Story Behind The Song
I tried to imagine what blues greats Muddy Waters (who worked in a cardboard-box factory) and Wilie Dixon (who was a golden-gloves boxer) would have felt if they never "made it" in Chicago after joining the post-war Great Migration to northern cities. It
Song Description
A person with big dreams of success begins to doubt that the city has streets paved with gold, but notes that tough times in the city also build character -- a "soul check".
| Song Length |
3:33 |
Genre |
Blues - Chicago, Blues - Modern |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Worried, Gloomy |
Subject |
Ghetto, Barrio, Frustration |
| Similar Artists |
Robert Cray, Kenny Wayne Shepard Band |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1950 - 1959 |
| |
Lyrics
Soul Check
Thought I'd be livin'
In the high times now
But I'm still workin'
In the box factory
Boxin' up my problems
Tried to mail them away
But they just keep comin'
Back to me
Tough times
On the West Side
Are sweet times
Just the same
It's the soul-check
On the inside
That keeps your picture
Square in the frame
Thought I ws headed
For the Promised Land
But those promises
Must not be for me
So now I'm shadowboxin'
And I'm killin' time
To keep these times
From killin' me.
Tough times
On the South Side
Are sweet times
All the same
It's the soul-check
On the inside
That gives you strength
To find a way
Sure I can make it
In the city now
Just don't think
The city's meant for me
Boxin'in the shadows
And wonderin' how
Those golden gloves
Can come to me
Rough times
On the downslide
Are all just
A part of the game
It's a soul-check
When your own pride
Feels like it
Might fade away
-- © Steve Pasek, 2003