![]() The Cry Of Love (1971) [ larger cover art ] |
Hey, look out for my glass up there, man!
That's my drink, man, that's my drink, alright...
Make it a double, or eh...
Somebody has to sing
Some body will sing?
Somebody will sing, right?
Y'all pass me that bottle,
And I'll sing you all a real song
Yeah!
Let me get my key, ahum!
Well, I'm looking through Harlem
my stomach squeal just a little more
A stagecouch full of feathers and footprints,
pulls up to soap-box door
Now a lady with a pearl-handled necktie
Tied to the driver's fence
breathes in my face,
bourbon and coke possessed words
Haven't I seen you somewhere in hell,
or was it just an accident?"
(You know how I felt then, and so)
Before I could ask "was it the East or West side?"
my feet they howled in pain
The wheels of a bandwagon cut very deep,
but not as deep in my mind as the rain
And as they pulled away I could see her words
Stagger and fall on my muddy tent
Well I picked them up, brushed them off,
to see what they say,
and you wouldn't believe:
'Come around to my room, with the tooth in the middle,
and bring along the bottle and a president'
And eh sometimes it's not so easy, baby
Especially when your only friend,
talks, sees, looks and feels like you,
and you do just the same as him
(Gets very lonely up this road, baby)
(Yeah, hmmm, yeah)
(Got more to say!)
Well I'm riding through LA,
on a bicycle built for fools
And I seen one of my old buddies
And he say, "you don't look the way you usually do"
I say, "well, some people look like a coin-box"
He say, "look like you ain't got no coins to spare"
And I laid back and I thought to myself, and I said this:
I just picked up my pride from underneath the pay phone,
and combed this breath right out of my hair
And sometimes it's not so easy
Especially when your only friend
talk, sees, looks and feels like you,
and you do just the same as him
just got out of a Scandinavian jail,
and I'm on my way straight home to you
But I feel so dizzy I take a quick look in the mirror,
to make sure my friend's here with me too
And you know good well I don't drink coffee,
so you fill my cup full of sand
And the frozen tea leaves on the bottom
Sharing lipstick around the broken edge
And my coat that you let your dog lay by the fire on
And your cat he attacked me from his pill-box ledge
And I thought you were my friend too
Man, my shadow comes in line before you
I'm finding out that it's not so easy
Specially when your only friend
Talks, looks, sees and feels like you,
and you do the same just like him
(Lord it's so lonely here, hmmm, yeah)
Yeah!
(Pass me that bottle over there...)
Yeah, yeah, okay...
| xtalman (What dimension?) | Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 08:57 Jimi channeling old time blues. |
| gosvimmink (portland, or) | Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 08:56 tupicetti wrote: It is July 2011 and I had the very same thought after this very same segue... my call is Tom Waits, but who knows... really. It's September 2011 and again, this very same segue.. is RP on one giant loop? haha |
| tupicetti (In the middle of the desert, literally...!) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 14:42 lambret wrote: Jimi Hendrix - My Friend Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friend Greg Brown - Real Good Friend what comes next? LCD Soundsystem - All my friends ? It is July 2011 and I had the very same thought after this very same segue... my call is Tom Waits, but who knows... really. |
| casey1024 (Here and Now) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 14:42 SWEET! |
| tupicetti (In the middle of the desert, literally...!) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 14:40 Cheers! Jimmy my friend... |
| cakkafracle (the Republic of Harper) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 11:31 the older I get, the more Jimi's later stuff makes sense or appeals to me. |
| Webfoot (Eugene, Oregon) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 11:27 MojoJojo wrote: Allow me to blaspheme a bit... I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling). There. I said it. ![]() Where's your Mojo Jojo? |
| crispynz1 | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 11:27 This is off my favourite Jimi album!! |
| bluedot (Long Beach, CA) | Posted: Apr 22, 2011 - 22:13 MojoJojo wrote: Allow me to blaspheme a bit... I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling). There. I said it. ![]() Clueless. |
| zair99 (In Cognito) | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 17:31 Just plain fantastic! |
| toterola (Further) | Posted: Nov 16, 2010 - 14:10 MojoJojo wrote: Allow me to blaspheme a bit... I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling). There. I said it. ![]() Oy, I'll bet you're a blast at parties... I can almost hear you now, giving a running commentary: "Springsteen is just like Dylan, he can't sing either", "John Lennon was technically an illegal alien", "Janis Joplin was just a drunk white girl trying to be Etta James" or some similar rot that NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR! |
| Bosami (Deep in the heart of nowhere) | Posted: Jul 12, 2010 - 06:14 MojoJojo wrote: Allow me to blaspheme a bit... I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling). There. I said it. ![]() It's your opinion. It's okay - no one's likely to put a hit out on you for it. At least - not me. As for myself: Jimi's singing: (intimate, natural), lyrics (poetry), guitar playing (out of this world.) |
| MojoJojo (Indianapolis, IN USA) | Posted: Jun 10, 2010 - 08:52 Allow me to blaspheme a bit... I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling). There. I said it. ![]() |
| sirdroseph (Tokyo) | Posted: Jun 10, 2010 - 08:33 Never heard this one! I dig! |
| lambret (Florianópolis - Brasil) | Posted: Nov 01, 2009 - 14:14 Jimi Hendrix - My Friend Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friend Greg Brown - Real Good Friend what comes next? LCD Soundsystem - All my friends ? |
| sub-arctic (63°50' N) | Posted: Nov 01, 2009 - 14:12 yclept wrote: ...because he didn't pass out face down? Oh, that's cold, man. |
| yclept (left of here, right of there) | Posted: Aug 30, 2009 - 12:37 Misterfixit wrote: Oh Jimi, why did you have to leave us so soon? ![]() ...because he didn't pass out face down? |
| Hairfarmer (Appalachia) | Posted: Nov 18, 2008 - 18:29 My favorite Hendrix. Period. |
| Xeric (Up on the Roof) | Posted: Nov 18, 2008 - 18:25 Hey—better'n yer average Hendrix. . . . |
| pope183 (Vinyamar) | Posted: Nov 18, 2008 - 18:22 helz yeah |
| a_genuine_find (Nieuw Amsterdam) | Posted: Oct 18, 2008 - 06:02 And sometimes its not so easy Especially when your only friend Talk, sees, looks and feels like you, And you do just the same as him |
| veloceleste (Periphery) | Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 15:10 Pleasant surprise. ![]() |
| Shesdifferent (Just visiting this planet waiting for the ticket home) | Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 15:08 I am stunned that many have never heard this...........priceless Jimi. |
| mandolin (...drifting...) | Posted: Jul 15, 2008 - 10:13 ...this is interesting... |
| strange_brew00 (houston, tx) | Posted: May 13, 2008 - 11:03 holy sheet! how have i never heard this? i thought it was a tune off the box set at first, but nope. glad to know that there's some jimi stuff i need to search around the web for. excellent tune |
| thewiseking (New York, New York) | Posted: May 13, 2008 - 11:01 not one of Jimi's best. a track on an album he never wanted released, yet still pretty good with some nice bluesy guitar work and harmonica. |
| Ericac (Lakeville, MN) | Posted: May 13, 2008 - 11:01 Now that's one song you don't hear very often. Great to hear it again. Got to love Jimi. |
| coloradojohn (Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan -- 15 min. west of Shinjuku, center of the freaking Universe) | Posted: Feb 09, 2008 - 00:00 One of the coolest trip descriptions set to music around, and still sounds as fresh today as it ever did... so undeniably Jimi... ah-heh - DIG! |
| arserocket (Way down South West Scotland near boredom) | Posted: Jan 08, 2008 - 12:37 I had a vision of André "André 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as "Dre") singing in the background.... a completely useless comment but there we are. |
| cc_rider (Austin Texas. Y'all.) | Posted: Jan 08, 2008 - 12:33 Never heard this before. Rates a 9 before the tune's even finished. Stunning. c. |
| HazzeSwede (Vinyl Land) | Posted: Dec 08, 2007 - 03:08 Tizmself wrote: One of Jimi's best. Shows his playful side. Truly some of the original "urban poetry." Thanks to Bill and Rebecca for allowing me to introduce RP to this tune. :D And thank You may I say ,My Friend,for U.L. such a gem! |
| GChevy410 (Seattle, WA) | Posted: Nov 06, 2007 - 17:58 Ditto to what most people are saying here. First time to hear this, and loved it. Play more often, and my rating may jump from 9 to a 10. |
| Mari (île de lesvos) | Posted: Nov 06, 2007 - 17:56 the cry of love y'all know who u r ![]() |
| Misterfixit (Nashville) | Posted: Aug 04, 2007 - 11:05 Oh Jimi, why did you have to leave us so soon? |
| MICKUERVO (Puerto Rico, PR) | Posted: Mar 31, 2007 - 14:22 great song. |
| drtjdel (Saratoga, CA) | Posted: Feb 28, 2007 - 09:05 Hairfarmer wrote: My favorite Hendrix song, hands down.
10/10 WOAH!! OOOFAH!! |
| lmic (Uniondale, NY) | Posted: Feb 28, 2007 - 09:05 kamiel wrote: Bleh, I hate the fake bar / people partying sounds that are pretty plainly dropped into this studio recorded song. Just adds an air of phoniness to an otherwise good tune.
I like the atmospherics... Reminds me of when my parents would take us kids with them when they partied with their other hippie friends at the local bar, back in the 60s & 70s. (The fact that such a thing, today, is probably grounds for child neglect only adds to the charm of the memory ;-) |
| eggnogg365 | Posted: Oct 12, 2005 - 15:50 you don't have to expect mind blowing guitar solos every song to be able to appreciate hendrix. listen to these lyrics. either some serious creativity was going on here, or some seriously potent drugs... or maybe a combination of the two. regardless of the background bar noises, this song definitely shows hendrix was more than an electric guitar |
| Jeffreak2 (Plainville, CT) | Posted: Apr 16, 2004 - 07:49 kamiel wrote: Bleh, I hate the fake bar / people partying sounds that are pretty plainly dropped into this studio recorded song. Just adds an air of phoniness to an otherwise good tune.
Lighten up oh critical one |
| rulebritannia (Sussex countryside, England) | Posted: Apr 16, 2004 - 07:48 Zygomatic wrote: I love Hendrix, but this is only the second time hearing this song. Thanks, RP! Ditto, but I can't remember ever hearing this song. I'm not a fan of "blues" Hendrix, but this is cool!
|
| rKokon (Colesville, MD) | Posted: Jan 15, 2004 - 18:37 bluedot wrote: i agree with the comments that say that this has a deep dylan influence and that the "background vocals" are annoying.
Another vote of agreement here. But it is a bit amusing. |
| Zygomatic (Little Rock, AR) | Posted: Jan 05, 2004 - 13:11 I'm riding through LA on a bicycle built for fools I love Hendrix, but this is only the second time hearing this song. Thanks, RP! |
| Hairfarmer (Asheville, NC) | Posted: Dec 26, 2003 - 07:02 My favorite Hendrix song, hands down. 10/10 |
| redeyespy (W.P.B., FL) | Posted: Dec 05, 2003 - 17:02 Solid track! WAY better than Dylan's kinda similiar sounding "Rainy Day Women #12 and #35." |
| bluedot (Long Beach, CA) | Posted: Nov 15, 2003 - 02:06 i agree with the comments that say that this has a deep dylan influence and that the "background vocals" are annoying. maybe if didn't OD, it would have been made perfect... |
| Alexandra (Kettering, OH) | Posted: Sep 04, 2003 - 10:18 The lyrics at the very end about the dog and cat made me LOL at work! I've never experienced the comical side of Jimi before. |
| kamiel (Louisville, KY) | Posted: Apr 24, 2003 - 22:24 Bleh, I hate the fake bar / people partying sounds that are pretty plainly dropped into this studio recorded song. Just adds an air of phoniness to an otherwise good tune. |
| SnipeHunter (Reseda, CA) | Posted: Mar 25, 2003 - 07:33 Originally Posted by EzRaD:
my favorite song. But, of course- this is everybody's favorite song! (That's why we're friends!) |
| EzRaD (Elgin, TX) | Posted: Mar 25, 2003 - 07:29 my favorite song. |
| Uncomplicated (UK) | Posted: Oct 23, 2002 - 06:20 I first heard this on the 1997 release First Rays Of The New Rising Sun, which is supposedly the album Jimi was intending to release before he died. Much of this album was released on The Cry Of Love just after Jimi's death, but First Rays Of The New Rising Sun is supposedly closest to being what Jimi wanted, including the title of the album. This song in particular is definitely one of the standout tracks, and one of the more unique songs in the Hendrix catalog. |




My favorite Hendrix. Period.