This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! and that ain't cool
Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mamma down
You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the ground yeah!
Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Huh, yes I did I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
And I shot her
Alright
Shoot her one more time again baby!
Yeah!
Oh dig it
Oh alright
Hey Joe,
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to mexico way
Alright
I'm goin' way down South
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now
I gotta go now
Hey, Joe
You better run on down
Goodbye everybody
Hey, hey Joe...
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! and that ain't cool
Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mamma down
You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the ground yeah!
Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Huh, yes I did I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
And I shot her
Alright
Shoot her one more time again baby!
Yeah!
Oh dig it
Oh alright
Hey Joe,
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to mexico way
Alright
I'm goin' way down South
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now
I gotta go now
Hey, Joe
You better run on down
Goodbye everybody
Hey, hey Joe...
Lyrics submitted by , edited by NankerPhelge
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The WORDS of this song seem misogynistic. He shoots his lady, gets no condemnation from Jimi, and he even says "shoot her one more time"!
BUT
Thhe music and the back-up singers tell the real story. Listen to the slow pace, the low rumbles, and then the fantastic solo after "I gave her the gun, I shot her". The music tells us about the gravity, the tragedy of the situation. The regret and guilt.
Notice the back up singers in the first verse sing "Ooo ooo", and in the second verse and onwards, repeatedly sing "Hey Joe". That's his conscience, and his girlfriend: he's remembering his girlfriend: he's haunted by her and what he did to her.
Then comes "Hey Joe, where you going to run to now?" There's the kicker: he can run from the law, but he can't run from his conscience, her ghost.
Listen to also to the building drums throughout the song. They also tell of the tragedy, building towards his frenzied, but ultimately fruitless escape.
Listen also to the way the lyrics are sung: hesitatingly, then with false machismo, then there's little wordless vocalisations during the solo after he shoots her that in effect says "OMG, what have I done?!".
Song interpretation involves more than just the lyrics.
yup it does, and to each there own. thats the beauty of songs, what it means to one person (like yourself), could mean something completely different to someone else (like me)
I think everyone has really good theories. I Believe that Joe is a guy who is tied down by everything, especially the government and the only way he can be free is by running away. So the lyrics mean, That the "woman" is the problems and hes going to shoot "her". and then he can run away to be free.
yeah..same here
@butterroll the Vietnam War did start in 1955, but direct US involvement wasn't until 1965. But I agree it isn't about a Vietnam vet or the war.
This is not about Vietnam....it was an old blues song, remade by Hendrix and countless others. Matter of fact, a group called "The Leaves" released a version of it about 6 months before the Jimi Hendrix Experience did. It is a typical story-telling old blues song. It is very literal....a guy kills his wife beause he caught her cheating on him and is running from the law.
I thought this song was about a guy (Joe) who found his wife cheating on him with another man and so he shot her when he refers to shooting his "old lady" down he is refering to his wife Not very nice lyrics or meaning And what is this crap about a hidden message about Vietnam?
I really am not sure what a blues song about regretting killing your "woman" (either wife of girlfriend) has to do with a lot of the stuff people are mentioning. Basically it's the story of Joe.. he shoots his old lady down and runs off to Mexico, but he does regret doing it..
You are reading WAY to far into this song. There is no way that its about Vietnam.
No metaphors i've heard so far make any sense. Especiallly since it was written before the war. Anyone who thinks this is about vietnam is completely delusional and should shut up.
If 'I shot my old lady' means shooting down an idea, or going to war then you can interpret it to mean absolutely anything you want because that makes no freakin sense.
my gosh- that's quite violent and morbid! (still a good song- jimi is the undisputed guitar champion of the world- he plays with his teeth in this song!!
this song is about a dude who goes to shot his cheating wife
Exactly and when I saw Hendirx in 1967 at Westchester County Center, that is exactly how he introduced it.