Following a successful career as a musician (which began in the late 1940s), Hayes began to focus on dramatic acting parts in the late 1960s, which led him, in 1970, to be cast as the character of Doug Williams on NBC's Days of Our Lives, which he continued to play until 2023.
The Ballad of Davy Crockett
Bill Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
The greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so he knew every tree
And kilt him a bar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, the king of the wild frontier
Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was in store
And while he was handling this risky chore
He made himself a legend for evermore
Davy, Davy Crockett, the king of the wild frontier
Oh, when he lost his love his grief was gall
In his heart he wanted to leave it all
And lose himself in the forests tall
But he answered instead his country's call
Davy, Davy Crockett, the choice of the whole frontier
He went off to Congress and served a spell
Fixing up the Government and laws as well
Took over Washington so we heered tell
And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, serving his country well
When he come home his politicking done
While the big western march had just begun
He packed his gear and his trusty gun
And lit out grinning to follow the sun
Davy, Davy Crockett, leading the pioneer
His land is biggest and his land is best
From grassy plains to the mountain crest
He's ahead of us all meeting the test
Following his legend right into the West
Davy, Davy Crockett, the king of the wild frontier
King of the wild frontier
The Ballad of Davy Crockett, sung by Bill Hayes, is a tribute to the life of the legendary American folk hero, Davy Crockett. The song begins by painting a picture of Crockett's birthplace, on top of a mountain in the state of Tennessee, noting that he was born in the greenest state in the land of the free. He was raised in the woods, where he familiarized himself with every tree and, as the song goes, "kilt him a bear when he was only three." The chorus proclaims him to be the king of the wild frontier.
The song then goes on to detail Crockett's heroic exploits through the Indian Wars, where he fought single-handedly until the Creeks were defeated and peace was reestablished. The ballad notes that Crockett made himself a legend forevermore while handling this risky task. When Crockett lost his love, he considered losing himself in the forests instead, but he answered his country's call instead to become the choice of the whole frontier. Crockett served in Congress where he helped fix up the government and laws before setting out west to follow the sun, leading the pioneers as he went along. The song ends on the triumphant note of Crockett being the king of the wild frontier, and a true legend of American history.
Line by Line Meaning
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
Davy Crockett was born on the top of a mountain in Tennessee
The greenest state in the land of the free
Tennessee was considered the greenest state in America and synonymous with freedom
Raised in the woods so he knew every tree
From growing up in the woods, Davy knew every single tree in the area
And kilt him a bar when he was only three
At the young age of three, Davy had already killed a bear
He fought single-handed through the Injun War
Davy Crockett fought in the Indian War by himself
Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was in store
Davy fought the Creeks until they were defeated and peace was established
And while he was handling this risky chore
While fighting, Davy became a legend
He made himself a legend for evermore
Davy's achievements made him a legend for all time
Oh, when he lost his love his grief was gall
When Davy lost someone he loved, he was filled with unbearable pain and sadness
In his heart he wanted to leave it all
Davy contemplated leaving everything behind because of his heartache
And lose himself in the forests tall
Davy considered losing himself in the vast forests surrounding him
But he answered instead his country's call
Davy chose to serve his country instead of indulging in his pain
He went off to Congress and served a spell
Davy went to Congress and served for a period of time
Fixing up the Government and laws as well
Davy worked on improving the government and laws during his time in Congress
Took over Washington so we heered tell
Rumors said that Davy took over Washington during his time in Congress
And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy supposedly repaired the crack in the Liberty Bell
When he come home his politicking done
When Davy returned home from Congress, he was done with his political work
While the big western march had just begun
The migration westward had only just started when Davy returned home
He packed his gear and his trusty gun
Davy packed his gear and trusted gun to head out west
And lit out grinning to follow the sun
Davy left happily and eager to follow the sun out west
His land is biggest and his land is best
Davy believed his land was the largest and the best
From grassy plains to the mountain crest
Davy's land spanned from the grassy plains to the highest mountain peaks
He's ahead of us all meeting the test
Davy led the way and faced challenges head-on
Following his legend right into the West
People followed Davy's legendary path out west
Davy, Davy Crockett, the king of the wild frontier
Davy Crockett was known as the king of the wild frontier
King of the wild frontier
Davy Crockett had a reputation as the king of the wild frontier
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Tom Blackburn, George Edward Bruns
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
木倉谷哲也
Lyrics:
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
Born on a mountain in Tennessee
Greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree
Kilt him a bar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
Fought single-handed through the Injun War
Till the Creeks was whipped an’ peace was in store
An’ while he was handlin’ this risky chore
Made himself a legend for evermore
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
When he lost his love his grief was gall
In his heart he wanted to leave it all
An’ lose himself in the Forests tall
But he answered instead his country’s call
Davy, Davy Crockett, the choice of the whole frontier
He went off to Congress an’ served a spell
Fixin’ up the Government an’ laws as well
Took over Washington so we heered tell
An’ patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, serving his country well
When he come home his politickin’ done
The western march had just begun
So he packed his gear and his trusty gun
And lit out grinnin’ to follow the sun
Davy, Davy Crockett, leading the pioneer
His land is the biggest and his land is best
From grassy plains to the mountain crest
He’s ahead of us all meetin’ the test
Following his legend in to the West
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
King of the wild frontier
kberken
Oh my goodness! I never knew Doug Williams"sang this song! Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes have been my favorites on Days forever!
Joyce Pino
I didn't know he did either. I remember him and Susan on Days. Fess Parker's version is in the movie. Back to the Future the original.
Linda Easley
#1 through all of April ,1955 👍
Joyce Pino
I was born in Feb. 1955. It's now 2023
jekorb
Had no idea that Bill Hayes did a rendition of this song from my childhood! I’ve been a fan of “Doug and Julie” on Days of Our Lives for decades; Bill, as a singer and an actor, is amazing. I’m so glad I came across this very special piece of memorabilia about a favorite celeb! As an aside, my family has branches who are direct descendants of another Kentucky pioneer—-Simon Kenton. We love our American pioneers!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Suzanne Evelyn
So Bill wrote this and that's his voice right?
Rusty Frank
Bill Hayes did THE ORIGINAL record! Not just "a rendition"... THE rendition!
Nancy Crayton
My thoughts exactly!!! We listened to this on 45 rpm over and over. And I never recognized the voice when I heard Bill Hayes on Days of Our Lives. Or when I saw him on stage in Summer Stock in Carousel. He's so talented. He can sing in so many styles!
Johnny Jackson
Walt Disney had a big influence on the music industry 😊
Raul Raul
Good job. Thank you for uploading this original record