Ray Edward Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota; however, as his parents were from Oklahoma, he considered himself an Oklahoman, and introduced himself as such in interviews. He took music lessons in school, but eventually quit the band to play drums. Rather than take piano lessons, Cochran began learning guitar, playing the country music he heard on the radio. As time went on, Cochran moved to Los Angeles, California in 1953. Together with Hank Cochran, Eddie formed The Cochran Brothers, though the two shared no relation.
Around the same time, Cochran worked as a session musician, but aspired to be a songwriter and artist in his own right, and recorded a demo with songwriting partner and future manager, Jerry Capeheart. Cochran's first notable foray into the public eye was as one of the many performing artists featured in the musical comedy film The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield, eventually resulting in a recording contract with Liberty. He would follow up on this appearance by appearing in several films of the same genre. He also performed as a support act for such stars as Gene Vincent and Little Richard, who were among Cochran's co-stars in the aforementioned film.
For his recordings, Cochran often used experimental techniques that would later become part and parcel for other recording artists, notably recording numerous overdubs in order to create the rich, distinctive guitar sound for "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody". "Twenty Flight Rock", the song Cochran performed in The Girl Can't Help It, was the very first song a young Paul McCartney played for John Lennon as his audition for Lennon's group, The Quarrymen, which would later metamorphose into The Beatles.
Cochran was killed in an automobile accident in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England during a tour of Britain with Gene Vincent. Vincent and Cochran's fiancee, who were both in the car, survived the crash. Scholars have noted that, somewhat eerily, Cochran's last single release in his lifetime was "Three Steps to Heaven", although the song's lyrical context has nothing to do with death. Cochran's death occurred little over a year after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, to whom he paid tribute in his recording of the song "Three Stars", which remained unreleased until 1966.
A majority of Cochran's recorded legacy would be released posthumously; in his lifetime, only one album, Singin' to My Baby (1957), was ever released. Perhaps owing to the brevity of his career, Cochran never attained the same star status as other rockers of the era; however, his lyrical themes of teenage desires and rebellion, being somewhat more morose and raucous than his contemporaries, had a profound influence on many of the greatest artists of the '60s and '70s, such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones.
Boll Weevil
Eddie Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A-well, the Boll Weevil and the little black bug
Come from a-Mexico, they say
Came all the way to Texas
Just a-lookin' for a place to stay
Just a-lookin' for a home
Just a-lookin' for a home
A-well, the first time that I seen the Boll Weevil
He was a-sittin' on the square
A-well, the next time that I seen him
He had all his family there
Just a-lookin' for a home
Just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo, doo, wop, wop)
Well, the farmer took the Boll Weevil
And he put him on the red hot sand
Well, the Weevil said, "This is a mighty hot
But I'll take it like a man
This will be my home
This will be my home"
Well, the farmer took the Boll Weevil
And he put him on a keg of ice
Well, the Weevil said to the farmer
"This is mighty cool and nice
This will be my home
This will be my home"
(Doo, doo, wop, wop)
Well, if anybody should ask you
Who it was who sang this song?
Say a guitar picker from a Oklahoma city
With a pair of blue jeans on
Just a-lookin' for a home
Just a-lookin' for a home
(Doo-doo-wop-wop)
The lyrics to Eddie Cochran's hit song "Boll Weevil" tell the story of the boll weevil and the little black bug as they come from Mexico to Texas in search of a new home. The boll weevil is an insect that feeds on cotton crops and caused significant economic damage in the South during the early 20th century. The song describes how the first time the singer saw the boll weevil, it was sitting on the square, and the next time he saw it, it had all its family with it. The lyrics convey a sense of irony, as the boll weevil, traditionally viewed as a pest, is represented as a creature just looking for a place to stay, a home.
The song goes on to describe how a farmer places the boll weevil on red hot sand, and the weevil claims that it will take it like a man, accepting its new environment as its home. The farmer then puts the weevil on a keg of ice, and again, the weevil says that this will be its home. The lyrics of the song progress with the farmer taking the weevil to different environments, and the weevil accepting each place as its new home.
The lyrics of "Boll Weevil" contain a subtle message that speaks to the universal desire for home, even for creatures typically considered harmful. Eddie Cochran's unique approach to this simple message has made the song a classic across different generations and demographics.
Line by Line Meaning
A-well, the Boll Weevil and the little black bug
The Boll Weevil and the little black bug are two insects from Mexico.
Come from a-Mexico, they say
They are said to have come all the way from Mexico to find a place to live.
Came all the way to Texas
They arrived in Texas from Mexico.
Just a-lookin' for a place to stay
They were looking for a place to call their home.
Just a-lookin' for a home
They were searching for a place to settle down.
A-well, the first time that I seen the Boll Weevil
The first time the singer saw the Boll Weevil.
He was a-sittin' on the square
He found the Boll Weevil sitting in the town square.
A-well, the next time that I seen him
The next time the singer saw the Boll Weevil.
He had all his family there
The Boll Weevil had his entire family with him now.
Well, the farmer took the Boll Weevil
The farmer found and captured the Boll Weevil.
And he put him on the red hot sand
The farmer put the Boll Weevil on the hot sand to punish him.
Well, the Weevil said, "This is a mighty hot
The Boll Weevil thinks the sand is too hot.
But I'll take it like a man
But he will try to be strong and tough it out.
This will be my home
He had to stay in the hot sand, as he has nowhere else to go.
Well, the farmer took the Boll Weevil
Again the farmer caught the Boll Weevil.
And he put him on a keg of ice
To further torture the Boll Weevil this time, the farmer places him on a cold keg of ice.
Well, the Weevil said to the farmer
The Boll Weevil spoke to the farmer.
"This is mighty cool and nice
He finds the cold keg of ice to be refreshing.
Well, if anybody should ask you
The singer now addresses his listeners.
Who it was who sang this song?
If anyone asks who sang this song.
Say a guitar picker from a Oklahoma city
Tell them it was a guitar player from Oklahoma.
With a pair of blue jeans on
Wearing blue jeans.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappel Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capeheart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phoenix Eagle
rock'n'roll/rockabilly still the greatest music ever this is one of my favorite songs by eddie.
Labaron26
Best Version of this song I have heard yet......love the background
OnlyFiftiesAgain
+Labaron26 ..Yes,it's a terrific version,Eddie was a great singer,one of my all time faves....
İdris Beyazyürek
BEST ... HE IS THE BEST.. THATS ALL...
David Gonzales
Superb job on the video!