Janis Joplin's screaming soulful voice in many ways is a personification of the Hippie Era (along with Jimi Hendrix, Grace Slick and a few others). She came to symbolize energy of the Psychedelic, Haight Ashbury, love beads, love ins, free love, flower children, black light posters and incense, expansion of consciousness, spiritualism soaked in the unusual drug idealism of the late 1960's. It was a time of bright hope and optimism and the shedding of many social-psychological-sexual traditions that went sour. Janis came on this scene with a singing style not heard before on the playlists of white American radio stations. Her singing was more like that of Aretha Franklin and other blues/gospel singers than the typical white girl songstress.
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Me & Bobby Mc Gee Lyrics
Janis Joplin
Demo (take 5) 20 07 1970
S130 is not on. not that i'm playin' that great but still in all i oughta be able to hear it, y'know what i mean ?
Are you hearing it now ?
No. now. it's too loud. i can't play that good. am i havin' some of that texas accent back ?
I hope so.
But i always sound like this, man, i hear myself on tape i always sound like this.
Take 5.
God! shall i start that way ? ready ?
Over to you baby.
Busted flat in baton rouge, waiting for a train
And i's feelin' nearly as faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained,
It rode us all the way in to new orleans.
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna,
An' i's playin' soft while bobby sang the blues, yeah.
Windshield wipers slapping time, i was holding bobby's hand in mine,
We sang every song that driver knew.
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose,
Nothing don't mean nothing honey if it ain't free.
Yeah, an' feeling good was easy, lord, bobby sang the blues,
You know feeling good was good enough for me, hmm mm,
Good enough for me and my bobby mcgee.
From the kentucky coal mines to the california sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.
Through all kinds of weather, through everything that we done,
Said bobby baby, he kept me from the cold.
One day up near salinas, lord, i let him slip away,
But he was lookin' for that home and i hope he finds it.
But i'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday
To be holdin' bobby's body next to mine.
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose,
Nothing, that's all that bobby left me, yeah.
Feelin' good was easy, lord, bobby he sang the blues,
I said feeling good was good enough for me, hmm mm,
It's good enough for me and my bobby mcgee.
La la la, la la la la, la la la, la la la la
La la la la la bobby mcgee.
La la la la la, la la la la la
La la la la la la, bobby mcgee.
La la la, la la la la la la,
La la la, la la la la la la,
Na na na na na na na na, bobby mcgee, yeah.
Na na na na na na na na, na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na, na na na na,
Hey now bobby lord, bobby mcgee, yeah.
Hell, i'm calling my lover, calling my man,
I said i'm calling my lover, i do the best i can,
I said now c'mon,bobby now, come on bobby mcgee, yeah.
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy lord
Hey, hey, hey, bobby mcgee, yeah!
That's when somebody else has to take over.