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.
Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're putting on the style,
And you never once looked back,
To your home across the track,
You're the gossip of the town,
But my heart can still be found,
Where you tossed it on the ground,
[Chorus:]
Pick me up on your way down,
When you're blue and all alone,
When their glamour starts to bore you,
Come on back where you belong,
When you learn these things are true,
I'll be waiting here for you,
When you tumble to the ground
Pick me up on your way down,
--- Instrumental ---
They have changed your attitude,
Made you hoggie, and so rude,
Your new friends can take the blame,
Underneath you're still the same,
You may be their pride and joy,
But they'll find another toy,
When your true love can't be found
Pick me up on your way down,
[Chorus:]
Pick me up on your way down,
When you're blue and all alone,
When their glamour starts to bore you,
Come on back where you belong,
When you learn these things are true,
I'll be waiting here for you,
When you tumble to the ground
Pick me up on your way down...
Buck Owens's song Pick Me up on Your Way Down is a classic country song that deals with heartbreak, loss, and love. The song is told from the perspective of a man who has been left by his lover, who has moved on to a lifestyle of glamour and extravagance, leaving him behind. He is heartbroken and feels abandoned, but he still loves her and hopes that she will come back to him.
The song's title refers to the man's request to his former lover to pick him up on her way down from her high life. He knows that eventually, she will realize the emptiness of her new life and come back to him, and he wants to be there for her when she does. The man is willing to forgive her and take her back, despite the pain she has caused him.
Throughout the song, Buck Owens delivers an emotional and sincere performance that captures the heartbreak and longing of the lyrics. The song's simple melody and honest lyrics have made it a country music classic, and it continues to be popular with fans of traditional country music today.
Line by Line Meaning
You were mine for just awhile,
You were once in a romantic relationship with me for a brief period of time
Now you're putting on the style,
Recently, you have been acting very showy and pretentious
And you never once looked back,
You never took a moment to think about or reflect on the past relationship that we shared
To your home across the track,
You returned to your less fortunate and less admired hometown
You're the gossip of the town,
People in the town have been spreading rumors about you
But my heart can still be found,
I still have feelings for you, despite everything that has happened
Where you tossed it on the ground,
You had hurt and rejected me in the past
Pick me up on your way down,
Consider coming back to me when your current situation becomes difficult or dissatisfying
When you're blue and all alone,
When you're feeling sad and isolated
When their glamour starts to bore you,
When the glitz and glamour of your current lifestyle begins to lose its appeal
Come on back where you belong,
Return to me and the life that we shared
When you learn these things are true,
When you realize and accept the truth about your current situation
I'll be waiting here for you,
I'll be patiently waiting for you to return
When you tumble to the ground
When you hit rock bottom
Pick me up on your way down,
Don't hesitate to come back to me when you're at your lowest point
They have changed your attitude,
Your current circle of friends have influenced you to act differently
Made you hoggie, and so rude,
They have made you greedy and impolite
Your new friends can take the blame,
Your new friends can be responsible for the negative changes in you
Underneath you're still the same,
Despite all of the changes, you are still fundamentally the same person
You may be their pride and joy,
Your new friends may be very proud and happy to have you around
But they'll find another toy,
However, they will eventually move on to someone else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARLAN HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind