During the late 1950s, Crosby was a member of a local Oneonta teen band called The Tones. The band traveled to Philadelphia to audition for Dick Clark's "American Bandstand", but were turned down. Members of the band found Dick Clark's house and were able to get a recommendation to audition at New York City's Baton Records through the company's lead producer Sol Rabinowitz. The band was given a recording contract, but the studio wanted a quintet backed by studio musicians, which left Crosby and another member out of their recordings.
After high school, Crosby joined the National Guard, but his thirst for adventure led him to go AWOL and roam the country busking for a living in areas like New Orleans, Texas, Florida, and New York. He played mostly ukulele until Harriet Ottenheimer, one of the founders of The Quorum, got him settled on a guitar in 1963. He adopted his stage name "Jerry Jeff Walker" in 1966. He spent his early folk music days in Greenwich Village in the mid 1960s. He co-founded a band with Bob Bruno in the late 1960s called Circus Maximus that put out two albums one with the popular west coast hit "Wind", but Bruno's interest in jazz apparently diverged from Walker's interest in folk music. Walker thus resumed his solo career and recorded the seminal album "Mr. Bojangles" with the help of David Bromberg and other influential Atlantic recording artists. He settled in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s associating mainly with the country-rock outlaw scene that included artists such as Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, and Townes Van Zandt.
"Mr. Bojangles" (written by Walker) is perhaps his most well-known and most-often covered song. It was about an obscure alcoholic but talented tap-dancing drifter, (not the famous stage and movie dancer Bill Robinson, as usually assumed). Bojangles is thought to have been a folk character who entertained informally in the south of the US and California, and some say he might have been one of the most gifted natural dancers ever. Authentic reports of him exist from the 1920s through about 1965. Artists from Nina Simone to Bob Dylan, Philip Glass to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, have covered the song. Walker has also recorded songs written by others such as "LA Freeway" (Guy Clark), and "Up Against the Wall Red Neck Mother" (Ray Wylie Hubbard).
A string of records for MCA and Elektra followed Jerry Jeff's move to Austin, before he gave up on the mainstream music business and formed his own independent record label. Tried & True Music was founded in 1986, with his wife Susan as President and manager. Susan also founded Goodknight Music as his management company and Tried & True Artists for his bookings. A series of increasingly autobiographical records followed under the Tried & True imprint. Tried & True also sells his autobiography called "Gypsy Songman". In 2004, Jerry Jeff released his first DVD of songs from his past as performed in an intimate setting in Austin, TX.
He interpreted the songs of others like Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Keith Sykes, Paul Siebel, Bob Dylan, Todd Snider and even a rodeo clown named Billy Jim Baker.
His son, Django Walker, is also a musician. In addition to his residence in Austin, Walker had a retreat on Ambergris Caye in Belize where he recorded his "Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits" album in 1998.
Members of his band varied over the years. The Lost Gonzo Band and the Gonzo Compadres have backed him in the past. Key members of his band included Craig Hillis - guitarist and arranger on Viva Terlingua, John Inmon, Freddy Krc, Gary P. Nunn, Bob Livingston, Bobby Rambo, Mitch Watkins, Steve Samuel, David Bromberg and others.
Hill Country Rain
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feelin' like the world is right
Want to jump right up and run outside
And take in the morning light
And feel the music running through me
makes me want to dance
Clap my hands and dance
Sometimes it just takes my lady
And when she's touching me
I feel free and easy to be me
Lucky to be alive
Feelin' alright
Take a walk outside
People they tell me now,
You're living too fast
Slow down now Jerry boy
Take it easy let some of life pass
But I don't lnow no other way
Got to live it day to day
But if I die before my time
When I leave I'm leaving nothing behind (X2)
*Cause I got a feeling
Something that I can't explain
It's like dancing naked
In that high hill country rain
I ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
I'll get by best I can
Lovin' is my will to live
It makes me laugh
Want to sing and dance
Clap my hands, yeah!
Chorus X2
The lyrics of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Hill Country Rain" express a feeling of joy and contentment with life that is difficult to articulate. The song begins by describing the sensation of waking up and feeling like everything is right in the world. The singer of the song wants to run outside and soak in the morning light while feeling the music around him. He feels the urge to dance and clap his hands, and he acknowledges the role that his partner plays in making his day complete. When she touches him, he feels free and easy to be himself. He considers himself lucky to be alive and feels alright. He takes a walk outside and is told by others that he's living too fast and should slow down, but this only reinforces his determination to live life on his own terms. He admits that he doesn't know any other way and that he intends to live his life day by day.
Throughout the song, the singer is guided by a feeling that he can't fully explain. He describes it as being like dancing naked in the high hill country rain, a metaphor that captures the wild and primal nature of the feeling. Although others may worry about tomorrow and the future, the singer is confident that he'll get by, driven by his love of life and his desire to sing and dance. At the end of the song, he repeats the chorus, emphasizing the transcendent power of the feeling that he's describing.
Overall, "Hill Country Rain" is a song about living life in the moment and finding joy in simple pleasures. It celebrates the power of music, love, and nature to lift our spirits and remind us of what's truly important in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I just wake up hummin'
There are moments when I wake up feeling happy and content.
Feelin' like the world is right
I have this sense of everything being in its right place in the world.
Want to jump right up and run outside
I feel like jumping out of bed and going outside immediately.
And take in the morning light
I want to soak in the beauty of the early morning light.
And feel the music running through me
I feel the music deep inside me, flowing through every part of my being.
makes me want to dance
It fills me with an irresistible urge to dance.
Clap my hands and dance
I express my joy and excitement through dancing and clapping my hands.
Sometimes it just takes my lady
My partner has the power to brighten up my day.
To smile and make my day complete
Her smile has the ability to make my day perfect and complete.
And when she's touching me
Her tender touch makes me feel loved and cherished.
I feel free and easy to be me
In her embrace, I feel like I can be myself without any inhibitions.
Lucky to be alive
I realize how fortunate I am to be alive and experience such beautiful moments.
Feelin' alright
Overall, I am feeling good and at peace with myself and the world.
Take a walk outside
I feel like going for a stroll outside to connect with nature.
People they tell me now,
There are others who advise me that,
You're living too fast
I am living my life at a fast pace that might be unsustainable.
Slow down now Jerry boy
They suggest that I should slow down and take it easy.
Take it easy let some of life pass
I should pause and let some of the moments of life sink in.
But I don't lnow no other way
However, I don't know how to live my life differently.
Got to live it day to day
I have to take each day as it comes and live it fully.
But if I die before my time
If by any chance, I die earlier than expected,
When I leave I'm leaving nothing behind
I want to make sure that I don't leave any regrets and live my life to the fullest.
Cause I got a feeling
I have this indescribable feeling,
Something that I can't explain
That cannot be put into words or explained rationally.
It's like dancing naked
It's comparable to dancing without any inhibitions or restrictions,
In that high hill country rain
While being soaked in the rain in the hilly countryside.
I ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
I am not anxious or concerned about the future.
I'll get by best I can
I'll do my best to deal with whatever comes my way.
Lovin' is my will to live
Love gives me the desire and inspiration to keep on living.
It makes me laugh
Love fills me with joy and laughter.
Want to sing and dance
It evokes such happiness in me that I want to sing and dance.
Clap my hands, yeah!
I express my joy and appreciation through clapping my hands.
Chorus X2
The chorus of the song repeats twice.
Contributed by Liliana H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chris Snyder
They played this on KSHE 'real rock radio' back in the day... it crosses musical boundaries. Great song.
R.I.P. Jerry Jeff.. thanks for the good feelings.
Icy Winer
I was 14 on that great day when I first heard it played on KSHE. And I went right out and bought the album.
Richard McLaughlin
This song still blows me away every time I hear it. I was bummed to hear about the loss of Jerry Jeff. I saw him in his drunkard days and saw him alot more in his sober days.
pancho's villa
Probably my all time favorite Jerry Jeff Walker song. The outro guitar solo is fantastic!.
Dapper Dave
One of my all-time favorite songs. Why hasn’t this amazing album been officially released on CD or streaming services???!!
David Morris
Was released on CD about 10 years ago. Now out-of-print and selling for a small fortune. Is now available on CD on iTunes and Amazon.
Donna Thompson
Hands down one of my faves.🎶❤️🌞
Mike Bove
CD, Hill Country Rain, released in 1992.
James Thompson
One of the best lead guitar riffs in this song..
Jerry Cagle
I wish they'd re-release this album. I wore it out in "72...