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 popularโand 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.
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kept my daddy over in Macon jail
He told me if you keep your hands clean, yeah
You won't hear them bloodhounds on your trail
Well I fell in with bad companions
Robbed a man, oh up in Tennessee
They caught me way up in Nashville
What'd you do, son?
I washed my hands in muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do what my daddy told me, yeah
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
Well, I asked the judge, now when's my time up?
He said son, oh, you know we won't forget
Now, if you try just to keep your hands clean, yeah
We might just make a good man of you yet
Oh, I couldn't wait, well, to get my time up
I broke out, broke out of Nashville jail
I just crossed the state-line of Georgia
Well, well, I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail
What'd you do?
Washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me
Yeah, but I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
Yeah, washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy, oh, oh
Yeah, washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
I tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
Yeah, I washed my hands in the muddy water
Wiped my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
I tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream
Yeah, I washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Well, I tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream
Yeah, I washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Well, I tried to do, tried like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, yeah
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, ma-ma-ma-ma, come clean, mu-mu-mu
I tried to do, tried like my daddy told me, yeah lord
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, come on!
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't
Well, I tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, yeah...
The lyrics of Elvis Presley's "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" narrate the story of a man who was advised by his father to always keep his hands clean, implying to avoid any dealings with the police, prisoners, or any law-breaking activities. Despite the advice, he ended up with bad company and made a bad decision to rob someone in Tennessee. He got caught, and they locked him up in Nashville. He tried to wash his hands in muddy water, hoping to make things right, but things didn't go as planned, and he crossed the state-line to Georgia to escape the hounds.
The song might be interpreted as a metaphor for trying to correct one's mistakes and move on from a grim past. The muddy water is symbolic of the man's troubled life and the difficulties he faces in trying to clean up his act. The bloodhounds on his trail represent the consequences of his actions and the repercussions he faces for his transgressions. The song's final lines express the hope that he might be able to turn his life around and become a good man, as his father had always hoped he would be.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in Macon Georgia
The singer is introducing himself and stating where he was born.
Kept my daddy over in Macon jail
The singer's father was in jail in Macon.
He told me if you keep your hands clean, yeah
You won't hear them bloodhounds on your trail
The singer's father warned him that if he stayed out of trouble, the police wouldn't be after him.
Well I fell in with bad companions
Robbed a man, oh up in Tennessee
They caught me way up in Nashville
They locked me up and threw away the key
The singer got involved with bad people and committed a crime. The police caught him in Nashville and put him in jail.
What'd you do, son?
The judge is asking the singer what he did to end up in jail.
I washed my hands in muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do what my daddy told me, yeah
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
The singer is saying he tried to follow his father's advice to stay out of trouble by keeping his hands clean. However, he still ended up committing a crime and being caught.
Well, I asked the judge, now when's my time up?
He said son, oh, you know we won't forget
Now, if you try just to keep your hands clean, yeah
We might just make a good man of you yet
The singer is asking the judge when he will be released from jail. The judge tells him that if he stays out of trouble, he will be released and can become a good person.
Oh, I couldn't wait, well, to get my time up
I broke out, broke out of Nashville jail
I just crossed the state-line of Georgia
Well, well, I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail
The singer couldn't wait to get out of jail, so he escaped from the Nashville jail and crossed into Georgia. However, the police are now after him and he can hear their dogs chasing him.
Yeah, washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me
Yeah, but I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream
The singer repeats that he tried to follow his father's advice but still ended up in trouble.
Washed my hands in muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in a muddy, oh, oh
The singer repeats that he couldn't clean his hands despite trying to follow his father's advice.
Yeah, washed my hands in muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Well, I tried to do, tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream
The singer repeats that he failed to keep his hands clean and is now paying the price.
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Wiped my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
I tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream
The singer is emphasizing that he tried to follow his father's advice but still ended up in trouble.
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't come clean
Well, I tried to do, tried like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, yeah
The singer repeats that he followed his father's advice but still ended up in trouble.
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, ma-ma-ma-ma, come clean, mu-mu-mu
I tried to do, tried like my daddy told me, yeah lord
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, come on!
The singer is lamenting that he couldn't follow his father's advice and is now paying for it.
Washed my hands in the muddy water
Washed my hands, oh, but they didn't
Well, I tried to do like my daddy told me, oh yeah
But I must have washed my hands in the muddy stream, yeah...
The singer repeats that he tried to follow his father's advice but still ended up in trouble.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management
Written by: Joe T. Babcock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ellen Salvatore
Country, rock, blues, gospel, ballads - each one better than the other. Only Elvis could do that
Joe West
I think more and more people are realising how much of a good singer he was. RIP Elvis Presley.
Ivy Ferreira
He is phenomenal! That voice is out of this world. We still love his music here in South Africa.
Lee Rusz
I agree entirely. This was the most famous and popular solo artist in history and yet he was so underrated.
Jennifer Mikel
@Sean De Burca - Piano Vocalist p
bluesman0000
I couldnโt agree more, so influential and incredibly talented, such a shame he was used by his management and system.
Sean De Burca - Piano Vocalist
He just don't sound like nobody , as he said himself. No need for auto tune like artists today use, he was just unreal
Marvan
Elvis at his best ! His voice was becoming so mature, so powerful and so rich ....The forthcoming boxset " From Elvis in Nashville " should be a must for all who love Elvis' music !
TCBSonny
This sounds i.m.o. far better then what we already have. Even on here. I really love these 1970/1971 recordings! Greatest artist of all time!
Mister Resister
Yes, his 1969-1971 recordings are amongst his best, along with 1954-58 and 1960-62