Haley was born William John Clifton Haley (some sources append "Junior" to … Read Full Bio ↴Haley was born William John Clifton Haley (some sources append "Junior" to his name, but his eldest son states that this is erroneous) in Highland Park, Michigan and raised in Pennsylvania. Many sources (almost universally predating his death in 1981) state that Haley was born in 1927, which is due to Haley knocking two years off his age for publicity purposes in the 1950s. A few recent sources erroneously give a birth year of 1924.

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.

Mary Mary Lou
Bill Haley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mary, Mary Lou
Why must you do
The things that you always do

Honey, I've been here a-crying
Sipping and a-sighing
To think it's all because of you

I know the other night you told me
You were gonna marry
Someone who's in love with you, yeah
And the time I used to
Be your golden rooster
But now I can see that we are through

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
You're always doing me so wrong

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
And know you want to say so long

Mary, Mary Lou
Why must you do
Those things that you always do

I can hear a-crying
Sipping and a-sighing
To think it's all because of you

You were gonna marry
Someone who's in love with you, yeah
And the time I used to
Be your golden rooster
But now I can see that we are through

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
You're always doing me so wrong

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
And knew you want to say so long

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you

Overall Meaning

In "Mary, Mary Lou," Bill Haley sings about a woman who continually mistreats him, causing him heartache and sadness. The lyrics express his frustration with her behavior, wondering why she must always do the things that hurt him. He sings about how he has been crying and sighing, all because of her, and how she has decided to marry someone else who loves her. Bill Haley feels abandoned, no longer her "golden rooster," and realizes that their relationship is through.

The overall theme of the song is a common one seen in many love songs - the pain of unrequited love. Bill Haley's lyrics poignantly express the hurt he feels and the confusion he experiences as he tries to understand why Mary Lou continues to hurt him. The repetition of the chorus, asking "what in the world is the matter with you," reinforces his frustration and confusion.

Overall, "Mary, Mary Lou" is a classic rock and roll song that perfectly captures the struggles of love and heartache.

Line by Line Meaning

Mary, Mary Lou
Addressing Mary Lou by name

Why must you do
Questioning the reason for Mary Lou's behavior

The things that you always do
Referring to Mary Lou's repeated actions that cause harm

Honey, I've been here a-crying
Expressing deep sadness and frustration

Sipping and a-sighing
Describing the physical manifestation of the emotional agony

To think it's all because of you
Blaming Mary Lou for causing emotional distress

I know the other night you told me
Recalling a previous conversation with Mary Lou

You were gonna marry
Mary Lou's intention to marry someone else

Someone who's in love with you, yeah
Clarifying the reason for Mary Lou's decision to marry

And the time I used to
Reflecting on a past time in their relationship

Be your golden rooster
Being a prized possession or loved one in the relationship

But now I can see that we are through
Realizing the relationship is over

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
Repeating Mary Lou's name for emphasis

What in the world is the matter with you
Asking Mary Lou what's wrong with her behavior

You're always doing me so wrong
Accusing Mary Lou of causing harm repeatedly

And know you want to say so long
Suspecting Mary Lou wants to end the relationship

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
Repeating Mary Lou's name again

What in the world is the matter with you
Asking again what's wrong with Mary Lou's behavior

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAYET MANGIARACINA, PER LYNGSAAE OLSEN, GENE PITNEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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@Wolfhoundersful

Mary, Mary Lou
Why must you do
The things that you always do

I've been here a-crying
Sipping and a-sighing
To think it's only over you

The other night you told me
You were gonna marry
Someone who's in love with you

And all this time I used to
Be your golden rooster
But now I can see that we are through

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
You know that you doing me wrong

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
And now you want to say so long

Mary, Mary Lou
Why must you do
The things that you always do

I've been here a-crying
Sipping and a-sighing
To think it's only over you

The other night you told me
You were gonna marry
Someone who's in love with you

And all this time I used to
Be your golden rooster
But now I can see that we are through

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
You know that you doing me wrong

Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you
And now you want to say so long

[2x:]
Mary, Mary, Mary Lou
What in the world is the matter with you