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.
The Battle of New Orleans
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm walking to New Orleans
I'm going to need two pair of shoes
When I get through walking to you
When I get back to New Orleans
I've got my suitcase in my hand
Now, ain't that a shame
Yes, I'm going back home to stay
Yes, I'm walking to New Orleans
You used to be my honey
Till you spent all my money
No use for you to cry
I'll see you bye and bye
Cause I'm walking to New Orleans
I've got no time for talking
I've got to keep on walking
New Orleans is my home
That's the reason why I'm going
Yes, I'm walking to New Orleans
I'm walking to New Orleans
I'm walking to New Orleans
I'm walking to New Orleans
In Bill Haley & His Comets' song "The Battle of New Orleans," the lyrics of "It's time I'm walking to New Orleans" signify a journey back home. The singer of the song has had enough of being used and abused and is ready to leave their current situation behind. The line "I'm going to need two pair of shoes when I get through walking to you" is a metaphor for the amount of effort and distance required to reach their destination. The singer is leaving with only a suitcase in hand, signifying a clean break from their past.
The singer continues to express their displeasure with their former partner by declaring "you used to be my honey till you spent all my money." The line "I've got no time for talking, I've got to keep on walking," illustrates the singer's resolve to move forward without looking back. The chorus of "I'm walking to New Orleans" emphasizes the journey back to the place where the singer feels at home and can start fresh.
Line by Line Meaning
It's time I'm walking to New Orleans
I am embarking on a journey to the city of New Orleans.
I'm walking to New Orleans
I am travelling by foot to the city of New Orleans.
I'm going to need two pair of shoes
My journey to New Orleans is so long that I will need two pairs of shoes to walk there.
When I get through walking to you
When I finally arrive to New Orleans.
When I get back to New Orleans
When I return to the city of New Orleans later on.
I've got my suitcase in my hand
I am carrying my luggage with me as I start my journey.
Now, ain't that a shame
It is unfortunate that I have to leave, but it is necessary.
I'm leaving here today
I am departing from my current location today.
Yes, I'm going back home to stay
I am returning to my home in New Orleans permanently.
You used to be my honey
You were my lover and companion.
Till you spent all my money
Until you squandered all my financial resources.
No use for you to cry
There is no reason for you to shed tears.
I'll see you bye and bye
I will bid you farewell for now.
Cause I'm walking to New Orleans
Because I am travelling by foot to New Orleans.
I've got no time for talking
I cannot waste any time chatting right now.
I've got to keep on walking
I must continue walking in order to reach my destination.
New Orleans is my home
The city of New Orleans is my place of residence.
That's the reason why I'm going
That is why I am travelling to New Orleans right now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Antoine Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Robert Charles Guidry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@janv2957
Some covers are better than the original and this is one of them in my opinion