[edit] Career
At a young age, he was interested in music but his primary interest was athletics. He purchased a guitar at the age of 12 and although he learned to play it, most of his time was devoted to sport. This eventually resulted in being offered a baseball scholarship to the University of Idaho at Moscow.
King later returned to Shreveport and joined the Louisiana Hayride, a popular TV and radio show broadcast in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, produced in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Louisiana Hayride ranked second only to the Grand Ole Opry in terms of television and radio importance in the early 1950s to the 1960s and King was frequently billed on the same shows with other famous legends such as Elvis Presley, John Ritter's father, Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Jimmie Davis, Slim Whitman, Faron Young, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell, among many others who became big music stars in the 1960s.
King recorded a few songs for Gotham Records, although none were successful. In 1961, he became more serious about a musical career and signed with the Nashville, Tennessee division of Columbia Records. He struck immediately, cutting "Big River, Big Man", a country Top 10 and even a small pop crossover success. He soon followed with "The Comancheros" inspired by the movie of the same title, starring John Wayne. It was a Top 10 country hit in late 1961, also crossing over to the pop charts.
King made his "career" recording in the spring of 1962. "Wolverton Mountain", written with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore, was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. The song became an immediate hit, going to No.1 for nine weeks during its 26-week run on the Billboard Country charts. It was also a pop Top 10.
King followed up that year with an American Civil War song, "The Burning Of Atlanta" which also went Top 10 on the country charts and again generated a lot of interest on the pop lists. In late 1962, he recorded "I've Got The World By The Tail" which narrowly missed the country Top 10.
He had another good year in 1963, scoring three solid country hits with "Sheepskin Valley", "Building a Bridge" and "Hey Lucille!". The hits continued in 1964 with "Sam Hill" and in 1965 he was back in the Top 10 with "Tiger Woman", co-written by Merle Kilgore. King also did well that year with "Little Buddy". His smooth country style continued to find a flavor throughout the decade, especially songs like "Catch a Little Raindrop" and the Top 10 "All For The Love Of A Girl" in 1969. His singles continued to hit the country charts through 1972. He left the label in 1973 after having accomplished 29 hits.
Besides a successful career recording and touring, King also performed as an actor in several movies, and like his nephew, Chris Aable, King is also among a minority of actors who are members in both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He appeared in the 1982 television miniseries The Blue and the Gray and appeared in several feature films. King is no relation to another actor by the same name, born in 1875 in England.
In 1981, Arkansas Governor Frank D. White paid tribute to King and his big 1962 hit by declaring August 7 "Wolverton Mountain Day". By that time, King had almost retired from recording.
After being absent from recording for over 20 years, King recently released a new CD called Cowboy in the White House. Most of the songs were written or co-written by him. Elvis Presley's guitarist, James Burton performed guitar for the release.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_King"
Catch a Little Raindrop
Claude King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh) and here's what you should do
Give it to a flower (uh huh give it to a flower) uh huh
Give it to a flower (uh huh) and it will give to you
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
A little bit of honey (uh huh) for lips so sweet and true
Catch a little raindrop give it to a flower and a little bee will put it in a tree
And make a little honey for you
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh) and I gave it on you
Cause you're my little flower (uh huh you're my little flower) uh huh
You're my little flower (uh huh) and you gave something too
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
A little bit of honey (uh huh) from lips so sweet and true
I caught a little raindrop gave it to a flower and a little bee put it in a tree
And made a little honey for you and me
"Catch a Little Raindrop" by Claude King is a love song that makes use of the metaphor of raindrops, flowers, bees, and honey to express the idea of reciprocation in a relationship. The song encourages the listener to catch a raindrop and give it to a flower, which will eventually yield honey, an act that symbolizes the simplicity of giving and receiving love. The lyrics advocate for the importance of small gestures and the value of nurturing a relationship like a garden that requires dedication and attention.
The song attributes sweetness and purity to the process of catching a raindrop and giving it to a flower. The reference to the bee in the lyrics also suggests the role of hardworking individuals, who play a key role in transforming the simple gift into something nourishing and worthwhile. The lines "I caught a little raindrop and I gave it on you/Cause you're my little flower and you gave something too" further emphasize the importance of mutual exchange in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh catch a little raindrop) uh huh
The singer is urging listeners to catch a little raindrop
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh) and here's what you should do
After catching a raindrop, the singer suggests giving it to a flower
Give it to a flower (uh huh give it to a flower) uh huh
The raindrop should be given to a flower
Give it to a flower (uh huh) and it will give to you
In return, the flower will offer something in exchange
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
The flower will give a little bit of honey
A little bit of honey (uh huh) for lips so sweet and true
This honey is meant for sweet and genuine lips
Catch a little raindrop give it to a flower and a little bee will put it in a tree
By giving the raindrop to a flower, a bee will collect it and make honey
And make a little honey for you
The honey made by the bee is for the person who caught the raindrop
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh caught a little raindrop) uh huh
The singer caught a raindrop
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh) and I gave it on you
The singer gave the raindrop to someone special
Cause you're my little flower (uh huh you're my little flower) uh huh
The person who received the raindrop is referred to as a flower
You're my little flower (uh huh) and you gave something too
The flower gave something in exchange for the raindrop
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
Just like before, the flower gave a little bit of honey
A little bit of honey (uh huh) from lips so sweet and true
This honey is meant for sweet and genuine lips
I caught a little raindrop gave it to a flower and a little bee put it in a tree
The singer gave the raindrop to the flower, and a bee made honey for both of them
And made a little honey for you and me
The honey was made for both the singer and the person they gave the raindrop to
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DORSEY BURNETTE, JOE OSBORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rody692
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh )catch a little raindrop( uh huh)
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh) and here's what you should do
Give it to a flower (uh huh) give it to a flower( uh huh)
Give it to a flower (uh huh) and it will give to you
A little bit of honey (uh huh )a little bit of honey)(uh huh)
A little bit of honey (uh huh) for lips so sweet and true
Catch a little raindrop, give it to a flower and a little bee will put it in a tree
And make a little honey for you
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh) caught a little raindrop( uh huh)
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh) and I gave it on you
Cause you're my little flower (uh huh) you're my little flower (uh huh)
You're my little flower (uh huh) and you gave something too
A little bit of honey (uh huh )a little bit of honey( uh huh)
A little bit of honey (uh huh) from lips so sweet and true
I caught a little raindrop ,gave it to a flower and a little bee put it in a tree
And made a little honey for you and me
@rody692
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh catch a little raindrop) uh huh
Catch a little raindrop (uh huh) and here's what you should do
Give it to a flower (uh huh give it to a flower) uh huh
Give it to a flower (uh huh) and it will give to you
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
A little bit of honey (uh huh) for lips so sweet and true
Catch a little raindrop give it to a flower and a little bee will put it in a tree
And make a little honey for you
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh caught a little raindrop) uh huh
I caught a little raindrop (uh huh) and I gave it to you
Cause you're my little flower (uh huh you're my little flower) uh huh
You're my little flower (uh huh) and you gave something too
A little bit of honey (uh huh a little bit of honey) uh huh
A little bit of honey (uh huh) from lips so sweet and true
I caught a little raindrop gave it to a flower and a little bee put it in a tree
And made a little honey for you and me
@davidosborn146
A few minutes ago I found a
45 rpm record of this in some of the things my dad left behind when he died in December 2018. I don't have a turntable, and I'm glad I found it here.
The song was written by Dorsey Burnette and Joe Osborn.
Well, Joe is my Dad.. he kept this all these years. The label says Not for sale- Radio station copy.
I remember Dad and Dorsey being friends when I was a kid..
@JWGauntt
appreciate your comment and time
@davidosborn146
@J.W. Gauntt
You're very welcome.
Once I listened to it a couple of times, I got a memory of my grandmother listening to KWKH in Shreveport and I recognized the song from my childhood memories.
I can clearly remember as a kid oftentimes going for a drink of water in the night and there they were... Dorsey and Dad sitting at the kitchen table with guitars, notepads, wine and Dorsey just singing and playing with Dad. The one I see the most is Kingdom of the Spider.. a movie they wrote a song for and Dorsey sings it on the movie. It might be called
green side of the mountainnot sure.Thanks again for posting these pieces of American music history.
@JWGauntt
@David Osborn very welcome , i used to listen to KWKH, wonder if they still play music
@blessedfire365xgf
A beautiful song
@danielburns987
this song went to #13 on the country charts in 1966!!!
@johnsandiford5978
Nice song by Claude,thanks for sharing Jack
@JWGauntt
john sandiford very welcome Rock, appreciate you listening
@tesslite1578
Thank you so much
@JWGauntt
You're most welcome