Stop Breaking Down

Album: Exile on Main St. (1972)
Play Video
  • Every time I'm walking all down the street
    Some pretty mama start breaking down on me
    Stop breaking down, baby, please, stop breaking down
    Stuff is gonna bust your brains out, baby
    Yeah, gonna make you lose your mind

    You Saturday night women, now, you just ape and clown
    You don't do nothing but tear my reputation down
    Stop breaking down, mama, please, stop breaking down
    Stuff is gonna bust your brains out, baby
    Yeah, it's gonna make you lose your mind, alright, alright

    I love my baby ninety nine degrees
    That mama got a pistol, laid it down on me
    Stop breaking down, baby, please, stop breaking down
    Stuff is gonna bust your brains out, baby
    Yeah, gonna make you lose your mind

    Every time I'm walking all down the street
    Some pretty woman start breaking down on me
    Stop breaking down, mama, please, stop breaking down
    Shit is gonna bust your brains out, baby
    Gonna make you lose your mind Writer/s: Robert Johnson
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave, Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 9

  • Miles from Vancouver, CanadaCuriously, Keith Richards, who introduced Robert Johnson to the group, didn't play on this song.
  • Rauw from Amstelveen"Brian Jones had the first album" says Keith in the liner notes, talking about his first time hearing the song. But Robert Johnson's original Stop Breaking Down was only released in 1970 on the second album, volume 2. We forgive Keith, of course. The Stones probably recorded SBD originally in 1970 because they heard it first that year.
  • Demian from Buenos Aires, ArgentinaRobert jhonson be happy from to heaven.
  • Toe from C Town, OhOut of 1,713 songs on my Ipod, this one has been played the most.
  • Craig from Melbourne, AustraliaThis is a great rollicking track.
  • Andrew from New York, United StatesHate to tell you, but ABKCO (that s**mbag thief, Allen Klein, 's record label) had nothing to do with this album. "Exile on Main Street", a reference to the Stones' status as tax exiles from England, was the second LP issued on the Stones' own "Rolling Stones Records" label, and, as stated above, Allen Klein's company had nothing to do with it.

    I had not heard the story of the rights issue- do you have a link to the story? I thought the lifetime of a copyright at that time was the artist's lifetime plus 25 years after. Robert Johnson, the brilliant Bluesman, died August 16, 1938, according to his Death Certificate. 1972, when "Exile" was released, was 34 years later. I'd love to see a link to the story.
    This song is great fun to play- it's in Open-G, like most of Keith's classic parts, capoed at the second fret; however, there's a twist. Keith doesn't tune the low E (6th) string down to D, so you actually have a G6 tuning! Mick Taylor's cool slide part is in "standard Open-G", if there is such a thing, also caped at the second fret....
  • Ethan from Portland, Ora true classic.
  • Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScThe original by Robert Johnson is my favorite but both versions are good and different from each other.
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaThis is a pretty good blues Stones cover, it deserves more comments.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.