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.
Smokey Mountain Boy
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just a smokey mountain boy
Come back to the hills i love
Where the tops of pine all bend in the wind
And the deep blue sky above
The closer and closer i get to home
The more excited i am
Start the day off with a hot corn bread
Smothered in huckleberry jam
[Chorus]
I can almost hear the hounds running through the woods
Close on the trail of the hare
How i long to be with them following the hounds
A-huntin' again
Gettin' me a big old grizzly bear
[Chorus]
I traveled around and met lots of girls
No matter how many i see
I left some pretty ones behind
I know back home is where i'll find
The girl whose love is meant for me
[Chorus]
In Elvis Presley's song Smokey Mountain Boy, the singer talks about his nostalgic memories of home - the Smokey Mountains. The song is a tribute to the hills he loves and the life he once lived there. The chorus talks about how he's just a Smokey mountain boy who's returned to his roots, where the pine trees bend in the wind and the sky is deep blue. This line paints a picture of the beautiful scenery of the Smokey Mountains where he grew up.
The second verse talks about how he's excited to be back home and his fondness for starting his day with hot cornbread and huckleberry jam. This line shows his love for the simple things in life that he enjoyed as a child. In the last verse, he talks about his desire to go hunting for a big old grizzly bear with his hounds in the woods. His love for his home and everything it represents is clear in the song.
Overall, Smokey Mountain Boy is a beautiful exploration of the meaning of home, and the memories that people cherish from their childhood. Elvis Presley's masterful delivery of the lyrics and his raw emotion make this song a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just a smokey mountain boy
I am a man hailing from the Smokey Mountains who embodies the values and traditions of my home.
Come back to the hills I love
I yearn to return to the place where I feel most at home.
Where the tops of pine all bend in the wind
The mountains are a beautiful sight to behold, with tall trees swaying to the rhythm of the wind.
And the deep blue sky above
The sky above is clear, vast and beautiful, epitomizing the limitless potential of the world.
The closer and closer I get to home
As I draw nearer and nearer to the Smokey Mountains, I cannot contain my excitement and anticipation.
The more excited I am
My love for my hometown intensifies the closer I come to it.
Those were the mornings I'd roll out of bed
I recall fondly the days of my youth when I would wake up early with vigor.
Start the day off with a hot cornbread
I would commence the day with a great Southern breakfast, warm cornbread being a staple food.
Smothered in huckleberry jam
The sweet and tangy taste of huckleberry jam smothered on my cornbread added extra zest to my breakfast.
I can almost hear the hounds running through the woods
The sound of hunting dogs on the prowl in the forest echoes in my mind and fills me with nostalgia.
Close on the trail of the hare
The dogs' sharp senses implore them to pursue a wild hare as their quarry.
How I long to be with them following the hounds
I yearn to join the hunting dogs as they hotly pursue their targets through the forest.
A huntin' again
My hunger to go hunting once more is insatiable, a passion I crave to revisit.
Gettin' me a big old grizzly bear
My goal is to catch a large, imposing grizzly bear on my next hunting adventure.
[Chorus]
The chorus talks about the themes of the stanza: the love of the Smokey Mountains and the pull it has on the Smokey Mountain Boy.
I traveled around and met lots of girls
Despite my journey taking me far beyond the Smokey Mountains, I have had the opportunity to meet numerous women.
No matter how many I see
Despite having met many women, I still have yet to find someone who lived up to the women of the Smokey Mountains.
I left some pretty ones behind
Though some of these women were attractive, they were not enough to make me forget my desire to return to the Smokey Mountains.
I know back home is where I'll find
I am confident that I will only find the woman of my dreams in the place where my heart lies.
The girl whose love is meant for me
I believe that the only woman who can be the perfect match for me resides in the Smokey Mountains.
[Chorus]
The chorus reiterates the love for the Smokey Mountains and how they represent the ultimate home for the Smokey Mountain Boy.
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LENORE ROSENBLATT, VICTOR MILLROSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elvis Presley Records
I love this song! Great tune I just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you ♥️
George Vreeland Hill
I miss Elvis. But his songs will last forever.
Raymond Hoagland
One of my favorites !
Charla Ville
LOVE, LOVE!!
Sonia Leite
Lindo msrsvilhoso❤❤❤
pat Blake
I love this song it reminds new me when my uncle Toke me up to the snow on the mountians. But I can't do that now cause he sadly passed away
Corey Messick
Actually maybe you can, sorry for your loss but my property of 6 acres channel might have what you crave? Big Elvis fan here, uploaded Elvis jukebox ornaments and Elvis stuff at Ripley’s Believe It or Not (part 1 and 3). Watch Midsummer Daydream from me and see if it’s similar.
Sandra Berube
This voice beautiful great song, with army, great voice singing wow ooo! 👏👏🎶🎼🕺🎶🎼👏👏💙💜💙2021
philippe waldeck
super
Chocolate Ex
👌