Henry opened eighteen concerts for The Beatles across the US & Canada (1964) - However, his main source of income was from the Bourbon St strip (New Orleans), where he played for nineteen years. His name could still draw hordes of tourists, long after his hit-making days had ended. "Ain't Got No Home", achieved fresh notoriety in the 1990s - through its use, for a time, as the "Homeless Update" theme music, on The Rush Limbaugh Show.
Clarence Henry's pioneering contribution, to the genre, has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Mark Sandman (lead singer / bass player, of the rock band Morphine) - during a home-studio interview - cited Frogman as an important influence.
Your Picture
Clarence "Frogman" Henry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I laughed with my friend when she got to the end
I knew we were laughing at you
She told me that you made some money and you got yourself frames on the wall
People come by and they look at your face
And they say it's the fairest of all
That's what you do best
You're modest and shy to the end
You're watching them as they're looking at you
And you know it was money well spent
She told me you'd given up drinking to be with somebody you knew
And you tried to get into the bible
But it never got into you
You've still got some loyal disciples I suppose that I'm one of the few
I shouldn't have laughed Cause I mean you no harm
But my friend got to me before you
And next time I see you I'll be pleased to see you
I hope you'll be pleased to see me
I'll visit your picture I won't have the nerve
To tell them that they've got you all wrong
The song "Your Picture" by Clarence "Frogman" Henry is about a man who hears a story about someone he knows, who has become successful and has their picture displayed on the wall. The man laughs along with his friend who is telling the story, but he knows that the person in the picture is not what they seem. The singer knows that the person in the picture is not as modest and shy as they appear, but rather someone who spent money to have their picture taken and displayed. The singer also knows that the person in the picture had given up drinking to be with someone they knew, but they were not successful in adopting religion, despite trying.
The singer is aware that there are still people who praise the person in the picture, but he is not one of them. He feels guilty about laughing at the story and promises to visit the picture, but he won't have the courage to tell anyone that they have misunderstood the person. The song acknowledges society's tendency to put people on a pedestal and make them appear perfect without knowing the true story behind the individual.
Line by Line Meaning
My friend she told me such a story but she didn't know what I knew
My friend told me a story about you, but she wasn't aware of everything I knew about you.
I laughed with my friend when she got to the end
I couldn't help but laugh with my friend when she finished telling me the story.
I knew we were laughing at you
The story was about you, so we were actually laughing at you.
She told me that you made some money and you got yourself frames on the wall
My friend said you earned some money and bought some frames to hang pictures on the wall.
People come by and they look at your face
People come over and admire the picture of you hanging on the wall.
And they say it's the fairest of all
They compliment the picture by saying it's the most beautiful one.
Of course you protest
You deny their compliments.
That's what you do best
You always decline praise on yourself.
You're modest and shy to the end
You remain humble and reserved despite the compliments.
You're watching them as they're looking at you
You observe the people admiring your picture.
And you know it was money well spent
You believe that the money you spent on the picture was worth it.
She told me you'd given up drinking to be with somebody you knew
My friend informed me that you quit drinking in order to be with someone you know.
And you tried to get into the bible
You made an effort to understand the Bible.
But it never got into you
Unfortunately, you weren't able to comprehend the message of the Bible.
You've still got some loyal disciples I suppose that I'm one of the few
You still have some devoted followers, and I think I am one of the few remaining ones.
I shouldn't have laughed Cause I mean you no harm
I regret laughing at your expense because I don't want to hurt your feelings.
But my friend got to me before you
Unfortunately, my friend had already told me the story before I could hear it from you.
And next time I see you I'll be pleased to see you
When I meet you again, I'll be happy to see you.
I hope you'll be pleased to see me
I hope you'll also have a good time when you see me.
I'll visit your picture I won't have the nerve
I'll look at your picture, but I'll be too timid to say anything about it.
To tell them that they've got you all wrong
I won't say that the picture doesn't accurately represent who you are.
Writer(s): Robert C. Guidry
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bluenote824 jones
love this guy.great stuff.never get tired of his stuff.
Travis Wilson
Love to hear Frogman.......this is awesome!
Hoppie Grey
Glad to have discovered this gem of a singer! Thanks YouTube and the Expedia commercial which made me look him up!👍
Francis Alan Wormald
I SAD IT TOOK ME 82 YEARS TO FULLY APPRECIATE THIS ARTIST. CLOSE TO ONE OF A KIND!!
Anthony Estrada
very underrated performer
lakewoodil
Love Clarence and the sax work is great. He is getting a lot of airplay in the commercial now. Had not heard this song..
Irene Mccann
Great , good old Clarence, the songs in that era had everything great melody great lyrics with meaning pertaining to real life , not like todays garbage.
bazthehandyman
Awesome performer.....a sound long gone now.
lateforbreakfast
The tinkling ivories, the growling sax, the froggy voice...Classic Clarence 'frogman' Henry
Helen Riggon
another great classic