Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998) was an influential American rockabilly and country music performer.

Feathers was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and recorded a string of popular singles like "Peepin' Eyes," "Defrost Your Heart," "Tongue-Tied Jill," and "Bottle to the Baby" on Sun Records, Meteor and King Records in the 1950s.
Feathers was known for being a master of shifting emotional and sonic dynamics in his songs. His theatrical, hiccup-styled, energetic, rockabilly vocal style inspired a later generation of rock vocalists, including Lux Interior of The Cramps.
He studied and recorded several songs with Junior Kimbrough, whom he called "the beginning and end of all music". His childhood influences were reflected in his later music of the 1970s and 1980s, which had an easy-paced, sometimes sinister, country-blues tempo, as opposed to the frenetic fast-paced style favored by some of his rockabilly colleagues of the 1950s.
He started out as a session musician at Sun Studios, playing any side instrument he could in the hopes of someday making his own music there. He eventually played on a small label started by Sam Phillips called Flip records which got him enough attention to record a couple singles for Sun Records and Holiday Inn Records. By all accounts the singer was not held in much regard by Phillips, but Feathers often made the audacious claim that he had arranged "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" for Elvis Presley and recorded "Good Rockin' Tonight" months before Presley. He also claimed that his "We're Getting Closer (To Being Apart)" had been intended to be Elvis' sixth single for Sun. He did, however, get his name on one of Elvis' Sun records, "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" when the writer Stan Kesler asked him to record a demo of the song.
He then moved on to Meteor Records and then King Records where he recorded his best-known work. When his King contract ran out he still continued to perform, although Feathers—perhaps typically—thought there was a conspiracy to keep his music from gaining the popularity it deserved.
In the mid-1980s, he performed at times at new music nightclubs like the Antenna Club in Memphis, Tennessee, sharing the bill with rock-and-roll bands like Tav Falco's Panther Burns, who, as devoted fans of Feathers, had introduced him to their label's president. During this time, rockabilly icon Colonel Robert Morris played drums for Charlie. Charlie said "Robert tore up a brand new set of drums, but the crowd was dancing on the tables".
He released his New Jungle Fever album in 1987 and Honkey Tonk Man in 1988, featuring the lead guitar work of his son, Bubba Feathers. These later albums of original songs penned by Feathers were released on the French label New Rose Records, whose other 1980s releases included albums by cult music heroes like Johnny Thunders, Alex Chilton, Roky Erickson, The Cramps, The Gun Club, and others.
Charlie Feathers died on August 29, 1998.

Feathers' song, "That Certain Female" was featured on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill Vol. 1. His "Can't Hardly Stand It" was featured on the follow-up Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack.
Charlie Feathers' pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Bob Dylan has featured Charlie Feathers on the second season of his XM satellite radio show Theme Time Radio Hour, playing Feathers' records "One Hand Loose" (on the "Countdown" show, Dec. 12, 2007) and "Defrost Your Heart" (on the "Cold" show, April 2, 2008).

Bottle To The Baby
Charlie Feathers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I rocked last night I came in at four
Woman told me I had to rock some more.
She sat me down she put that youngin' in my lap
And she said rock that youngin' while I take a nap.
Give the bottle to the baby, ah-ah bop
Bottle to the baby, hey hey rock.
Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
Lets rock now...

Hey ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba bop,
Ah ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop.
Oh, ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop
Ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop
Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
Ohhhh, pick that tune...

Well, that woman told me I wasn't treatin' her right.
She has to rock them kids nearly every night
While I'm out just rockin' round town
Well, she told me I was gonna have to settle down
And give the bottle to the baby, ah-ah bop
Bottle to the baby tiddy whop bop bop
Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you. Let's rock now..

Well, when I get in from a gay night of fun
And I think back over the things I've done
I'm sorry little mama if I don't treat you right
But you know I hate to hear you say every night
Give the bottle to the baby ah ha bop
Bottle to the baby come on and rock
Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
Ohhh, let's rock...

Hey ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba bop,
Ah ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop.
Oh, ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop
Ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop

Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
Ohhhh, pick that tune...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Bottle to the Baby" by Charlie Feathers are about a man who is being scolded by his partner for not spending enough time with their child. We see in the first verse that the singer was out rocking all night, and when he returned home, his partner told him he had to rock the young one to sleep. In the second verse, we learn that the woman is getting frustrated with the man always going out to have fun while she has to stay home and care for the child. She tells him that he needs to settle down and start helping out. The chorus line "give the bottle to the baby" is an instruction for the man to help with the child-rearing responsibilities.

The lyrics convey the struggle of balancing the carefree lifestyle of the rock n’ roll era with the responsibilities of adulthood such as taking care of a child. It also shows the importance of compromise and sharing responsibilities in a relationship. The song has a catchy beat that perfectly complements the energy of rock n’ roll.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I rocked last night I came in at four
I stayed out late partying last night and didn't come home until four in the morning

Woman told me I had to rock some more.
My partner told me I had to keep entertaining her

She sat me down she put that youngin' in my lap
She made me sit down and take care of the baby

And she said rock that youngin' while I take a nap.
She asked me to take care of the baby while she takes a nap

Give the bottle to the baby, ah-ah bop
The baby needs a bottle, so I need to give it to them

Bottle to the baby, hey hey rock.
I need to rock the baby while they drink the bottle

Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
If you want me to take care of you, you need to take care of the baby too

Well, that woman told me I wasn't treatin' her right.
My partner told me I wasn't treating her well enough

She has to rock them kids nearly every night
She has to take care of the kids almost every night

While I'm out just rockin' round town
While I'm out partying and having fun

Well, she told me I was gonna have to settle down
She warned me that I needed to become more responsible

And give the bottle to the baby, ah-ah bop
I need to give the baby its bottle

Bottle to the baby tiddy whop bop bop
I need to give the baby its bottle and rock it to sleep

Well, when I get in from a gay night of fun
After having a fun night out

And I think back over the things I've done
When I reflect on my actions

I'm sorry little mama if I don't treat you right
I apologize if I'm not treating you well

But you know I hate to hear you say every night
But I'm tired of hearing the same complaint from you every night

Give the bottle to the baby ah ha bop
I need to give the baby its bottle

Bottle to the baby come on and rock
I need to give the baby its bottle and rock it to sleep

Ohhhh, let's rock...
Let's get started with taking care of the baby

Hey ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba bop,
A nonsensical phrase used to accompany the rocking of the baby

Ah ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop.
Another nonsensical phrase used to accompany the rocking of the baby

Oh, ba-ba-ba-ba baby tiddy whop ba-bop
A third nonsensical phrase used to accompany the rocking of the baby

Bottle to the baby if you want me to baby you.
If you want me to take care of you, you need to take care of the baby too

Ohhhh, pick that tune...
Let's continue playing music and taking care of the baby

Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHARLIE FEATHERS, D CHASTAIN JOE, JERRY HUFFMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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