Silas Crowe - Legends of The Blues

I learned my first bend From a man I never met, Needle on a vinyl And a soul full of sweat. Harpo in the static, Walter in the crackle, Cotton hit the speakers Like a midnight battle. Those old ghosts taught me How to breathe through steel, How to make one note Sound raw and real. Didn’t need no teacher, Didn’t need no school, Just a cheap-ass harp And the will to be a fool. These are the legends of the blues. Men who carved the night in two, Who blew their lungs ‘Til the soul rang true. Yeah, their fire’s in my veins, Their thunder’s in my shoes… I ain’t alone when I play, I’m standin’ with the legends of the blues. I felt Muddy’s slide Cut clean through a storm, And B.B.’s sweet cry Turn cold nights warm. Two different fires But the same old truth, A man finds his soul In a twelve-bar booth. Wolf shook the world With a voice like stone, Made every dark corner Feel close to home. Elmore’s slide Was a lightning strike, Made you move your body Whether or not you like. These are the legends of the blues. Men who bled in the grooves, Raised hell, paid dues, And broke all the rules. When I blow, I feel them near, Like an echo runnin’ loose… Ain’t just my song on stage, I’m playin’ with the legends of the blues. I heard Hooker stomp Clear through the floor, Junior Wells struttin’ With that harp held low, Sonny Boy laughin’ Through a rusted grin, Said, “Play it honest, boy, And the truth kicks in.” Johnson’s ghost hums In the strings of my brain, Every crossroad I pass Still whispers his name. Some say he made deals, I say he paid dues, Turned heartbreak to fire And fire to blues. These are the legends of the blues. The wild, the worn, the true. From the ones in the spotlight To the forgotten few. When I lift my harp And the room comes unglued… I’m never standin’ alone, I’m standin’ with the legends of the blues. You can hear ‘em in the hum Of an overdriven amp, In a beer-soaked floor, In a smoke-filled camp. They ain’t gone… They just play where the night is used… That’s where I go To meet the legends of the blues. Every club I hit, Every crowd I shake, I hear those giants In the noise we make. Ain’t tryin’ to be ‘em, Ain’t chasin’ their fame, But I owe ‘em every spark In my midnight flame. These are the legends of the blues. Kings with nothin’ to lose, Turned their hurt into truth, Turned their scars into proof. And when I lift this harp And the room starts to move… I swear I ain’t alone, I’m playin’ with the legends of the blues.