Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.
In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called The Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.
After gaining experience with the Down Homers, Haley set out on his own, forming several groups such as the Range Drifters and the Four Aces of Western Swing. With the Four Aces, he made a number of regionally successful country music singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and later a radio DJ at WPWA. (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death.) After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records, Haley's first exposure to a major national record company. In 1951, Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records and began to change musical styles, recording cover versions of "Rocket "88"" (previously recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label.) The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) convinced Haley that his new and as-yet officially unnamed hybrid of country and rhythm and blues could be a commercial success.and some of his family lives in oklahoma and there is a road named after his family.
I'm Walkin'
Bill Haley Lyrics
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I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me (yes)
I'm lonely as I can be, I'm waitin' for your company
I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me
What 'ya gonna do when the well runs dry?
You're gonna run away and hide
I'm gonna run right by your side, for you pretty baby I'll even die
I'm walkin', yes indeed, I'm talkin' 'bout you and me
I'm walkin', yes indeed, and I'm talkin' 'bout you and me
I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me (yes)
I'm lonely as I can be, I'm waitin' for your company
I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me
What 'ya gonna do when the well runs dry?
You're gonna sit right down and cry
What 'ya gonna do when I say "bye-bye"?
All you're gonna do is dry your eye
I'm walkin', yes indeed, I'm talkin' 'bout you and me
The theme of Bill Haley's song "I'm Walkin'" is a plea to a past lover to return. The lyrics express the loneliness and emptiness brought about by the lover's absence, and how the singer is hoping that they can reunite. The first verse describes the singer's loneliness and how he is waiting for his lover to come back to him. The chorus emphasizes his desire for a reunion, reinforcing the idea that he is walking and talking about her, and hoping that she will come back to him.
The second verse of the song paints a picture of the consequences of leaving the relationship. It poses the question of what will happen when the well runs dry, indicating that when one runs out of options, they often run away and hide from their problems. Nevertheless, the singer is determined to stand by his lover through it all, even if it means putting his life on the line.
The repetition of the phrases "I'm walkin'" and "I'm talkin' 'bout you and me" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's longing and desire for his lover's return. The lyrics of the song convey the sense that they belong together.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walkin', yes indeed, and I'm talkin' 'bout you and me
I am currently walking and speaking about the relationship between you and me
I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me (yes)
I am wishing that you will return to me
I'm lonely as I can be, I'm waitin' for your company
I am extremely lonely and eagerly waiting for your presence
What 'ya gonna do when the well runs dry?
What will you do when you have used up all your resources?
You're gonna run away and hide
You will escape and hide from the situation
I'm gonna run right by your side, for you pretty baby I'll even die
I will remain by your side and even sacrifice my life for you
What 'ya gonna do when I say "bye-bye"?
What will you do when I decide to leave?
All you're gonna do is dry your eye
You will only shed a tear and nothing more
I'm walkin', yes indeed, I'm talkin' 'bout you and me
I am still walking and discussing our relationship
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTOINE DOMINO, DAVE BARTHOLOMEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind