"Five Long Years" is a blues standard written by Eddie Boyd, who composed both the music and the lyrics. It is a twelve-bar blues in 12/8 at a moderate tempo, with English lyrics. Boyd recorded it in May 1952 at Modern Recording in Chicago, backed by Ernest Cotton on tenor saxophone, L. C. McKinley on guitar, Alfred Elkins on bass and Percy Walker on drums. The single was released in July 1952 on the J.O.B. label, with "Blue Coat Man" as the B-side, and Boyd's original reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart. The song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2011.
Later versions include Junior Parker's 1959 recording, which reached number 13 on the R&B chart, and John Lee Hooker's 1961 version. Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, The Yardbirds, B. B. King, Ike & Tina Turner and Buddy Guy also recorded the song, and Eric Clapton's 1994 version appeared on the album From the Cradle.
