Janis Joplin, “Easy Once You Know How” Rare Outtake, 1968

Rare Pearls

One of Janis Joplin’s more rare cuts, ‘Easy Once You Know How’ was recorded in 1968 with Big Brother And The Holding Company, but wasn’t actually released until 1999, nearly 30 years after her death. A song about the struggle of not knowing how to love or let yourself be loved, ‘Easy Once You Know How’ is a track that keeps you guessing from the first moment to the very last. Once Janis warms up and gets going, she really gets going! The song starts out sounding really folksy, but Janis couldn’t hide that blues soaked voice for long; soon after, you get to hear her let loose and completely dominate the song, turning it into another Joplin classic.

Fun Fact: It took Janis Joplin an average of two months to record an album. At the time of her death, she left behind countless unfinished studio recordings meant for future albums.

It’s one thing to hear one of Janis’ flawless, polished and properly mixed studio cuts, but it’s another thing to hear her in the studio as she’s recording; unlike most artists, Janis sounded just as fantastic during a rough studio outtake as she did onstage or on her albums!

+ Easy Once You Know How lyrics +

Oh, well, it’s much too early, not right now
How can I love you when
I, I don’t know how, I don’t know how
I don’t know how

How can I trust my eyes?
Do they really see?
What is the truth? It’s hard for me
Hard for me, hard for me

It’s hard to understand
What’s really there, when all my hopes
They just cloud the air
Cloud the air, cloud the air

Love is all around us if we understand
It’s easy to see, babe, but don’t demand
And love is all around us if we could be free
And love is all around us if we just, if we just try to see

You say you need me, baby
As you breathe the words
That’s time for you to leave
Time to leave, time to leave

Oh, please, don’t push me, baby
I might learn how to play your game
Now it’s your turn
It’s your turn, it’s your turn

I’d love to love you, babe, can I be sure
That this time your love won’t hurt me more
Hurt me more, hurt me more
Oh, come on

I see, I gotta go now
Yeah, you always gonna break me my heart
And I see I gotta go now
Honey, though I just wanna say

Oh, you’re breaking my heart right now, baby
Oh, you’re breaking my heart now, now, now
Now I don’t wanna hurt you, no, no, no, no
And I don’t wanna hold you, yeah

I need a twenty-four hour, man
So when you love me all night long
I need a twenty-four hour, man
Honey, where are you

But it doesn’t really matter when I need you so
It doesn’t really matter, tell me yes or no
It doesn’t really matter, babe, I got to know
It doesn’t really matter, this is love
Babe, I just love to love you, ah, ooh