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.
The Man With the Bag
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone found a lighted house late one night
And he saw through the window a sight
A big man in a chair
And little tiny men everywhere
He's the man with all the toys
Well how thrilled that someone must have been
He stayed out in the cold
And when he left them he told
About the man with all the toys
He's the man with all the toys
The man with all the toys
He's the man with all the toys
The lyrics of Elvis Presley's song, The Man With the Bag, are full of whimsy and playful imagery. The title itself sets the tone for the song, and the opening line, "He's the man with all the toys," immediately calls to mind a jolly, larger-than-life figure who is generous and ready to spread joy to all who cross his path. As the song progresses, Elvis paints a picture of a mysterious figure who lives in a lighted house and is surrounded by tiny men who seem to be working tirelessly to create wonderful toys for the world.
The lyrics suggest that this "man with all the toys" is a magical figure, one who is capable of spreading happiness and delight throughout the world with his gifts. The toys that he creates are imbued with a sense of wonder and childlike delight that is infectious, and even the singer of the song cannot help but be drawn in by his charm. The little bit of mystery surrounding the man only adds to his allure, and we are left to imagine what kind of world he must inhabit - one where dreams come to life and anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
He's the man with all the toys
Elvis is singing about a man who has all the toys and loves to share them with others.
Someone found a lighted house late one night
An unknown person came across a house that was lit up late at night.
And he saw through the window a sight
The unknown person saw something interesting through the window of the house.
A big man in a chair
The man in the house was big and sitting in a chair.
And little tiny men everywhere
There were a lot of small men in the house as well.
Well how thrilled that someone must have been
The sight of the man with all the toys must have thrilled the unknown person who saw him through the window.
And he must have been tempted to go in
The unknown person was probably tempted to go inside the house.
He stayed out in the cold
Instead of going inside, the unknown person stayed outside in the cold.
And when he left them he told
After leaving the house, the unknown person told others about what he had seen.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN DOUGLAS WILSON, MIKE E. LOVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joanne Wheelwright
Hello from England
I was 12 when ELVIS died. I have been a FAN ever since
There are very few ‘left’ that new ELVIS as watching videos about ELVIS and his ‘backstory’ it makes me think so much more about the time that has passed - 50 +years
LARRY is one of the ‘last men standing’. Jerry Schilling is another and he is 80 in February
ELVIS fans like myself are so blessed to see LARRY ‘chatting’ with you and telling his ‘stories’ and memories of those days
I know we all have different opinions about ‘things’ back then but WE WERE NOT THERE
Larry should I hope have NO REGRETS
I am SURE there were MANY MORE of the GOOD TIMES than BAD
We as humans are never perfect but LARRY and the rest were good decent people who did their best
❤️❤️❤️❤️🥲🥲🥲🥲👍 👍 👍 😭😭😭👌🏻👌🏻❤️❤️
Greg Appelgren
I cano not believe how Larry never ages! Almost 81 years old in this interview. Yoga, diet, and clean spiritual living shows
yillo yillo
@Nick Malone2 often in our world ppl get exploited is what u wanna say? ofc true. BUT what you then conclude: Larry is a privileged guy? so he didn't work full-time all his life? what the heck you wanna say bro? is it a crime to stay healthy and have self discipline, nope.. side note beer is healthy too, the dose makes the poison..
Nick Malone2
It’s called an easy life.
Diane Krisak
Larry is a true soul and bright spirit. I’m glad Elvis had him in his life.
Seer Stone
I wish this interview would have lasted for a hundred hours ...Larry is fascinating to hear!
Corporal Clegg
@Chet Casper what?
Chet Casper
@Corporal Clegg kk
Elfriede Kupfer
Yes I am crying when I listen for Larry Gellers interview very sadly😭
Corporal Clegg
Larry’s a beautiful person thats lived an amazing life & had a remarkable friend. Elvis was lucky to have had Larry and vise versa. Larry’s wife had competition, when it came to sharing space in Larry’s Soul.
Gassbagger woods
he sure is