The ‘e’ at the end of the name was added later. His younger brother John Joseph (Johnny) was born nearly fifteen months later on March 25, 1934. The Burnette Brothers grew up in a public housing project in the Lauderdale Courts area of Memphis, which from 1948 until 1954, was also the home of Gladys and Vernon Presley and their son, Elvis.
In November 1957, the brothers were approached by songwriter John Marascalco, who had written Ready Teddy and Rip It Up for Little Richard, as well as Good Night My Love and other hits. He was looking for a singer to help him with a new song called Bertha Lou. Dorsey and Johnny went into the Master Recorders Studio in Hollywood and backed by Odell Hull (lead guitar), Danny Flores (piano) and H B Barnum (drums) cut two tracks, Bertha Lou and ‘Till The Law Says Stop. It was originally planned that Johnny should sing the lead vocals, but when he recalled that he was still under contract to Coral Records, Dorsey suggested that nobody would care if he sang the song. The vocal duties were switched, with Johnny singing some of the backing vocals. The two sides were released as a single (Surf SR5019-45) under Dorsey’s name. Contrary to expectations, however, Coral threatened to sue and so label owner, Kenny Babcock withdrew the record. Not wishing for the session to be completely wasted, however, Babcock had Dorsey’s voice overdubbed with that of one of his own singers, Johnny Faire (also known as John Faircloth). Surf SR5019-45 was subsequently re-released as by Johnny Faire. Johnny Faire was later to change his name and find fame as Donnie Brooks.
Tall Oak Tree
Dorsey Burnette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That loved a babblin brook,
And the babblin brook
loved the mountain high,
And the mountain high
Loved the sky above.
The Creator looked down
And saw everything was love, love, love.
And a piece of mud --
He made a man and a woman
To be flesh and blood.
And then along came the devil
Up out of the ground --
He tempted the woman,
And that spread sin all round, all round, all round.
Now, if she?d left that apple
On that apple tree,
There?d be no tears or sorrow,
We?d live eternally.
And then along came Man
And chopped the oak tree down
And now the babblin brook
Is solid ground.
And now the mountain high
don't stand so high,
And there's a cloud of smoke
That covers up the clear blue sky.
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree.
The lyrics of Dorsey Burnette's song, "Tall Oak Tree," tell a story of love and temptation, sin and its aftermath. In the beginning, there was a tall oak tree that loved a babbling brook, and the brook loved the mountain high, which loved the sky above. Everything was filled with love, according to the Creator who looked down and saw the beauty in the world. But then, sin entered the world when the devil tempted a woman with an apple, leading to the downfall of humanity. If the woman had resisted the temptation, there would have been no pain or sorrow, and we would have lived eternally.
However, things took a turn for the worse when man chopped down the tall oak tree, leading to the destruction of the babbling brook and the mountain's height. Instead of the sky being clear and pure, a cloud of smoke now covers it. The lyrics of the song depict the progression of the world from a place of pure love and beauty to one tainted by sin.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a tall oak tree
The song starts with a depiction of a tall oak tree.
That loved a babblin brook,
The tall oak tree is personified as loving a babbling brook.
And the babblin brook
loved the mountain high,
The babbling brook is personified as loving the mountain high.
And the mountain high
Loved the sky above.
The mountain high is personified as loving the sky above.
The Creator looked down
And saw everything was love, love, love.
The song suggests that everything in nature was created by a divine power and that everything in nature is born out of love.
No, he took a bone
And a piece of mud --
The song is recounting the story of the creation of man from a biblical perspective.
He made a man and a woman
To be flesh and blood.
The divine power of the universe made man and woman with the intent for the two to form an eternal bond.
And then along came the devil
Up out of the ground --
The song refers to the arrival of the devil in the biblical narrative.
He tempted the woman,
And that spread sin all round, all round, all round.
The song suggests that the temptation of Eve and the consumption of the forbidden fruit caused the sin and suffering in the world.
Now, if she?d left that apple
On that apple tree,
The song suggests that if Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit, there would have been no sin or sorrow in the world.
There?d be no tears or sorrow,
We?d live eternally.
If there had been no sin in the world, humans would have been able to live eternally without suffering or sorrow.
And then along came Man
And chopped the oak tree down
The song suggests that man's tendency to exploit nature and the environment led to the destruction of natural beauty, such as the tall oak tree.
And now the babblin brook
Is solid ground.
The destruction of the oak tree caused changes in its environment, such as the babbling brook, which was previously flowing water but is now solid ground.
And now the mountain high
don't stand so high,
The destruction of the oak tree also influenced the mountain high, which no longer stands as tall as it did before.
And there's a cloud of smoke
That covers up the clear blue sky.
Lastly, the song suggests that man's actions have global consequences, such as pollution caused by the burning of trees, which is represented by the cloud of smoke that covers up the clear blue sky.
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree.
The song ends by repeating the opening line, which reinforces the theme of the destruction of natural beauty.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DORSEY BURNETTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yatziri munoz
There was a tall oak tree
That loved a babblin brook,
And the babblin brook
loved the mountain high,
And the mountain high
Loved the sky above.
The Creator looked down
And saw everything was love, love, love.
No, he took a bone
And a piece of mud --
He made a man and a woman
To be flesh and blood.
And then along came the devil
Up out of the ground --
He tempted the woman,
And that spread sin all round, all round, all round.
Now, if she?d left that apple
On that apple tree,
There?d be no tears or sorrow,
We?d live eternally.
And then along came Man
And chopped the oak tree down
And now the babblin brook
Is solid ground.
And now the mountain high
don't stand so high,
And there's a cloud of smoke
That covers up the clear blue sky.
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree,
There was a tall oak tree.
540rollerman
One of the most under rated songs of the time period. I liked this song when it came out and still do today. Thank you for letting us enjoy.
aj noname
I'm 76 now and still love these songs i didn't know they died so young but they for ever live in our hearts
BrickPa
Dorsey and Johnny Burnette are two (sadly so ) underappreciated rockabilly artists. Thanks for this posting great song!
AmericanaSam
Greetings from North Carolina, USA! I was recently at a Methodist church attic sale and found the original pressing of "Tall Oak Tree" by Mr. Burnette on ERA records. " "Juarez Town" is on the flipside of it. It was just nice to find it here on youtube as well. Thank you for posting it!
Nikki H.
i love the brook benton version i growup with that one. my sister and I did a little dance with this song. I'm 37 yrs old now and I still remember my dad playing the album for us when the weather was bad outside and me and my older sister ran out of stuff to do. Great song, great memories.
Robert Weil
I was only 11 when this song was a hit (1959) and I've hummed it to myself ever since, and have tried singing it while playing my guitar for years, but I only knew the 1st verse! Thanks so much for posting this!
cablonde320
I just love this song!! thanks so much for posting it Barbara
lora Schultz
Love to hear Dorsey and Johnny, what great singers and good looking men, sad to lose them
Jack Murphy
This was one of my all time favorites. Glad you posted it here. Dorsey never got his true credit.
Elsa Conrad
You wouldn't think a rockabilly legend could sound so much like Brook Benton.