Born Under a Bad Sign

Albert King's 'Born Under a Bad Sign' is a quintessential blues song that delves deep into themes of misfortune and hardship. The repeated refrain, 'Born under a bad sign, been down since I began to crawl,' sets the tone for the entire song, suggesting that the narrator's life has been plagued by bad luck from the very beginning. This sense of predestined misfortune is a common theme in blues music, reflecting the struggles and adversities faced by many African Americans, particularly in the mid-20th century when the song was released.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a life filled with 'hard luck and trouble,' with the narrator lamenting that these have been his 'only friends.' The mention of being on his own since the age of ten adds a layer of personal tragedy and resilience, highlighting a life of self-reliance in the face of continuous adversity. The lines 'I can't read, I didn't learn how to write, my whole life has been one big fight' further emphasize the systemic barriers and personal struggles that have shaped the narrator's existence.

Albert King also touches on the coping mechanisms that the narrator turns to, such as 'wine and women,' which are often depicted in blues music as both a solace and a source of further trouble. The line 'A big-legged woman gonna carry me to my grave' suggests a fatalistic acceptance of his fate, where even his desires are tinged with a sense of doom. The song encapsulates the essence of the blues genre, using personal hardship to convey universal themes of struggle, resilience, and the search for meaning in a world that seems inherently unfair.