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.
Tall Dark Stranger
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
Beware of a tall dark stranger
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
If he comes ridin' into your town
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
A tall dark stranger is danger (danger)
For he can capture the heart of a woman
With one glance from his flashing brown eyes
Like a bolt from the blue he can steal her from you
Then jump up on his pony and ride, ride, ride
So beware of a tall dark stranger
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
If he comes ridin' into your town
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
A tall dark stranger is danger (danger)
So don't let no stranger hang around
They say a tall dark stranger is a demon
And that a devil rides closely by his side
With no warning he can strike like the thief in the night (ooh)
Then jump up on his pony and ride, ride, ride (ooh)
So beware of a tall dark stranger
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
If he comes ridin' into your town
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
A tall dark stranger is danger (danger)
So don't let no stranger hang around
So don't let no stranger hang around
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Ooh)
The song "Tall Dark Stranger" by Buck Owens is essentially a warning to women to be wary of charming and mysterious strangers riding into town. The lyrics caution that these strangers, who are often tall and have dark hair and eyes, can steal a woman's heart with just a glance and then ride off into the sunset on their horse.
The song takes on a somewhat ominous tone, with the lyrics suggesting that these strangers may be dangerous or even demonic. The line "They say a tall dark stranger is a demon/And that a devil rides closely by his side" reinforces this idea. Ultimately, the message of the song seems to be that it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to strangers, particularly those who seem a little too good to be true.
Overall, "Tall Dark Stranger" is a classic example of the cautionary Western ballads that were so popular in the mid-20th century. It serves as a reminder of the dangers that lurk just beyond the horizon and encourages listeners to be vigilant in protecting themselves from harm.
Line by Line Meaning
Beware of a tall dark stranger
Be cautious of a mysterious man who is tall and has dark features
If he comes ridin' into your town
If he arrives in your area riding a horse or other vehicle
A tall dark stranger is danger (danger)
A person with such physical characteristics can be a threat or cause harm
So don't let no stranger hang around
Do not allow a stranger to remain in the vicinity
For he can capture the heart of a woman
He has the ability to attract a woman's feelings or attention
With one glance from his flashing brown eyes
His dark, active eyes can mesmerize a woman almost immediately
Like a bolt from the blue he can steal her from you
He can easily take a woman's interest and divert it away from you suddenly and unexpectedly
Then jump up on his pony and ride, ride, ride
He then leaves the area quickly, usually on horseback, escaping any pursuers
They say a tall dark stranger is a demon
People speculate that someone with such characteristics may be from an evil or harmful origin, although this is likely just a superstition
And that a devil rides closely by his side
Folklore suggests that the stranger might have an unseen demonic companion to support his evil doings
With no warning he can strike like the thief in the night (ooh)
The stranger can attack or rob without any notice, just like a thief who comes in the dark
So don't let no stranger hang around
Repeated warning to not allow a strange man to remain in the area
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
These are non-verbal sounds used for emphasis and effect
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Buck Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind