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).

I've Been Deceived
Charlie Feathers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been deceived
There's no use denieing
I was fooled by kisses
Your sweet talk and your lying
But the good book tells us
You reap just what you sow
In your harvest darlin'
Will be bitter tears, I know

Oh, I've been deceived

Words can not explain, dear
What you've done to me
The sorrow you brought me
And, Oh, the misery
Why must the honest suffer?
And the guilty go free?
I'm left along to ponder

Perhaps, someday I'll see
Oh, I've been deceived

Overall Meaning

In "I've Been Deceived," Charlie Feathers expresses the feelings of betrayal and pain after being deceived by a lover. He admits that he was fooled by the sweet talks and lying of his partner, and he can no longer deny the truth. Feathers compares the situation to a biblical principle that suggests that what one sows, they will reap. Therefore, his unfaithful partner's harvest would be bitter tears. The second verse highlights the agony that Feathers feels, and he questions why the honest have to suffer while the guilty go free. In the end, he is left alone to ponder the deception.

The lyrics of "I've Been Deceived" offer a glimpse into the pain and agony of betrayal. Feathers' sorrowful delivery of the lyrics emphasizes the depth of his emotions. The song features a classic country music melody and Feathers' characteristic rockabilly sound. The song attempts to capture the heartache of losing something you believed was true and the painful realization that it was nothing more than a mirage.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been deceived
I have been tricked

There's no use denying
It is pointless to deny the truth

I was fooled by kisses
Your kisses tricked me

Your sweet talk and your lying
I was deceived by your sugary words and deceitful actions

But the good book tells us
The Bible teaches us

You reap just what you sow
You get what you deserve

In your harvest darlin'
When you receive the consequences, my love

Will be bitter tears, I know
You will cry tears of regret and pain, I am aware

Oh, I've been deceived
I have been fooled

Words can not explain, dear
I can't find words to convey, my love

What you've done to me
How you've affected me