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.
I Love You
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You came and put me back on my feet
Patchin' together all the busted pieces
Of everything that I'd broken runnin' from me
[Chorus:]
I love you, yeah I love you
Some day we're gonna travel far awayWe're gonna roll all the way to la Louisiana
Maybe we'll just roll around in bed all day
I'd like to give you everything you'd want, love
Diamond rings for every toe
Danglin' earrings for your fingers
Big sparkling rocks for your nose
[Chorus]
Been so long, coming through to you
Now it's nice restin' by your side
Seems like everything rolled in a nutshell
We got it all right here inside
[Chorus x 2]
'Cause gettin' out of bed just ruins my whole day
Besides, that the way I heard babies are made.
The first verse of Jerry Jeff Walker's "I Love You" seems to describe a man who has had a tough time - he acknowledges that he has been foolish and stumbled, but then he sings about how his love has helped him regain his footing. The woman he sings to appears to have helped him pick up the pieces of himself and his life that he has broken in the past. The lyrics of this song seem to celebrate the idea of love as something healing, something that can help a person put themselves back together after they have been through difficult experiences.
In the chorus, the man declares his love: "I love you, yeah I love you / Some day we're gonna travel far away / We're gonna roll all the way to la Louisiana / Maybe we'll just roll around in bed all day." Here, the idea of traveling and experiencing new things seems to be intertwined with the desire to spend time simply being close and intimate with the object of the singer's love. The idea of "rolling around in bed all day" is a simple yet joyous image of being carefree and happy with someone you love.
The final verse brings the lyrics back to themes of comfort and safety - the singer declares that he is happy just resting by his partner's side. Everything they need, everything that is important to them, is contained within that relationship. The closing line of the song is a lighthearted reference to how the singer seems to be happiest when he is in bed with his partner - but it also emphasizes the idea that love can be a source of joy and ease, a place where you feel content and happy.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a fool, fool hearted, stumbled once or twice
I have made mistakes in the past and acted unwisely in matters of the heart
You came and put me back on my feet
You helped me recover from my mistakes and gave me a fresh start
Patchin' together all the busted pieces
You helped me repair and reconcile all the broken parts of myself and my life
Of everything that I'd broken runnin' from me
I had been avoiding facing my problems and the consequences of my actions, but you helped me confront and fix them
I love you, yeah I love you
I have deep and sincere feelings of love and affection for you
Some day we're gonna travel far away
We have plans to embark on exciting journeys and adventures together in the future
We're gonna roll all the way to la Louisiana
We plan on traveling to Louisiana, a place that represents joy and happiness for us
Maybe we'll just roll around in bed all day
We can also enjoy simple pleasures and spend time together in a comfortable and intimate space
I'd like to give you everything you'd want, love
I aspire to provide you with everything that would make you happy and fulfilled
Diamond rings for every toe
I want to give you extravagant gifts, like rings made of diamonds, as a symbol of my love and appreciation
Danglin' earrings for your fingers
I want to adorn and beautify your hands with earrings and other jewelry
Big sparkling rocks for your nose
I want to give you valuable and shiny gems to enhance your facial features
Been so long, coming through to you
It has taken me a while to find my way to you and express my love and gratitude
Now it's nice restin' by your side
Being close to you and sharing our lives together brings me comfort and happiness
Seems like everything rolled in a nutshell
All of the good things in life seem to be present when we are together, in one small and perfect package
We got it all right here inside
All the happiness, love, and fulfillment we need is within us and between us
'Cause gettin' out of bed just ruins my whole day
I prefer to stay in bed with you because it brings me joy and fulfillment, and I do not want to spoil that feeling
Besides, that the way I heard babies are made.
A lighthearted reference to the joys of intimacy and the possibility of starting a family together
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BUTCH WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind