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Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan - Born Under A Bad Sign - Live 1983





"Born Under a Bad Sign" is a blues song recorded by American blues singer and guitarist Albert King in 1967. Called "a timeless staple of the blues", the song also had strong crossover appeal to the rock audience with its synchronous bass and guitar lines and topical astrology reference. "Born Under a Bad Sign" became an R&B chart hit for King and numerous blues and other musicians have made it perhaps the most recorded Albert King song.


In 1988, Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign" was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Writing for the Foundation, Jim O'Neal called it "one of the signature hits of Albert King that started to win the left-handed string-bender a crossover following in 1967, as he began to break out of the chittlin circuit to invade rock venues like the Fillmore". King's song is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". It has also been recorded by many artists in a variety of styles.








Lyrics


Born under a bad sign

Been down since I began to crawl

If it wasn't for bad luck, you know I wouldn't have no luck at all


Hard luck and trouble is my only friend

I been on my own ever since I was ten

Born under a bad sign

Been down since I began to crawl

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all


I can't read, haven't learned how to write

My whole life has been one big fight

Born under a bad sign

I been down since I began to crawl

If it wasn't for bad luck, I said, I wouldn't have no luck at all


That ain't no lie

You know if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no kind o' luck

If it wasn't for real bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all


You know wine and women is all I crave

A big legged woman is gonna carry me to my grave

Born under a bad sign

I been down since I begin to crawl

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all


Yeah, my bad luck boy

Been havin' bad luck all of my days, yes




Songwriters: Booker T. Jones / William Bell

Born Under A Bad Sign lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group



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