Will Jack "The Singing River Boy" Turner was born June 10, 1921 in Haleyvil… Read Full Bio ↴Will Jack "The Singing River Boy" Turner was born June 10, 1921 in Haleyville, Alabama to I.C. Railroad conductor S.W. Turner, and his wife. When he was 6 he would make his first performance at a Winston county wide gathering, winning a blue ribbon. A year later at age 7 his mother would gift him his first ukulele, further cementing his interest in music. A few years later he would get his first guitar, a $8.00 special, in order to back up the fiddle players at local dances. After graduating High School he would find a career in another interest of his- drawing and painting, enrolled at an advertising art school in Nashville, Tennessee. Here he would also be able to attend a Grand Ole Opry show. In 1942 he would meet his future wife Lorene Davidson, then soon enrolled in the US Navy as a Yeoman during WWII. During his service he would found a country band to entertain the troops, while also keeping up his artistic passion. After being discharge, he moved his family which included two daughters by then back to Alabama and settled in Montgomery. He got a job as an artist-illustrator at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, while also finding work with his musical abilities, and selling vacuum cleaners part-time. Turner would later find work with WCOV-TV, and local radio stations, leading to him being discovered by the late Hank Williams mother, who would recommend him to executives in Nashville. Turner would have a recording contract with RCA-Victor in 1954, which lasted a year. His music career was limited to the 1950's, and in the following decades he would focus more on his art. Turned died December 29, 1993 and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery. His nephew Raymond Harris would later remark "I miss listening to him pick his guitar and sing. He was a gifted entertainer. Had a great sense of humor.".

Nightmare
Jack Turner Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I dreamed I was an angel that fell into disgrace, my wings came off and left me and I flew right into space. The darkness had no bottom through wickedness I fell my face begin to light at me and than I heard it yet.
Nightmare
Devils and meanies tracking me down
Nightmare
Devils and genies floating around
Nightmare
Witches and goblins walking on air
Nightmare

I found a bush of golbidge in a hot house packed with ice. My pockets couldn't hold them so I traded them for mice. The mice turned into rabbits and than to kangaroos. They auctioned off my Union soon to pay my Union doo's. Nightmare
Devils and meanies tracking me down
Nightmare
Devils and genies floating around
Nightmare

Witches and goblins walking on air
Nightmare

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Jack Turner's song Nightmare sets a rather gloomy stage where the singer is an angel that has lost its wings and is now falling through the darkness, accompanied by a sense of despair and disgrace. Furthermore, the vocalist's haunting performance builds upon a surreal atmosphere, where the fallen angel finds itself floating through space only to be tormented by an array of mythological creatures such as devils, witches, goblins, and genies. The song's title, Nightmare, refers to the character's descent into the darkness, which seems like a manifestation of a terrifying dream.

The verse's meaning can be interpreted differently, but at its core, it talks about an individual's struggle with their own demons. The fallen angel, who is supposed to represent purity and goodness, is punished for their descent into wickedness. The creatures in the song represent the singer's subconscious and the negativity that resides within, relentlessly haunting and chasing it. Furthermore, the imagery of falling without a bottom and flying into space amplifies the sense of loneliness, and helplessness.

Overall, Jack Turner's Nightmare is a song that talks about an individual's journey through their nightmares, where they confront their fears and innermost demons in a surreal and unsettling atmosphere. The track's atmospheric instrumentation and haunting vocals complement the lyrics, creating an experience that is both powerful and uneasy.

Line by Line Meaning

I dreamed I was an angel that fell into disgrace, my wings came off and left me and I flew right into space.
In this dream, I was once an angel, but I fell from grace and lost my wings. I flew aimlessly into outer space with no sense of direction or purpose.

The darkness had no bottom through wickedness I fell my face begin to light at me and than I heard it yet.
I fell into a deep abyss of wickedness, and as I fell, my own face began to mock and taunt me. Suddenly, I heard a terrifying sound that shook me to my core.

Nightmare Devils and meanies tracking me down
This terrible dream continues as I am pursued by devils and sinister beings. They are relentlessly tracking me down.

Nightmare Devils and genies floating around
Not only am I being hunted by devils, but I am also tormented by genies who are hovering and floating around me menacingly.

Nightmare Witches and goblins walking on air
The nightmare intensifies as I witness witches and goblins walking effortlessly on air, defying the laws of gravity and nature.

I found a bush of golbidge in a hot house packed with ice.
In this bizarre dream, I stumbled upon a bush of strange, mysterious substance called golbidge, while trapped in a hot house with no escape. The irony is not lost on me.

My pockets couldn't hold them so I traded them for mice.
Since I could not contain the golbidge in my pockets, I made the strange decision to trade them for mice, which seem like an odd currency even in this surreal world.

The mice turned into rabbits and than to kangaroos.
To my surprise, the mice I had traded for began to transform into larger and more complex animals: first rabbits and then kangaroos.

They auctioned off my Union soon to pay my Union doo's.
In the surreal world of this nightmare, even my Union - whatever that may be - is being auctioned off to pay off debts that I apparently owe.

Nightmare Devils and meanies tracking me down
As the dream continues, my tormentors - the devils and other malevolent beings - are still in pursuit, relentlessly tracking me down even as I try to escape this nightmarish world.

Nightmare Devils and genies floating around
The genies are also still haunting me, hovering above and around me as I try to make sense of this bewildering dream.

Nightmare Witches and goblins walking on air
The witches and goblins are also still present, walking effortlessly on air as if it were solid ground.

Writer(s): Shaw

Contributed by Charlotte B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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