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.
Jaded Lover
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til you'll be out lovin' someone new
Seems like it's happened a hundred times before
But I can see you been spreadin' yourself too thin
It's a lonely stage that we been goin' through
So don't get up I can find my own way to the door
{Chorus}:And I can see you are an angel
With wings that won't unfold
Tune up your harp, polish your old halo
The only kind of man that you ever wanted
Was the one that you knew
You'd never hold very long
Sittin' there cryin', like I'm the first one to go
You may have thirty lovers behind you
I can feel you but I just can't find you
Seems like you would have found
Your own self by now
But late at night those lover's tears come back
Faces in your dreams, fingers in your back
Voices of the memories for cryin' out loud
{Chorus}
Well it's a lovely sight to see you in your sleep
I believe I'm leavin', I'm in too deep
I guess that's easy enough for any man to say
Still, we'd never agree if we talked all night
Things are getting heavy and I'm travelling light
Goodbye you jaded lover
You undercover queen for a day
{Chorus}
"Well sit on it darlin'...."
The song Jaded Lover by Jerry Jeff Walker is a perfect example of a heartbreak song with a twist. It is a story of a lover who is tired of the endless cycle of heartbreaks and failed relationships. The singer expresses his pain and frustration towards his lover who seems to be numb to love and is constantly searching for something she will never find.
In the first verse, the singer talks about how the lover is already moving on, and how it has happened so many times before. He highlights how she's been spreading herself too thin and suggests that she takes time to find herself. In the chorus, the singer describes his lover as an angel with wings that won't unfold, which implies that she's an angel without a purpose. He urges her to tune up her harp and polish her halo, which means she needs time to reflect and fix her mistakes.
In the second verse, the singer expresses how he is aware that his lover has had many lovers before him and she isn't satisfied with any. He describes her as a lost soul who can't seem to find herself despite having many experiences. Towards the end of the song, the singer admits that he is in too deep and that he cannot take the pain anymore. He says his goodbyes to his jaded lover, who was a queen for a day but couldn't find true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well now it won't be but a week or two
It won't take long for you to find someone else.
'Til you'll be out lovin' someone new
You will be in love with someone else very soon.
Seems like it's happened a hundred times before
It's like you've been through this several times before.
But I can see you been spreadin' yourself too thin
You seem to be looking for love everywhere, and it's not good for you.
It's a lonely stage that we been goin' through
We've been going through a lonely time.
So don't get up I can find my own way to the door
I don't need your help to leave.
{Chorus}:
This is the chorus
And I can see you are an angel
You look like an angel to me.
With wings that won't unfold
But your wings seem to be folded.
Tune up your harp, polish your old halo
You need to work on yourself.
The only kind of man that you ever wanted
You seem to be attracted to men that you cannot keep for long.
Was the one that you knew
You'd never hold very long
You knew that you could not keep those men for long.
Sittin' there cryin', like I'm the first one to go
You are crying as if I am the first one to leave you.
You may have thirty lovers behind you
You may have had many lovers before.
I can feel you but I just can't find you
I know you are there, but I can't connect with you.
Seems like you would have found
Your own self by now
You should have figured yourself out by now.
But late at night those lover's tears come back
You cry for the lovers that you lost at night.
Faces in your dreams, fingers in your back
You see the faces of the past lovers in your dreams and feel their touch.
Voices of the memories for cryin' out loud
You hear the voices of the past, and it's hard to forget them.
{Chorus}
This is the chorus.
Well it's a lovely sight to see you in your sleep
You look lovely when you sleep.
I believe I'm leavin', I'm in too deep
I think it's time for me to leave.
I guess that's easy enough for any man to say
It's easy for any man to say he is leaving.
Still, we'd never agree if we talked all night
We would have different opinions even if we talked all night.
Things are getting heavy and I'm travelling light
I don't want to carry any heavy emotions.
Goodbye you jaded lover
Goodbye, my disappointed lover.
You undercover queen for a day
You acted like a queen for a short time, but now it's over.
{Chorus}
This is the chorus.
"Well sit on it darlin'...."
"Take it easy, darling."
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHUCK PYLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@feldweible
Rest in Peace Jerry Jeff. God Bless.
@5centsr
Thanks for uploading this counsellor! A sweeter, simpler time for sure!
@DaveCarroll4
Seen JJW many times but the best was undoubtedly at the "Palamino" in north Hollywood circa (1979). Still had the Lost Gonzo Band with him. They played a midnight set 2 hours long. They weren't done when the club cut the power. JJW pushed the mike away and they kept going until the cops came at about 3am. 'Bout 10 of us hanging on... JJ invited us to their hotel they played until daylight, smokin' cigarettes and drinkin' beer. I actually when down for the count there in the hotel bar.
@andygoettl7994
well cocain is a hell of a drug.....
@42awww
Amazing! What a historical show that must have been and a night never to forget! What was Jerry Jeff like just to hang around? From what I've heard, the 70s were his absolute wild period!
@jjswinn
haha!
@robertbentzel8105
Classic man!
@catdaddy3302
Dave Perkins must’ve been in the band then. A great guy!
@benbarnett1804
This song and video are pure joy. Thank you Jerry Jeff.
@CMarshallD
RIP JJW
I’ll miss your music...