Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Walker sought a career in professional boxing, at one point becoming the sparring partner of Archie Moore. He left boxing to pursue a career singing gospel, and in the late 1950s joined the Mighty Clouds of Joy.
In 1962 he was offered the chance to record a secular novelty song by manager Ray Vernon, the brother of Link Wray. Adopting the pseudonym Bunker Hill so as not to lose his position with the Mighty Clouds of Joy, he recorded several tracks with a band including Link Wray on guitar. One of the tracks, "Hide and Go Seek", became a hit single in the United States, reaching #27 on the Billboard R&B charts and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was featured in the 1988 movie Hairspray. Despite hiding his identity, he was still found out and asked to leave the Mighty Clouds of Joy as a result.
His later life is obscure, although it is believed that he did perform occasionally as a member of the Mighty Clouds of Joy before leaving the music industry in the late 1960s. According to researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc, he died in Houston, Texas in 1986, aged 44.
Hide & Go Seek Part I
Bunker Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looky here, man
Let's get together tonight
And play some hide and go seek
What say, let's get together
And play some hide and go seek
Let's go, let's play
Love you, love you
Tickle, tickle
Hug me, hug me, hug me
You all hid (yeah)
If you ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
Are you ready (I'm not ready)
Aw, man, let's hide this time
I went down the road
The road was muddy
I stubbed my toe
My toe was hurting
Who all hid (yeah)
If you ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
Two bars of washing powder
Two bars of soap
Already hid, you better
Holler billy goat
I went down the road
The road was muddy
I stubbed my toe
My toe was hurting
Walk, don't jump to
The bottom of the well
Swam by the devil and he
I'm not gonna say that
Who all hid (yeah)
If you ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
Aw, man, will you put down
That thing you got in your hand
ANd find your hole and get in it
I'm gonna say this one more time
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Who all hid (yeah)
If you ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
One potato, two potato
Three potato, four
All ain't ready
Better let me go
If you hid behind my pie
I'm gonna hit you
Right in the eye
Who all hid (yeah)
If you ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
Are you ready
(I'm still not ready)
Aw, man, looky here
I want you to find the
Tallest tree and climb up in it
And walk out on the limb and jump
And I hope that you fall
In the deepest hole
I mean listen
I'm gonna say this one more time
I went down the road
The road was muddy
I stubbed my toe
My toe was hurting
Two bars of washing powder
Two bars of soap
All ain't hid
You better holler
Billy goat (baaaa)
Now I know you're
Ready this time, man
(I'm not ready) aw, man
The song "Hide & Go Seek Part I" by Bunker Hill is a playful and rhythmic tune that revolves around the idea of playing hide-and-seek. The lyrics of the song suggest a group of people planning to play hide-and-seek, encouraging each other to hide and announcing that those who haven't hidden yet should do so. The song also includes playful lines like "tickling and hugging" and "if you hid behind my pie, I'm gonna hit you right in the eye." The lyrics are delivered in a quick, upbeat tone that reflects the lighthearted mood of the song.
At the same time, the song has several elements that make it interesting to interpret. For example, the repeated lines of "I went down the road, the road was muddy, I stubbed my toe, my toe was hurting" suggest a sense of frustration or discomfort, possibly related to the experience of playing hide-and-seek. There is also a sinister undertone to some of the lyrics, such as the line "find the tallest tree and climb up in it and walk out on the limb and jump, and I hope that you fall in the deepest hole." Overall, the lyrics of "Hide & Go Seek Part I" combine playfulness, frustration, and menace, creating a unique and intriguing piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, man
Hey, friend
Looky here, man
Listen up, friend
Let's get together tonight
Let's meet up tonight
And play some hide and go seek
Let's play the game hide and seek
What say, let's get together
So, should we meet?
Let's go, let's play
Okay, let's go!
Well, I love you
I care for you deeply
Love you, love you
I really love you
Tickle, tickle
I'm tickling you
Hug me, hug me, hug me
Please hug me
You all hid (yeah)
You're all hiding
If you ain't hid
If you're not hiding
You better holler
You should shout out
Billy goat (baaaa)
Saying 'Billy goat' as part of the game
Are you ready (I'm not ready)
Are you prepared? (I am not ready)
Aw, man, let's hide this time
Okay, let's switch it up and be the ones hiding
I went down the road
I walked on the street
The road was muddy
It was raining and muddy outside
I stubbed my toe
I hit my toe on a rock
My toe was hurting
My toe was painful
Who all hid (yeah)
Who is hiding?
Two bars of washing powder
Two pieces of laundry soap
Two bars of soap
Two bars of soap
Already hid, you better
Already hiding, you should
Holler billy goat
Say 'Billy goat'
Walk, don't jump to
Step carefully, don't jump recklessly
The bottom of the well
The depth of the well
Swam by the devil and he
Swam in a dangerous place
I'm not gonna say that
I cannot say that
Aw, man, will you put down
Please put down
That thing you got in your hand
Whatever you are holding
And find your hole and get in it
Find your hiding spot and stay there
I'm gonna say this one more time
I will repeat myself
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
A countdown for the game
One potato, two potato
A counting rhyme for choosing the seeker
Three potato, four
Continuation of the rhyme
All ain't ready
Not everyone is prepared
Better let me go
Better let me count
If you hid behind my pie
If you're hiding behind my pie dish
I'm gonna hit you
I am going to tap you
Right in the eye
In your eye
Now I know you're
Now I know that you're
Ready this time, man
Ready to play now, friend
(I'm not ready) aw, man
(I'm not ready) Oh no
I want you to find the
I would like you to go find
Tallest tree and climb up in it
The tallest tree and climb it
And walk out on the limb and jump
Walk on a branch and jump down
And I hope that you fall
I hope you fall
In the deepest hole
Into the deepest pit
Contributed by Connor J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JacobHuffman74
Thank you Hairspray for introducing me to so much soulfull music. And of course I mean the 1st one, not the John Travolta unnecessary remake.
@scorpiogal786
Same here thanks hairspray
@michaelmcgavin3715
Thank you to the original "Hairspray." This song is wild. I was so mad this song was not on the soundtrack. One of the best songs featured in the movie; terrific beat! I'm 42 years old but the music of the '60s was great!
@ProudKansan08
I remember this song from "Hairspray", the ORIGINAL AND THE BEST version with Divine and Ricki Lake, and I thought this was probably the best song in the whole movie, and I was so pissed when Mrs. Pingleton came in and put a kabosh to it!!! Took me almost twenty five years to figure out what the heck this song was. I bought the soundtrack to the movie and OF COURSE, this song was NOT on it!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( After some serious searching I finally found it. LOVE!! LOVE!!! LOVE IT!!! I like Joan Jett's version, too. My cousin has a goat, and whenever I visit him, and his goat is walking around, I always sing the line, "if you ain't hid you better holla billie goat", and she looks at me with blank eyes. LOL!!!
@soulboy1965
Snap! Took Youtube for me to find it. Try Lou Lawton's - Knick Knack record for a similar feel.
@chashart6459
I've known this song since the original release in 1962. Love it, but respectfully disagree. My favorite from Hairspray was "I'm Blue". Both are rare jewels.
@jackiej8233
Chas Hart the gong gong song.. love it
@trfesok
i put both versions in my Joan Jett playlist.
@ProudKansan08
@@trfesok I love Joan Jettโs version, too.
@TheJonaco
One of the strangest, and wildest, hits of the early '60s. Huge in the DC/Baltimore markets; that's why it got into the original "Hairspray". "Bunker"/David was one of the most unusual guys to chart- gospel shouter/boxer/pre-hip-hop artist. He recorded this at Link Wray's "shack" on the Eastern Shore. To me, this is an off-the-wall take-off on Gary "U.S." Bonds' party-rock hits- but much crazier! The info above is correct- old-time champ Archie Moore trained in Baltimore during his reign and fought many non-title bouts there. David's work in the ring must have made him electric in person and in those gospel groups! Too bad there's no film of the guy. I'll bet he made James Brown look like a crooner! ๐