*
Click on the ‘Play’ button above to hear the song as you read the lyrics via the links below. If the player doesn’t start straight away, wait and then press the ‘Play’ button again.
*
Jeff Beck is from the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 by ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) that is the 4th and last album in the series of albums about those celebrities, actors, artists, writers, poets, songwriters and musicians that have stayed at the iconic New York through the years or have a strong connection to the hotel.
*
“Jeff Beck”, a breathtaking ode to virtuosity itself. The arrangement here is stunning – intricate, fluid, and reverent, echoing Beck’s own fearless guitar explorations. The lyrics conjure imagery of sparks flying from strings, of sound turned into light, capturing not only the man’s technical brilliance but also his restless search for something beyond mastery – something eternal.
– Read the just published Jamsphere magazine review our album HERE
*
download Jeff Beck on Bandcamp HERE
*
You can download the album The Chelsea Hotel#4 at download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
*
Watch the Jeff Beck video promo on YouTube HERE
*
Jeff Beck lyrics
Hey Jeff Beck I wrote you a song
That I can play you now you are gone
You were my hero, the one I looked up to
There was no-one that could play the guitar like you
At 6 you’d heard Les Paul on the radio and thought he was king
You made a guitar from cigar boxes, wood and wire for strings
You later bought your first Gibson Les Paul’s to play
It remained your favourite till your dying day
You are gone, oh how my heart is sighing
And my guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
Hey Jeff Beck you are gone from the scene
And things will never be the same, you know what I mean
No-one around today can even compare
No-one even comes close to you anywhere
You’d play a Stratocaster when you played rock and roll
And played your Les Paul when you played jazz and soul
You didn’t use a plectrum, only your thumb
Your guitar was singing as you would strum
You were my hero coz of you I learnt to play
I bought a Les Paul and played every minute of the day
They said you had a temper but you were a perfectionist
You were one of the world’s top all time guitarists
But you are gone, oh how my heart is sighing
And my guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
You had joined The Yarbirds after Eric had moved on
At The Chelsea you’d stayed and wrote many songs
The Stones wanted you after Brian had been found dead
Pink Floyd wanted you after Syd had left
You had arrived at so many crossroads of sound
But each direction you took led you to higher ground
You kept evolving one gig at a time
You left everyone else far behind
But you are gone, oh how my heart is sighing
And my guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
You released your final album with Johnny Depp your friend
6 months later you would reach the end
For all the places you’d wandered and you’d roamed
You died of an infection at a hospital near your home
But you are gone, oh how my heart is sighing
And my guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
Everyone was at the church to bid a last farewell
As the sky grew black and the hard rain fell
You were ‘The 6 string warrior’ Ronnie said
You had so much still left to give, but at 78 you were dead
Now you are gone, oh how my heart is sighing
And my guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
My guitar is crying, my guitar is crying
Music composed and performed by Paul Odiase BMI No. 1252265 (Switzerland)
Song lyrics by Paul Robert Thomas PRS No. 497904008 (London)
PRS Tunecode 875781GW
ISRC US5UL2560084
*
*
“Jeff Beck” is a moving elegy and heartfelt tribute to one of the greatest guitarists to ever grace the stage. Written with reverence and emotion, the song mourns Beck’s passing while celebrating his genius — the innovation, soul, and perfectionism that made his six strings sing like no other.
Told from the perspective of a lifelong admirer, the lyrics trace his journey from a curious child inspired by Les Paul on the radio, building makeshift guitars from cigar boxes and wire, to a master craftsman whose playing transcended genre. The verses lovingly capture his evolution — from his days with The Yardbirds, through a career of constant reinvention, to his final collaboration with Johnny Depp, which fittingly closed his story.
Refrains like “my guitar is crying” echo the ache of loss, serving both as lament and homage — a recognition that an era of pure musical artistry has ended. The song weaves together fact, feeling, and poetic imagery, showing Beck as both the virtuoso and the man: temperamental, precise, endlessly creative, and deeply human.
By the closing lines, “Jeff Beck” feels less like a farewell and more like a salute — from one musician to another. It’s a song that reminds us that true artistry never dies; it just changes form, continuing to resonate through every note ever played on a guitar.
No comments