[edit] Career
Henson's career started in his home state of Oklahoma, performing at clubs around Oklahoma City and Tulsa. His family was active in politics and raised buffalo on a ranch outside Oklahoma City. In the mid 1960s, Henson moved to Nashville and became a member of the vocal group The Kimberlys. After leaving the group, Henson started on his solo career, and in 1967, he signed with Monument Records, and he immediately scored in a big way with a song called "Skip a Rope". The song became a huge hit, spending six weeks at Number 1 on the country charts in 1968 and also making the Top 25 on the Pop charts.
[edit] After Skip a Rope and Later Career
After "Skip a Rope", Cargill continued to have Top 20 hits with such songs as "Row Row Row" (1968), "None Of My Business" (his only other Top 10) (1969), and "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I Ever Heard" (1970). Later, he had a television show, Country Hayride, and performed for many years in Reno and Las Vegas. Johnny Cash was godfather to his oldest son, Cash.
After leaving Monument Records, Henson moved to Mega Records in 1971, where he scored several minor hits. In 1973, he made a strong comeback to the charts when he signed with Atlantic Records and scored 2 Top 30 hits in 1974 with "Some Old California Memory" and a version of Mac Davis' "Stop And Smell The Roses". In 1980, he formed his own record label Copper Mountain Records and he scored his last Top 30 hit that year with "Silence On The Line". In the late 1980s he retired to Oklahoma City and died on March 24, 2007
A Very Well Traveled Man
Henson Cargill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've worked construction jobs in Idaho
I've stevedored along the docks in Frisco
I have shrimped the Gulf of Mexico
And that makes me a very well traveled man
I've rough-necked in the oil fields of Texas
I have pulled a ten foot cotton sack
In Oregon a tall tree lumberjack
And that makes me a very well traveled man
A jack of all trades master of none
Man I really got it made
Cause all I gotta do is follow the sun
Do my sleepin' in the shade
They say that travel broadens ones horizons
So I never let a freight train pass me by
And absence always makes the heart grow fonder
So it's hello sweet baby and goodbye
And that makes me a very well traveled man
And that makes me a very well traveled man
Henson Cargill's song "A Very Well Traveled Man" describes the life of a man with a diverse range of work experiences in different parts of the country. The lyrics describe his experiences working on farms in Kansas, doing construction work in Idaho, working along the docks in San Francisco, shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico, rough-necking in the Texas oil fields, picking cotton and searching for gold in Arizona, and working as a lumberjack in Oregon. The singer is proud of his many experiences and sees them as a sign of a life well-lived.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's pride in his diverse range of experiences, as he sings, "And that makes me a very well traveled man." He also seems to enjoy the freedom and autonomy that comes with his lifestyle, singing, "A jack of all trades, master of none, man I really got it made / 'Cause all I gotta do is follow the sun, do my sleepin' in the shade."
Overall, "A Very Well Traveled Man" celebrates a life that is full of adventure and experiences, and portrays the singer as someone who values the opportunities that travel and work can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
I've made the harvest of the wheat in Kansas
I have participated in the process of harvesting wheat in Kansas
I've worked construction jobs in Idaho
I have worked in jobs related to construction industry in Idaho
I've stevedored along the docks in Frisco
I have worked as a stevedore in the docks of San Francisco
I have shrimped the Gulf of Mexico
I have been a shrimper in the Gulf of Mexico
And that makes me a very well traveled man
These experiences have helped me to become a well-traveled man
I've rough-necked in the oil fields of Texas
I have worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Texas
I have pulled a ten foot cotton sack
I have worked in cotton fields by pulling a sack that can hold ten foot of cotton
Searched for the Dutchman's gold in Arizona
I have searched for the Dutchman's gold in Arizona
In Oregon a tall tree lumberjack
I have worked as a lumberjack in Oregon, cutting down tall trees
And that makes me a very well traveled man
These experiences have helped me to become a well-traveled man
A jack of all trades master of none
I have knowledge and experience in several trades but I am not an expert in any of them
Man I really got it made
I am happy with my life
Cause all I gotta do is follow the sun
My daily routine is determined by the sun's position in the sky as I keep travelling
Do my sleepin' in the shade
I prefer to sleep in the shade during my travels
They say that travel broadens ones horizons
It is believed that travelling can broaden one's horizons
So I never let a freight train pass me by
I make sure not to miss any opportunity to travel by catching every freight train that comes my way
And absence always makes the heart grow fonder
Being away from loved ones often makes us appreciate them more
So it's hello sweet baby and goodbye
I have to keep saying hello and goodbye to my loved ones as my travels take me away from them again and again
And that makes me a very well traveled man
All of these experiences combined have made me a very well-travelled man
Writer(s): jim robinson
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robin Thompson
Thanks for such a pretty song proving the b side can be just as good as the a side .
Jimmie Robinson
This was on the flip side of the single "Skip A Rope"...My Dad, Jim Robinson wrote it and when he autographed it, he would hold it over his head to sign the "B" side...I too, think it is a better song that "Skip A Rope", but then again my Dad wrote it about his travels...
Jimmie Robinson
I was in the Navy on a carrier in the Med. Sea in 67 when it came out...Dad told me that Henson was gonna record it. Freaked me out when it came on over the ships P.A...It was #1 in the U.S and Canada for 5 weeks......Sad that Henson died at a young 66 years old...My Dad's and my cousin, Johnny Horton, died way to soon also....