Better Not Look Down

B.B. King · Icon [2011]

I've been around and I've seen some things

People moving faster than the speed of sound

Faster than the speeding bullet people living like Superman

All day and all night and I won't say if it's wrong or if it's right

I'm pretty fast myself but I do have some advice to pass along

Right here in the words of this song



You better not look down if you want to 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 it moving if you don't look down



An old girl friend of mine showed up the other day

That girl had lived in love and for love

And over love, and under love all her life

If the arrows from cupids bow that had

Passed through her heart had been sticking



Out of her body she would have looked like

A porcupine, and she asked me

"B.B. do you think I've lived my life all wrong?"

And I said, "The only advice I have to pass

Along is concealed in the chorus of this song"



Girl, better not look down if you want to keep on flying

Put the hammer down keep it full speed ahead

Better not look back or you might just wind up crying

You can keep it moving if you don't look down



I was walking down the street at sunrise one morning

In London, England

And there was a very large Rolls Royce Limousine

Pulling slowly along the street



And in that Rolls Royce was the Queen of England

Looking tired, just got back from a party

And the Queen leaned out and she said, "Aren't you B.B. King?"

She said, "Oh B.B., sometimes it's so hard to pull things together

Could you tell me what you think I ought to do?" And I said



"You better not look down if you want to keep on flying

Put the hammer down keep it full speed ahead

Better not look back or you might just wind up crying

You can keep it moving if you don't look down"



You better not look down if you want to 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 it moving if you don't look down



You better not look down if you want to keep on flying

Put the hammer down keep it full speed ahead

Better Not Look Down

B.B. King's 'Better Not Look Down' stands as a quintessential example of his masterful slide guitar work and soulful vocal delivery. Recorded for the 2011 compilation 'Icon,' this track captures the essence of his blues legacy, blending traditional Chicago blues structures with his signature emotional intensity. The song showcases King's ability to weave complex melodic lines over a driving rhythm, a hallmark of his discography that defined the genre for decades. As a staple of his live performances and studio recordings, the track exemplifies the raw power and lyrical depth that made him a towering figure in American music history.