This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I'm goin' upstairs
And bring down all of my clothes
I'm goin' upstairs
And bring down all of my clothes
Where I go, baby, you will never know
My mother dead and gone, my father don't want me around
My mother dead and gone, my father don't want me around
Don't you know, baby, I ain't got no place to go?
You know, you know, you don't want me no more
(No, you don't)
You know, you know, baby, you don't want me no more
You can love, babe, with your younger stud, baby
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
Got a house on the water; you know I don't need no land
(Have mercy on me)
Got a house on the water; you know I don't need no land
When I'm dead and gone, bury me in the deep blue sea
Hmm, mmm, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
And bring down all of my clothes
I'm goin' upstairs
And bring down all of my clothes
Where I go, baby, you will never know
My mother dead and gone, my father don't want me around
My mother dead and gone, my father don't want me around
Don't you know, baby, I ain't got no place to go?
You know, you know, you don't want me no more
(No, you don't)
You know, you know, baby, you don't want me no more
You can love, babe, with your younger stud, baby
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
Got a house on the water; you know I don't need no land
(Have mercy on me)
Got a house on the water; you know I don't need no land
When I'm dead and gone, bury me in the deep blue sea
Hmm, mmm, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
I'm Going Upstairs Lyrics as written by John Lee Hooker
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
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MMMM, hoooohoooo, yow! So Hooker, the voodoo blues master, the haunting haunter of Delta and electric blues, sings in the outro to this chilling, irresistible song about love betrayed, down-and-out rejection, spat on, thrown out into the cold, tossed aside- but strong and resilient and defiant. Girlfriend tosses him aside for the "younger stud," mother dies and father (perhaps with his own woman on the side and so no time, place, or use for his own son) rejects him, but it's OK, Johnny Lee finds his shelter and his strength where he can- on the water, probably the mighty Mississippi itself, houseboat or canoe or any old conveyance. Johnny Lee will survive and defy those who betrayed and threw him aside. He don't need no land, or any people who treat him like dirt. John Lee Hooker, Mississippi-born black sharecropper from deep-Jim Crow, supremacist lynch mob South, Detroit auto worker, the original boogie child, struggled his way up learning blues guitar and writing his own songs even as he worked in the factories during the war during the day time. Inspiration to The Doors, The Animals, Santana, Canned Heat, and countless others. My favorite of the classic-era blues artists, in incomparably fine form on this relentlessly driving song- JOHN LEE HOOKER LIVES FOREVER!