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Song: I Can't Quit You Baby
Album: Led Zeppelin [released Jan 12, 1969 (US) | Mar 28, 1969 (UK)]
Single: N/A
Credited to: Willie Dixon
Related Songs:
I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush (original)
I Can't Quit You Baby - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers (previous cover)
I Can't Quit You Baby - Little Milton (previous cover)
I Can't Quit You Baby - Willie Dixon (later cover)
Don't Know Which Way To Go - Fleetwood Mac (lyrics)
She's Nineteen Years Old - Muddy Waters (lyrics)

Lyrics:

I Can't Quit You Baby (from Led Zeppelin)

Ah, I can't quit you, babe
So I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I said, I can't quit you, babe
I guess I got to put you down for awhile
Said, you messed up my happy home
Made me mistreat my only child
Yes, you did, babe

Said, you know I love you, baby
My love for you I could never hide
Oh, you know I love you, babe
My love for you I could never hide
When I feel you near me, little girl
I know you are my one desire

(Guitar Solo)

When you hear me moanin' and groanin', baby
You know it hurts me deep down inside
Oh, when you hear me moanin' and groanin', babe
You know it hurts me deep down inside
When you hear me holler, baby
You know you're my one desire
Yes, you are, oh



I Can't Quit You Baby (from Coda - recorded at Royal Albert Hall 1/9/70, released Nov 19, 1982 (US) | Nov 22, 1982 (UK))

I can't quit you, babe
Woman, I think I'm gonna put you down for a little while
I can't quit you, babe
I, I, I think I'm gonna put you down for a while
I said, you messed up my happy home
Made me mistreat my, my one and only, only, only child

You built my hopes so high
Baby, then you let me down so low
You, you built my hopes so high
Then you let me down, you let me down, you let me down so low
Don't you realize, sweet baby
Woman, I don't know, I don't know which way to go

(Guitar Solo)

Woman, I can't quit you, babe
I think I'm gonna put you down for a while



I Can't Quit You Baby (from BBC Sessions - recorded 3/3/69)

I can't quit you, babe
I think I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I said I can't quit you, babe
I think I got to put you down for awhile
You know I love you, but you messed up my happy home
Made me mistreat my only child, yes, you did

When you hear me moanin' and groanin', babe
You know it hurts me deep, deep down inside
Oh, moan moan moan moan moan moan moan mo-woan, it hurts me deep down inside
I want you to be my woman, yes
But I took somebody else to be my bride
Well, yes, I did

(Guitar Solo)

She nineteen years old
She's got ways just like a baby child
She's nineteen years old
Got ways, ways, ways, ways, ways just like a baby child, oh yeah
There's nothing I can do to please that woman
To keep that, keep that little girl satisfied, yeah
I'm gonna change my mind
I'm gonna get you in time, yeah



I Can't Quit You, Baby (from BBC Sessions - recorded 6/27/69)

Aw, oh aw ya, ooh, I can't quit you, babe
I think I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I can't quit you, babe
I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I said you messed up my happy home
Made me mistreat my only child

You know I love you, baby
My love for you I could never hide
You, you, you, you, you, you know I love you, babe
My love for, my love for you I could never hide
But when you hear me holler, babe
You know, you must be my one desire

(Guitar Solo)

You built my hopes so high
Baby, then you let me down so low
Ah ah ah, you built my hopes so high
Baby, baby, then you let me down so low
I think it's time I started reckoning with you, baby
Woman, I just don't know, which way to go

Personal notes: Led Zeppelin covered a lot of blues on their first album, but this piece here is the best. Earlier on, my favorite song on this album was understandably Dazed and Confused, but now, I think I'd be more inclined to state this song as my favorite on the album. Led Zeppelin played a lot of blues, and in many cases, they turned the original songs into rock n roll, like Whole Lotta Love, for example. This song has a very distinctly blues flavor to it. My favorite type of blues is the kind that has what this song has - namely, a laidback blues shuffle rhythm with passionate electric guitar lead. The lyrics are excellent, as well. Some of my favorite lines are "you know I love you, baby, my love for you I could never hide", "when you hear me moanin' and groanin', babe, you know it hurts me deep down inside", and "you built my hopes so high, then you let me down so low." Among my three favorite blues pieces recorded by Led Zeppelin, this one is the least original, but no less satisfying. The other two are Since I've Been Loving You and Tea For One.

Influences: This song was written by Willie Dixon and recorded with Otis Rush in 1956 (released as a single) {Otis Rush on vocal and guitar; Lucius Washington and Harold Ashby on tenor sax; Lafayette Leake on piano; Willie Dixon on bass; and Al Duncan or Wayne Bennett on drums - this info provided by Spike}, and rerecorded in 1968 on the album This One's a Good Un (Otis Rush also recorded later versions). Little Milton also recorded a version of this song in 1968, and a live version of it was released on his 1970 album Grits Ain't Groceries. Willie Dixon himself recorded a version with his own band on his 1970 album I Am The Blues.

Of particular interest is another "British blues" cover of this song, by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, released in 1967 - thus preempting Led Zeppelin's version - on the album Crusade. John Mayall was partly responsible for launching the careers of a number of prized British musicians including Eric Clapton and Peter Green, and on Crusade, his band features Mick Taylor, who would later play with The Rolling Stones. This particular version of I Can't Quit You Baby bears stylistic similarities to Led Zeppelin's version, including some of Taylor's guitar licks. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if Jimmy Page or the rest of the band were keeping tabs on John Mayall during the time they were forming their early repertoire, and thus the seed of performing I Can't Quit You Baby would have been sown.

The lyrics in the final verse of the Coda version as well as the second BBC version listed above are from a song titled Don't Know Which Way To Go, which is credited to Willie Dixon and Al Perkins, although there are rumors that the song was actually written by Buddy Guy, possibly in the early sixties (Buddy Guy recorded a version with Eric Clapton in the 90's for Clapton's soundtrack album Rush). Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac played this song in the late sixties, as evidenced by its appearance on the live album London Live '68, and considering the band's other influences on Led Zeppelin, it's possible that this version had a hand in shaping these lyrics to Zeppelin's version of I Can't Quit You Baby. The lyrics in the final verse of the second BBC version listed above are from a Muddy Waters song titled She's Nineteen Years Old, which I believe was recorded sometime during the 50's.

I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush

Well, I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down for awhile
Well, you know, I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down for awhile
Well, you messed up my happy home, baby, made me mistreat my only child

Yes, you know I love you, baby, my love for you I could never hide
Oh, you know I love you, baby, my love for you I'll never hide
Yes, you know I love you, baby, well you're just my heart's desire

Well, I'm so tired I could cry, I could just lay down and die
Oh, I'm so tired I could cry, I could just lay down and die
Yes, you know you're my only one, darling, you know you're my desire

When you hear me moanin' and groanin', baby, you know it hurts me way down inside
Oh, when you hear me moanin' and groanin', babe, you know it hurts me deep down inside
When you hear me holler, baby, you know you're my desire



I Can't Quit You Baby - Little Milton

I can't do it, baby
I've tried so hard, but I just can't do it, baby, no
Oh, I can't quit you baby
But I've got to put you down for a little while
I know, I know, I just can't quit you baby
But, oh, I've got to put you down for awhile
Yeah, you messed up my mind, baby
Made me misuse my only child

You know I love you, baby
And my love for you I could never hide
You know, you know, you know, you know I love you, woman
And my love for you I could never hide
But you've taken me through too many changes baby
And that's why I've got to put you down for a little while

(Guitar Solo)

I'm so sad I could cry
I feel like I could just lay down and die
I'm so sad, I'm so sad, I could cry, baby
I could just, I could just lay down and die
You know you're the only one I love, baby
Yes, you are my heart's desire

When you hear me moanin' and groanin'
Don't you know you hurt me deep down inside
When you hear me moanin', moanin', moanin' and groanin'
You're hurting me deep down inside
And when you see a smile upon my face baby
Don't you know we made everything alright
That's why I can't quit you
I can't quit you, no
Oh baby, I can't quit you right now

(Guitar Solo)

I'm so sad I could cry
I could just lay down and die
I'm so sad, I'm so sad, I'm so sad, babe
I could just lay down and die
And because you're the only one I love, baby
Yeah, you are my heart's desire

When you hear me moanin' and groanin'
You hurt me deep down inside
When you hear me moanin', moanin', moanin' and groanin', woman
You hurt me deep down inside
Ah, but when you see a smile upon my face baby
Don't you know we made everything alright
That's why I can't quit you
I can't quit you, oh no



Don't Know Which Way To Go - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

Think I'm gonna leave this morning
Stop your cryin', it won't help you now
Said I'm leaving early this morning
Stop your cryin', it won't help you now
Yes, because the whole time I was with you woman
Everybody, all knew you weren't no good no how

It was a long time coming
But I know you finally made it home
Yes, it was a long time coming
Baby, I know, you finally made it home
I realize, I want you to realize, baby
Darling you know you done me wrong

You built my hopes so high
Woman, you let me down so low
Yes, you built my hopes so high
Woman, then you let me down so low
Got me walkin' round in circles
Woman, I don't know which way to go

Just one more chance
Baby, let me prove my love to you
Just one more, just one more chance
Let me, let me prove my love for you
Yes, we got to do all the little things
All the little things you ask me to



She's Nineteen Years Old - Muddy Waters

I'm gonna say somethin' to you
I don't care how you feel
You just don't realize
You got yourself a good deal
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied

I'm gonna say this to you
I don't care if you get mad
You about the prettiest little girl
That I ever had
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied
(What kind of woman is that?)

Can't ask her where she's going
She tells me where she's been
She starts a conversation
That don't have no end
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
To make this young woman feel satisfied