Daniels began writing and performing in the 1950s. In 1964, Daniels wrote a song called "It Hurts Me" which Elvis Presley recorded. He worked as a session musician, including playing on three Bob Dylan albums during 1969 and 1970. Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1970. His first hit, the novelty song "Uneasy Rider", came off his 1972 second album, Honey in the Rock, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1974, Daniels organized the first in a series of Volunteer Jam concerts based in or around Nashville, Tennessee. Except for a three-year gap in the late 1980s, these have continued ever since.
In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band (CDB) with the Southern rock self-identification anthem "The South's Gonna Do It Again". "Long Haired Country Boy" was also a minor hit in that year.
Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which reached #3 on the charts.
Subsequent Daniels pop hits included "In America" (#11 in 1980), "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" (#31 in 1980), and "Still in Saigon" (#22 in 1982).
In the late 1980s and 1990s several of Daniels' albums and singles were hits on the country charts. Daniels also released several gospel and Christian records.
Charlie Daniels has never shied away from politics. "The South's Gonna Do It" had a mild message of Southern cultural identity within the Southern rock movement. Daniels was an early supporter of Jimmy Carter's presidential bid and performed at his January 1977 inauguration.
"In America" was a reaction to the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis; it described a patriotic, united America where "we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank / That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks." In contrast, "Still in Saigon" (written by Dan Daley) was an effective portrayal of the plight of the American Vietnam veteran ten years after the war; it was part of an early 1980s wave of attention to the subject, in contrast to treatments such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light", Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon", and somewhat later Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road".
In 1990, Daniels' country hit "Simple Man" seemingly advocated a pseudo-Biblical form of vigilantism; lines such as "Just take them [rapists, killers, child abusers] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump / Let the rattlers and the bugs and the alligators do the rest," got Daniels considerable media attention and talk show visits.
In 2003, Daniels published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defence of George W. Bush's Iraq policy. His 2003 book Ain't No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag contains this letter as well as many other personal statements. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Daniels acknowledged that having never served in the military himself, he did not have the right to criticize John Kerry's service record.
In 2005, he has made a cameo appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams, Jr. in Gretchen Wilson's music video for the song "All Jacked Up", whose album has been released.
In November 2007, Daniels was invited by Martina McBride to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
In October 2016, Daniels officially became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
On October 26, 2018, Daniels released a new side album project that was not solo or CDB, but a new band called Beau Weevils, along with CDB bass player, Charlie Hayward, producer James Stroud on drums and Billy Crain on guitar.
The Legend Of Wooley Swamp
Charlie Daniels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's things out there in the middle of them woods
That'd make a strong man die from fright
There's things that crawl and things that fly
And things that creep around on the ground
And they say the ghost of Lucias Clay gets up and it walks around.
But I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
No I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
That there's some things in this world you just can't explain.
The old man lived in the Wooly Swamp way back in the gurgling woods
And he never did do a lot of harm in the world
But he never did do no good
People didn't think too much of him
They all thought he acted funny
The old man didn't care about people anyway
All he cared about was his money.
He'd stuff it all down in Mason jars and bury it all around
But on certain nights if the moon was right
He'd dig it up out of the ground.
He'd pour it all out on the floor of his shack
And run his fingers through it.
Old Lucias Clay was a greedy old man
And that's all there ever was to it.
But I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
And I couldn't conceive it, I never would listen to nobody else
No I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
That there's some things in this world you just can't explain.
The Crayton boys were white trash they lived over on Parvis Creek
They were a real snake and sneaky as a cat
And belligerent when they'd speak.
One night the oldest brother said ya'll meet in the Wooly Swamp later
We'll get old Lucias' money and we'll feed him to the alligators.
They found the old man out in the back with a shovel in his hand
And thirteen rusty Mason jars he just dug up out of the sand.
And they all went crazy and they beat the old man
Then they picked him up off the ground
Then they threw him in the swamp and they stood there and laughed
Till the black water sucked him down.
Then they turned around and went back to the shack
And they picked up the money and ran.
But they hadn't gone nowheres when they realized
They were running in quicksand.
And they struggled and screamed but they couldn't get away
Then just before they went under
They could hear that old man laughing
In a voice that was loud as thunder.
Now that's been fifty years ago an' if you go back by there again
There's a spot in the yard in back of that shack
Where the ground is always wet.
And on certain nights if the moon is right
And you're down by the dark footpath
You can hear three yound men screaming
And you can hear that old man laugh.
Repeat (V-1)
CHORUS...
The Legend Of Wooley Swamp by Charlie Daniels tells the tale of a spooky place in the woods where one shouldn't go at night as terrible things abound there. The song narrates the story of three men who kill an old man called Lucias Clay for his buried stash of money. The location of the money was known only to him, and it was rumored that his ghost still haunts the swamp trying to lead wanderers to his riches. The chorus tries to express that some things in life defy explanation and one must be daring to seek the truth.
The character of Lucias Clay is the mainstay of the story. He appears to most folks as an eccentric old man who lives alone in the swampy woods. He doesn't care about anyone but his money and will go to any length to protect it. The Crayton brothers, who are described as lowdown trashy folk, team up to pursue the old man's treasure. The chorus tries to express that some things in life defy explanation and one must be daring to seek the truth.
The song has a central theme of greed and its consequences. The characters of the Crayton brothers and Lucias Clay are motivated by their desire for wealth. They act out of their self-centered interests, and their unrestrained pursuit of money leads to catastrophic consequences. Ultimately, the song is a warning against greed and impulsive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever go back into Wooly Swamp son you better not go at night
Going into Wooly Swamp at night is dangerous due to the presence of terrifying creatures
There's things out there in the middle of them woods
The woods in Wooly Swamp have mysterious creatures
That'd make a strong man die from fright
The creatures in Wooly Swamp are scary enough to frighten even the bravest man
There's things that crawl and things that fly
The creatures in Wooly Swamp include both crawling and flying beings
And things that creep around on the ground
There are also creatures in Wooly Swamp that crawl around on the ground
And they say the ghost of Lucias Clay gets up and it walks around.
Legend has it that the ghost of Lucias Clay appears in Wooly Swamp
But I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
The singer wanted to see for himself if the legends about Wooly Swamp were true
And I couldn't conceive it, I never would listen to nobody else
The artist didn't trust hearsay and wanted to experience the facts first-hand
No I couldn't believe it, I just had to find out for myself
The artist was determined to confirm the existence of the Wooly Swamp creatures
That there's some things in this world you just can't explain.
Some things in the world, like the creatures in Wooly Swamp, defy explanation
The old man lived in the Wooly Swamp way back in the gurgling woods
An old man lived in Wooly Swamp which is deep in the woods
And he never did do a lot of harm in the world
The old man was harmless
But he never did do no good
The old man didn't do any good either
People didn't think too much of him
The old man didn't have a good reputation among people
They all thought he acted funny
People found the old man's behavior strange
The old man didn't care about people anyway
The old man was indifferent to people
All he cared about was his money.
The old man was greedy and valued his wealth above all else
He'd stuff it all down in Mason jars and bury it all around
The old man buried his money in Mason jars all over Wooly Swamp
But on certain nights if the moon was right
The old man would dig up his money on specific moonlit nights
He'd dig it up out of the ground
The old man would physically dig up his buried money from the ground
He'd pour it all out on the floor of his shack
The old man would empty the Mason jars on the floor of his shack
And run his fingers through it.
The old man enjoyed touching and feeling his wealth
Old Lucias Clay was a greedy old man
The old man's name was Lucias Clay and he was greedy
And that's all there ever was to it.
Lucias Clay's greedy nature was his defining characteristic
The Crayton boys were white trash they lived over on Parvis Creek
The Crayton brothers were poor and lived near Parvis Creek
They were a real snake and sneaky as a cat
The Crayton brothers were devious and cunning
And belligerent when they'd speak.
The Crayton brothers were also aggressive and confrontational
One night the oldest brother said ya'll meet in the Wooly Swamp later
One night, the oldest Crayton brother suggested that they meet in Wooly Swamp
We'll get old Lucias' money and we'll feed him to the alligators.
The plan was to steal Lucias Clay's money and dispose of him by feeding him to alligators
They found the old man out in the back with a shovel in his hand
The Crayton brothers found Lucias Clay with a shovel in his hand
And thirteen rusty Mason jars he just dug up out of the sand.
Lucias Clay had been in the process of digging up his money when he was discovered by the Crayton brothers
And they all went crazy and they beat the old man
The Crayton brothers attacked Lucias Clay
Then they picked him up off the ground
The Crayton brothers lifted Lucias Clay
Then they threw him in the swamp and they stood there and laughed
They threw Lucias Clay into the swamp and found it amusing
Till the black water sucked him down.
The swamp's black water consumed Lucias Clay
Then they turned around and went back to the shack
The Crayton brothers left Wooly Swamp and went back to their shack
And they picked up the money and ran.
They took Lucias Clay's money and fled the scene
But they hadn't gone nowheres when they realized
The Crayton brothers hadn't left the area when they came to a realization
They were running in quicksand.
The Crayton brothers realized they were running in quicksand
And they struggled and screamed but they couldn't get away
The Crayton brothers were trapped and unable to escape the quicksand
Then just before they went under
Just before they were consumed by the quicksand
They could hear that old man laughing
The Crayton brothers heard Lucias Clay's laughter
In a voice that was loud as thunder.
Lucias Clay's laughter was incredibly loud
Now that's been fifty years ago an' if you go back by there again
Fifty years have passed since the events in Wooly Swamp
There's a spot in the yard in back of that shack
There's an area in the backyard of the shack where the event happened
Where the ground is always wet.
The ground in that spot is always wet
And on certain nights if the moon is right
On specific moonlit nights
And you're down by the dark footpath
If you're near the dark footpath
You can hear three young men screaming
The screams of the Crayton brothers can be heard
And you can hear that old man laugh.
And Lucias Clay's laughter can be heard too
Repeat (V-1)
Repeating the verse about the dangers of Wooly Swamp
CHORUS...
The chorus is not included in the lyrics provided
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES FRED HAYWARD, CHARLIE DANIELS, FRED EDWARDS, JAMES W. MARSHALL, JOHN CRAIN, WILLIAM J. DIGREGORIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind