B.B. King’s Inflation Blues
“Gentlemen, I don’t do chords”
RIP B.B. King.
Here is his “Inflation Blues”:
Hey Mr. President
All your congressmen, too
You got me frustrated
And I don’t know what to do
I’m trying to make a living
I can’t save a cent
It takes all of my money
Just to eat and pay my rent
I got the blues
Got those inflation blues (…)Now you take that paper dollar
It’s only that in name
The way that buck has shrunk
It’s a lowdown dirty shame
That’s why I got the blues
Got those inflation blues
I also always liked this story:
“After the band and King whip through rehearsals of “When Love Comes to Town,” the quick and lively King graciously tells Bono that he’s “mighty young to write such heavy lyrics.” In fresh interview footage, Bono recalls the band trying to show King the song’s changes, to which the guitarist replied, “Gentlemen, I don’t do chords.”
“It was a lesson, in that he is as Keith Richards describes: a specialist,” Bono says.”
