While the Buckaroos originally featured a fiddle and retained pedal steel guitar into the 1970s, their sound on records and onstage was always more stripped-down and elemental. The band's signature style was based on simple story lines, infectious choruses, a twangy electric guitar, an insistent rhythm supplied by a prominent drum track, and high, two-part vocal harmonies featuring Owens and his guitarist Don Rich.
From 1969 to 1986, Owens co-hosted the popular CBS television variety show Hee Haw with Roy Clark (syndicated beginning in 1971). According to his son Buddy Alan (Owens), the accidental 1974 death of Rich, his best friend, devastated him for years and impacted his creative efforts until he performed with Dwight Yoakam in 1988.
Owens is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Owens was born on a farm in Sherman, Texas, United States, to Alvis Edgar Owens Sr. and Maicie Azel (née Ellington) Owens.
In the biography About Buck., Rich Kienzle writes: "'Buck' was a donkey on the Owens farm." "When Alvis Jr. was three or four years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name also was "Buck." That was fine with the family, and the boy's name became "Buck" from then on."He attended public school for grades 1–3 in Garland, Texas.
Owens' family moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 1937 during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. While attending school in Arizona, Owens found that while he disliked formal schoolwork, he could often satisfy class requirements by singing or performing in school plays. A self-taught musician and singer, Owens became proficient on guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums. When he obtained his first electric steel guitar, he taught himself to play it after his father adapted an old radio into an amplifier. Owens quit school in the ninth grade in order to help work on his father's farm and pursue a music career.
Owens had three sons: Buddy Alan (who charted several hits as a Capitol recording artist in the early 1970s and appeared with his father numerous times on Hee Haw), Johnny, and Michael Owens.
Owens successfully recovered from oral cancer in the early 1990s, but had additional health problems near the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s, including pneumonia and a minor stroke in 2004. These health problems had forced him to curtail his regular weekly performances with the Buckaroos at his Crystal Palace. Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack at his ranch just north of Bakersfield on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his club. He was 76 years old.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was ranked No. 12 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003. In addition, CMT also ranked the Buckaroos No. 2 in the network's 20 Greatest Bands in 2005. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The stretch of US Highway 82 in Sherman, Texas, is named the Buck Owens Freeway in his honor.
I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't be much when you get through' with me
Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale
Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
Well, I thought the day I met you, you were meek as a lamb
Just the kind to fit my dreams and plans
Now, the pace we're livin' takes the wind from my sails
I've got a tiger by the tail, it's plain to see
I won't be much when you get through' with me
Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale
Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
Well, every night you drag me where the bright lights are found
There ain't no way to slow you down
I'm as 'bout as helpless as a leaf in a gale
And it looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
I've got a tiger by the tail, it's plain to see
I won't be much when you get through' with me
Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale
Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
Buck Owens's I've Got A Tiger By The Tail is a song about a man who has taken on more than he can handle with his partner. The man in the song thought he had met the perfect woman who would fit into his dreams and plans. But as they started living together, he quickly realized that he was in over his head. He describes his situation as having a "tiger by the tail" - a dangerous situation where he can't let go or stay put. He admits that he's losing weight and turning pale over the stress.
The lyrics suggest that the singer's partner is leading him into a lifestyle that he can't keep up with. She's dragging him out to the bright lights every night, and he can't keep up with the frenzied pace of their life. He feels as helpless as a leaf in a gale, tossed around by forces beyond his control. The song's structure is a classic country and western style with a catchy chorus and a memorable hook that sticks in your mind long after you've heard it. Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about biting off more than you can chew and getting caught up in a whirlwind romance that you can't control.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a tiger by the tail, it's plain to see;
I'm in a dangerous situation that I cannot control or escape from.
I won't be much when you get through' with me
I know that this situation will take a toll on me and I won't be the same person after it's over.
Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale
The stress and anxiety of this situation is affecting my physical health.
Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
I'm stuck in a predicament that is too difficult for me to handle on my own.
Well, I thought the day I met you, you were meek as a lamb;
When I first met you, you seemed gentle and harmless.
Just the kind to fit my dreams and plans
I thought you were the perfect person for me and my future goals.
But now, the pace we're livin' takes the wind from my sails
The lifestyle that we're living together is draining me and taking away my energy and enthusiasm.
And it looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
I feel overwhelmed and out of control in this situation.
Well, ev'ry night you drag me where the bright lights are found;
You take me to places that are fast-paced and exciting, but also exhausting and draining.
There ain't no way to slow you down
I can't keep up with your energy and enthusiasm.
I'm as 'bout as helpless as a leaf in a gale;
I feel incredibly powerless and at the mercy of this situation, like a leaf in a strong wind.
And it looks like I've got a tiger by the tail
I'm still in the same dangerous and overwhelming situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LEGACY OF HARLAN PERRY HOWARD, LLC
Written by: Harlan Howard, Buck Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bvelasco57
To our younger generation including me. Let's keep this tradition of good country music alive
@christianworkman8108
Right on
@captainbuzzkill4658
There's a little out there. Not much. Check out Hank iii.
@wadeyo6293
Was born in '96 but let me say this song is embedded into my soul and I still enjoy it to this day but I can also put on new generation rap depending on the artist and song and also enjoy it so there is love and all music everybody has a different taste some people love all music some people hate all music LOL but it's just here to enjoy so if you take the time to read all this I would like to wish you an extra blessing 🙏
@dereksmith3321
I keep this music alive my 5 year old grandson likes to hear it says paw paw play that song about that tiger
@OGRE_HATES_NERDS
deal
@AnAverageMixedChick
I used to listen to this song, sitting on my Paw Paw's lap.❤ RIP to Buck and my Paw Paw
@user-nc8zt1sy3j
Buck is one of my top 5 favorite country singers. This modern country music doesn't cut it
@1btlfan
THIS is Country Music at its BEST!! The Bakersfield Sound!
@Weightlossjourney24
You got that right.