Fixin' to Die Blues

Bukka White

About Fixin' to Die Blues

"Fixin' to Die Blues" is song by American blues musician Bukka White. It is performed in the Delta blues style with White's vocal and guitar accompanied by washboard rhythm. White recorded it in Chicago on May 8, 1940, for record producer Lester Melrose. The song was written just days before, along with eleven others, at Melrose's urging. White was resuming his recording career, which had been interrupted by his incarceration for two and one-half years at the infamous Parchman Farm prison in Mississippi. While there, White witnessed the death of a friend and "got to wondering how a man feels when he dies". His lyrics reflect his thoughts about his children and wife: White provides the vocal and acoustic slide guitar (which was borrowed from Big Bill Broonzy) with backing by Washboard Sam. Despite the somber lyrics, "the music throbs with a restless energy" with White's "bottleneck guitar crying in urgent counterpoint to his imagery". Music historian Ted Gioia notes that these recordings of White "come as close to art song as traditional blues has ever dared to go, but without losing any of the essential qualities of the Delta heritage". However, as with his other songs from the session, "Fixin' to Die Blues" did not capture the record buying public's interest. As a result, White largely retired from performing music, until a resurgence of interest in the early 1960s and the American folk music revival. 


Year:
1993
2:44
21 

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

I'm lookin' funny in my eyes and I believe I'm fixin' to die, believe I'm fixin' to die
I'm lookin' funny in my eyes and I believe I'm fixin' to die
I know I was born to die but I hate to leave my children cryin'

Just as sho' as we livin', just as sho' we born to die, sho' we born to die
Just as sho' as we livin', sho' we born to die
I know I was born to die but I hate to leave my children cryin'

Your mother treated me children like I was her baby child, was her baby child
Your mother treated me like I was her baby child
That's why's I find it so hard to come back home to die

So many nights at the fireside, how my children's mother would cry, how my children's mother would cry
So many nights at the fireside, how my children's mother would cry
Cause I told the mother I had to say goodbye

Look over yonder, on the burying ground, on the burying ground
Look over yonder, on the burying ground
Yon' stand ten thousand, standin' still to let me down

Mother take my children back, before they let me down, before they let me down
Mother take my children back, 'fore they let me down
I don't need for them to screamin' and cryin' on the graveyard ground

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com


Bukka White

Booker T. Washington White (November 12, 1909 – February 26, 1977), better known as Bukka White, was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. "Bukka" was not a nickname, but a phonetic misspelling of White's given name Booker, by his second (1937) record label (Vocalion). more »

0 fans

Written by: Booker T. Washington

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


7 facts about this song

Origin of the Song
"Fixin' to Die Blues" was originally written and performed by Delta blues musician Bukka White in 1940.
Genre Description
This song is a prime example of Delta Blues, a genre of music native to the Southern US that combines traditional African music with new world influences.
Bob Dylan's Version
Folk-rock legend Bob Dylan covered "Fixin' to Die Blues" during his early career, acknowledging the influence of the Delta Blues on his own work. The song was included in his debut studio album Bob Dylan, released in 1962.
Dylan's Inspiration
Dylan, known for his poetic and socially conscious lyrics, drew significant inspiration from White's works, with "Fixin' to Die Blues" ranking amongst his favorite songs to cover.
Song Meaning
"Fixin' to Die Blues" recounts the despair of a man who feels death approaching. It is a powerful song dealing with existential dread and impending doom, themes that resonate well with Dylan's own songwriting.
Led Zeppelin's Tribute
While Led Zeppelin didn't directly cover "Fixin' to Die Blues", they did recognize Bukka White's influence on their music. Lead vocalist Robert Plant often identified White as one of his main influences and Zeppelin’s "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper," from their third album, contains echoes of "Fixin' to Die Blues."
White's Legacy
Bukka White was largely forgotten during the 1950s and 1960s until his discovery by blues enthusiasts in the 1960s. His song "Fixin' to Die Blues" in itself has become a standard in the blues genre, covered by numerous artists across generations.

Discuss the Fixin' to Die Blues Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Fixin' to Die Blues Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1271475/Bukka+White/Fixin%27+to+Die+Blues>.

    Missing lyrics by Bukka White?

    Know any other songs by Bukka White? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    Fixin' to Die Blues

    94,038
    665     10

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    "Drop the pilot, try my balloon. Drop the monkey, smell my ________."
    A perfume
    B mushroom
    C kaboom
    D legroom

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Bukka White tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!