"Better Not Look Down" lyrics

My dad introduced me to Mr. King's music as a child
We was sitting on the couch, watching Sanford and Son
And there was an episode Mr. King made a cameo
Which happens to be something that I kept with me this whole journey of mine
I even got a chance to meet him when I was in seventh grade
He's always been an inspiration and an influence on what I do
And I'm very happy to be a part of this project for sure
Thank you

And my name is Bobby Rush
Salute to my friend, B.B. King
The late B.B. King that is
The man that I looked up to all my life
I'm an old man myself
Salute to B.B. King
Ha-ha, my father of the blues

I'm remembering you, B, you know that
I can't do it like you, but I can try
Ain't nothing wrong with that

I first met B.B. King on May 24, 1990
Little did I know, meeting my idol on that day would change my life
His generosity with his stage, his music, and his advice is something I will never forget
God bless B.B. King

Look out now, here I come

You better not look down
if you wanna keep on flying
Put the hammer down
keep it full speed ahead
Oh, you better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep on moving if you don't look down

I first became aware of B.B. King's music when I was really young
I had not yet started playing guitar, but I had started singing
But I heard B.B. King and I heard that voice
Before I became infatuated with guitar, his voice just really hit me hard
And then I guess the first time I saw him, I was about eighteen or nineteen
I went to a little club called PB Scott's in Blowing Rock, North Carolina
And we got to meet him and he gave me a guitar pick
And it said "B.B. King" on it and I carried it in my pocket for years

B.B. King's been a part of my soundtrack of my entire life as far back as I can remember
The first B.B. King album that I had to get my hands on was "Live at the Regal Theater"
So, the first time I met B.B., I was fifteen years old, we had the opening slot
So it was us and then Bo Diddley and then B.B. was the headliner
And so the last show was my sixteenth birthday
I mean, they said Mr. King would like to come, would like for you to come talk to him
And so I walked in and he was changing clothes
He had like no shirt on, he was like dropping his pants
I was like, "Oh, I'm sorry, they told me you wanted me to come in here"
He was like, "No, come on in, son, have a seat
You're one of the guys now, you're one of the men"

The first time I got a chance to meet B.B., I was actually going out on tour with him
And he was just incredibly kind
He was very gracious with, with his time and giving me really good advice
And I remember me one day asking him to marry me
And he just smiled and he blushed and he never gave me an answer
And then later on, he told everybody that he asked me to marry him
And I said he was too old, too ugly, and he didn't have enough money
None of that was true, I'm still laughing about that

You better not look down if you wanna keep on flying
Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead
Oh, you better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep on moving if you don't look down

Well, let me see
I met B.B. King in probably 1972 or 3
While out on the road with Papa John Creach
Did a show with B.B. King and the Average White Band
That's when I met him
But I've been listening to B.B. King my whole life

Hey there, man, this is Eric Gales
So, recalling the moment that I was turned on to B.B. King for the first time
I never will forget, man, my brother played stuff around the house
It probably was "Thrill Is Gone" or something to that magnitude
And I just remember that my jaw hit the floor, saying, "Wow, who is that?"
That tone and that vibrato, man
And the sound of his voice was just so full of soul and heart
And I never will forget it, man
He is definitely one that still is a part of who I am today
And I'm so glad that I was turned on to B.B. King

Interestingly enough, the first B.B. King song I ever heard was "Three O'Clock Blues"
And I was stunned by the vocal. It was both foreign and familiar
So, I consider it a great honor to be asked to sing this song

Man, this is Larry McCray
And I remember the first time I heard B.B. King and really connected was when I was a little bitty boy
I fell in love with the song "Why I Sang the Blues" and "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother"
I must've been about five or six years old
And it had such an impression on me that I never lost the heart and the soul and the spirit of B.B. King
I carried it with me my whole life

Better not look down if you wanna keep on flying
Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead
You better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep on moving if you don't look down

I saw B.B. King only one time, but it was so impactful
And it stuck with me and has for my entire life
I saw him at the Peace Center in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina
And I remember we were in the last row of the mezzanine
And I could lean my head against the back wall
But there was not a bad seat in the house
And this was towards the end of B.B.'s career and towards the end of his life
And he played and performed for us with the energy of a young man
And I was so appreciative for that show and so appreciative of that man
In every regard and I'm so thankful

I went to go see B.B. King and Albert King at the Parmeson Winery and it was fantastic
B.B. King was, was incredible, both of them were great
And my pal that took me to the gig, he was a photographer
So, he knew B.B. and stuff, so he went back to mention that I was coming
And he made a big deal out of it
So, B.B. introduced me during the middle of the set
Like, he said, "There's a, there's a young man here"
I'm thinking it's Carlos Santana, somebody, it was me

The first time I heard B.B. King
A childhood friend of mine, Alan Wentz, he was putting together a band
And he knew a lot about the blues, he was a little older than me
And he played me the album "To Know you Is To Love You"
And it really knocked me out, like being hit by a falling tree

No, say, you better not look down if you wanna keep on flying
Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead
No, you better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep on moving if you don't look down (Oh)

You better not look down if you wanna keep on flying (Oh)
Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead (Don't you dare look back, don't look back)
No, you better not look back or you might just wind up crying (Ooh)
You can keep on moving if you don't look down (Whoa, yeah)

Better not look down if you wanna keep on flying (Don't look back, don't look back)
Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead (Keep your eyes on the prize, keep your eyes forward)
Better not look back or you might just wind up crying (Oh, oh)