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Home
Authors
John Lee Hooker
American
Musician
About the author
I've got enough money to live me two lifetimes so I don't have to do nothing I don't want to.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Nothing
#Money
I went on to Cincinnati. I had got a taste of the big cities and them bright lights. I stayed there until I was about 18 or 19 and then I went on to Detroit.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Taste
#Cities
I remember back in Detroit, I used to go to the Apex Bar every night after I got off work. The bartender there used to call me Boom Boom. I don't know why, but he did.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Work
#Night
I like dropping into a small club and playing with some people, trying to help them get a start.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#People
#Trying
#Help
Oh, I still like to play and I still play when I want to.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Play
I just get an idea and then all of a sudden I've got a song.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Idea
#Song
I hitchhiked, took trucks 'n' trains - anything that would pick me up. I stopped in Memphis for about six months and they found me and come got me. Stayed about a month an' split again.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Months
I don't think about time. You're here when you're here. I think about today, staying in tune.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Time
#Today
I have heartaches, I have blues. No matter what you got, the blues is there. 'Cause that's all I know - the blues. And I can sing the blues so deep until you can have this room full of money and I can give you the blues.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Money
#Deep
I want to play music when I want, write a song if I want or watch a baseball game if I want.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Baseball
#Play
#Song
#Music
I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Play
#Fancy
#Guitar
I don't do nothing I don't want to do.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Nothing
I am a happy man. I've had a good life.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Life
#Man
I do benefits. I do them all the time. There's so many people out there that needs help that I can't say I won't help them.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Time
#People
#Needs
#Help
#Benefits
My style is all to myself.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Style
You can go to Europe, and there's no turnin' back - any parts of Europe. Wherever you are, there is no stop and go for the blues. The blues go but it don't stop.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Europe
In my career, people in the record business have been rockin' in the same ol' boat. They all crooks - I'll say it clear and loud - especially the big ones.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#People
#Career
#Business
I like the small clubs.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
If they played more blues, people would just get it - they try to hold it back but just about can't hold it back now because the blues is really going.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Now
#People
Groups are corporations now. They have pension plans. Musicians have saw the daylight.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Now
#Musicians
#Corporations
All my life I been doin' what people tell me to do. Now, I'm telling them.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Now
#Life
#People
They wasn't gonna give you nothin'. I didn't care as long as they let me play my music. Cash on the spot... You cheat me and I'm gonna get me some money, too.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Play
#Money
#Music
#Care
The way Will Moore taught me, and the way I play it, the blues is just something different.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Will
#Play
Like you and your woman ain't gettin' along and you're in love. You can't sleep at nights. Your mind is on her - on whatever. You know, that's the blues. You can't hug that money at night. You can't kiss it.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Love
#Woman
#Money
#Night
#Mind
#Kiss
#Sleep
The one thing the blues don't get is the backing and pushing of TV and radio like a lot of this garbage you hears. They choke stuff down people's throat so they got no choice but to listen to it.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#People
#Choice
It don't take me no three days to record no album.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Meaning
Since you knew they was goin' to cheat you anyway, I recorded under any name with all of 'em.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Name
But I don't want to do no big tours or go out on the road.
John Lee Hooker,
American
Musician
#Want
#Road