Jimi Hendrix — My Friend
Album: The Cry Of LoveAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 778
Length: 4:35
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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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...
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...
Comments (80)add comment
ExpatLarry wrote:
I Agree! Thanx RP!
Not the first Jimi Hendrix song I never heard 'til I heard it here. That's what a good radio station is for. As always, thanks. :-)
I Agree! Thanx RP!
rate 8 
....He died too young
thewiseking wrote:
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Jimi might not have minded this being put out. Don't know, like you said it was put out by Alan Douglas (I believe) who just wanted to capitalize on Jimi's fame and name. And I don't think Jimi was an opiate (heroin) addict. That would've dampened his creative output.
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Jimi might not have minded this being put out. Don't know, like you said it was put out by Alan Douglas (I believe) who just wanted to capitalize on Jimi's fame and name. And I don't think Jimi was an opiate (heroin) addict. That would've dampened his creative output.
Not the first Jimi Hendrix song I never heard 'til I heard it here. That's what a good radio station is for. As always, thanks. :-)
I love this Jimi song!! Thanks Bill !!!
Just noticed that this song has a sort of Bob Dylan sound/lyrics to it...Jimi was very impressed with Dylan. I wonder what the genesis of this song was.
sirdroseph wrote:
Now, now to be fair this type of comment is precisely what the song comment is for. So, in essence we all have to be equally heard......or all of us not heard, you can't single anyone out.
Good thing RP is an "online" property....... If this was Berkeley, there would be bike racks being thrown at storefront windows right now....
Now, now to be fair this type of comment is precisely what the song comment is for. So, in essence we all have to be equally heard......or all of us not heard, you can't single anyone out.
Good thing RP is an "online" property....... If this was Berkeley, there would be bike racks being thrown at storefront windows right now....
thewiseking wrote:
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Yes, he always did seem like a good guy. Unfortunately, most good guys get F'd in the A.
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Yes, he always did seem like a good guy. Unfortunately, most good guys get F'd in the A.
Dosequis wrote:
Truth. He put out a lot of crap.
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Truth. He put out a lot of crap.
False.
The crap was put out posthumously by the greedy bastards who exploited Jimi. Poor Jimi was a sweetheart but sadly an opiate addict who was used and abused terribly at the end of his life.
Wow, how can you not respect this masterpiece .....as raw and real as it gets!
I listened to many, many hour of Hendrix as a teenager, probably more than I listened to anyone else, and purchased every album I could get my hands on (this was in the mid 70's). That said, the cuts played on RP (mostly from Cry of Love) are precisely the ones I most enjoy hearing now.
MojoJojo wrote:
Truth. He put out a lot of crap.
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.
I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling).
There. I said it.
Truth. He put out a lot of crap.
Leather. Fur & Fin.
MojoJojo wrote:
These posthumous albums are far from the best examples of his work.
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.
I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling).
There. I said it.
These posthumous albums are far from the best examples of his work.
Sharing a lippy mimic.
toterola wrote:
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!
Now, now to be fair this type of comment is precisely what the song comment is for. So, in essence we all have to be equally heard......or all of us not heard, you can't single anyone out.
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!
Now, now to be fair this type of comment is precisely what the song comment is for. So, in essence we all have to be equally heard......or all of us not heard, you can't single anyone out.
Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music......Jimi
crispynz1 wrote:
Oh yeah, mine too.
This is off my favourite Jimi album!! 
Oh yeah, mine too.
Jimi channeling old time blues.
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
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
lambret 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.
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 ?
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.
SWEET!
Cheers! Jimmy my friend...
the older I get, the more Jimi's later stuff makes sense or appeals to me.
MojoJojo wrote:
Where's your Mojo Jojo?
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.
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?
This is off my favourite Jimi album!!
MojoJojo wrote:
Clueless.
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.
I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling).
There. I said it.
Clueless.
Just plain fantastic!
MojoJojo wrote:
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!
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.
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!
MojoJojo wrote:
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
I dont see the appeal to Jimi's singing (nothing interesting), lyrics (mostly nonsensical) or guitar playing (noodling).
There. I said it.
Never heard this one! I dig!
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 ?
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friend
Greg Brown - Real Good Friend
what comes next?
LCD Soundsystem - All my friends ?
yclept wrote:
Oh, that's cold, man.
...because he didn't pass out face down?
Oh, that's cold, man.
Misterfixit wrote:
...because he didn't pass out face down?
Oh Jimi, why did you have to leave us so soon? 
...because he didn't pass out face down?
My favorite Hendrix. Period.Hey—better'n yer average Hendrix. . . .
helz yeah
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
Especially when your only friend
Talk, sees, looks and feels like you,
And you do just the same as him
Pleasant surprise. 
I am stunned that many have never heard this...........priceless Jimi.
...this is interesting...
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
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.
Now that's one song you don't hear very often. Great to hear it again. Got to love Jimi.
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!
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.
Never heard this before. Rates a 9 before the tune's even finished. Stunning.
c.
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!
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.
the cry of love 
my friend(s)
y'all know who u r
my friend(s)
y'all know who u r Oh Jimi, why did you have to leave us so soon?
great song.
Hairfarmer wrote:
My favorite Hendrix song, hands down.
10/10
WOAH!! OOOFAH!!
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 ;-)
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
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
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!
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.
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!
My favorite Hendrix song, hands down.
10/10
Solid track! WAY better than Dylan's kinda similiar sounding "Rainy Day Women #12 and #35."
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...
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.
Originally Posted by EzRaD:
my favorite song.
But, of course-
this is everybody's favorite song!
(That's why we're friends!)
my favorite song.
Never a big fan, but it is nice to hear something other than Stone Free, Purple Haze or Crosstown Traffic
Tiz, way to go man. This is a rare gem for sure (at least to me). 
I\'ve never heard this before. Very cool. I picture a bunch of guys sitting around, hanging out, goofin\'. There\'s more than a bit of Bob Dylan in the song, too. A welcome change from the normal Hendrix-as-guitar-god focus.
My pleasure. One of Jimi\'s obscure but wonderful pieces.
Well done, Tiz\'. Kudos for adding a true gem!
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
there some dylan story telling here