Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.

Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

Clean Up Your Own Backyard
Elvis Presley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Back porch preacher preaching at me
Acting like he wrote the golden rules
Shaking his fist and speeching at me
Shouting from his soap box like a fool
Come Sunday morning he's lying in bed
With his eye all red, with the wine in his head
Wishing he was dead when he oughta be
Heading for Sunday school

Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine
Drugstore cowboy criticizing
Acting like he's better than you and me
Standing on the sidewalk supervising
Telling everybody how they ought to be
Come closing time 'most every night
He locks up tight and out go the lights
And he ducks out of sight and he cheats on his wife
With his employee
Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine
Armchair quarterback's always moanin'
Second guessing people all day long
Pushing, fooling and hanging on in
Always messing where they don't belong
When you get right down to the nitty-gritty
Isn't it a pity that in this big city
Not a one a'little bitty man'll admit
He could have been a little bit wrong
Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me, don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Overall Meaning

Elvis Presley's song Clean Up Your Own Backyard is filled with powerful commentary on societal hypocrites who are quick to criticize others, yet don't clean up their own lives. The lyrics poke fun at individuals who claim to live by the "golden rules," yet fail to live up to them in their personal lives. The song portrays three different individuals who seem to have their lives together on the surface, but in reality, they are all hypocrites.

The first character in the song is the "back porch preacher," who lectures others about ethics and morality, but fails to live out these values in his personal life. On Sunday mornings, he's often hungover, wishing he was dead instead of attending church. The second character is the "drugstore cowboy," who seems to think he's better than everyone else and is always criticizing others. However, he's secretly cheating on his wife with his employee. The third individual is the "armchair quarterback," who is always criticizing others but doesn't acknowledge when he's wrong.

The chorus of the song delivers the message that everyone should clean up their own backyard first before judging and criticizing others. The song speaks to the idea that it's easy to find fault with others, but it's much harder to take a look at one's own life and address one's own shortcomings.

Overall, Clean Up Your Own Backyard is a powerful commentary on hypocrisy, judging others, and making sure that we all take responsibility for our own lives and actions before pointing fingers at others.

Line by Line Meaning

Back porch preacher preaching at me
A self-righteous person who lectures others without practicing what they preach.

Acting like he wrote the golden rules
Behaving as if they have an infallible authority.

Shaking his fist and speeching at me
Expressing anger and frustration toward others, but not taking any action to address the issues.

Shouting from his soap box like a fool
Making loud and obnoxious statements to attract attention and impose their beliefs on others.

Come Sunday morning he's lying in bed
After all the preaching, they are still unproductive and unfaithful.

With his eye all red, with the wine in his head
Showing signs of being drunk or hungover, in contrast with their preaching.

Wishing he was dead when he oughta be Heading for Sunday school
Regretting their actions and lack of productivity when they should be fulfilling their religious duties.

Clean up your own backyard Oh don't you hand me none of your lines Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine
Focus on your own faults and problems before criticizing and lecturing others.

Drugstore cowboy criticizing
A person who pretends to be something they're not and criticizes others.

Acting like he's better than you and me
Behaving arrogantly and superior to others, despite having their own faults.

Standing on the sidewalk supervising Telling everybody how they ought to be
Trying to control and interfere in others' lives without having a positive impact.

Come closing time 'most every night He locks up tight and out go the lights And he ducks out of sight and he cheats on his wife With his employee
Engaging in immoral and unfaithful behavior while pretending to be a respectable member of society.

Armchair quarterback's always moanin' Second guessing people all day long
Judging and criticizing others without taking any risks or making any effort themselves.

Pushing, fooling and hanging on in Always messing where they don't belong
Forcing their way into situations where they are not needed or welcome, and causing problems.

When you get right down to the nitty-gritty Isn't it a pity that in this big city Not a one a'little bitty man'll admit He could have been a little bit wrong
People are often too proud to admit their mistakes, even when it's obvious they made a wrong decision.

Clean up your own backyard Oh don't you hand me, don't you hand me none of your lines Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine
Stop criticizing others and focus on improving yourself.

Lyrics © BUDDE MUSIC FRANCE, Universal Music Publishing Group, RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BILLY STRANGE, MAC DAVIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS