record contract with Artistic Records after beating the West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush in a "Head Cutting Contest" at the Blue Flame Club. Soon afterwards he recorded for the Cobra label.

In the early 1960s, Guy was a session guitarist for Chess Records. He recorded on Junior Wells sessions for Delmark Records under the pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966. His career took off during a blues revival period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was sparked by Eric Clapton's request that Guy be part of the '24 nights' all-star blues guitar lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall and Guy's subsequent signing with Silvertone Records.

End Of The Line
buddy guy Lyrics

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I′m the last one to turn off the light
The last one that called it a night
When the clock on the wall says "late"
I still got one more to play
But I feel sometime like I'm the end of the line

Father Time been good to me
I′m young as a old man can be

Well, I'm way past 71
But I still can get this damn job done
But I feel sometime like I'm the end of the line

The last man standin′ on a empty stage
If life was a book, I′d be the last page
Even though I got one foot in the grave
I won't be quiet and I won′t behave, no

(I ain't thinkin′ about behavin')

So many of my friends have gone
Maybe my time ain′t long
I promise 'til the day I die
I'm gonna keep these blues alive
But I feel sometime like I′m the end of the line
Yes, I feel sometime like I′m the end of the line

Just because I take my time

Overall Meaning

, don't mean that I'm in decline
I still got music to make
And hearts to break
And memories to take
But I feel sometime like I'm the end of the line

In "End of the Line," Buddy Guy reflects on his long career in blues music and the passing of time. Despite being "young as an old man can be," Guy acknowledges that he sometimes feels like the end of the line - the last one standing on a deserted stage, the final page in the book of life. He's seen so many of his friends and contemporaries pass on, and he's aware that his time may not be long, but he's determined to keep the blues alive as long as he's able.

The repetition of "I feel sometime like I'm the end of the line" creates a poignant sense of isolation and finality, but the defiant refrain "I won't be quiet and I won't behave" shows that Guy isn't giving up anytime soon. The song's mix of resignation and determination captures the complexities of aging and the passage of time, and showcases Buddy Guy's enduring talent and passion for the blues.

Writer(s): Richard Fleming, Thomas Jay Hambridge

Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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