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.
Life's Too Short
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately I'm feeling lousy all the time
I picked up my pants sat down tried to figure out why
I had it whittled down to a page or two
And the paper trail led me straight to you
I see life's too short to put up with the things you do
Call me now baby while you stickin' them pins in me
But I figure if I'm finally over you
Cause I see right through that little 'doo you do
When life's too short to be involved with a witch like you
Life's too short to get in a rut
Life's too short to get a bad haircut
Life's too short to be this long
Life's too short to admit that you're wrong
Life's too short to wear tight shoes
Life's too short to be blue
Life's too short to be involved with a girl like you
When I walk out I'll be free as a man can be
As funky as a monkey swinging high in the jungle tree
And if that lion asks for you or the monkey asks or the elephant too
I'll send you back home there caged up in your zoo
Life's too short for cheap guitars
Life's too short to smoke cheap cigars
Get your kicks from dead beat chicks
For chewing gum down at the end of the bar
Life's too short for steamship cruise
Life's too short to be blue
Life's too short to be involved with someone like you
Yeah, life's too short to brush and floss
Life's too short to sleep with the boss
Six way lights or disco bars
Or trying to pick up chicks in a compact car
Life's too short for a bad tattoo
Life's too short to be blue
Life's too short to be involved with a girl like you
Yeah, life's too short to be involved with someone like you
Yeah, life's too short to be involved with someone like you
The song "Life's Too Short" by Jerry Jeff Walker is a humorous take on the idea that we shouldn't waste our time with things that don't matter. The lyrics focus on relationships, but also include references to fashion choices, bad habits, and even dental hygiene. The singer has come to the realization that life is too short to be involved with someone who causes them stress and frustration, saying "I see life's too short to put up with the things you do" and "When life's too short to be involved with a witch like you." The use of the term "witch" is interesting as it can be interpreted either literally or as a more general term for someone who is unpleasant to be around.
The chorus reinforces the idea that we should focus on what matters and let go of things that don't, such as "Life's too short to be blue" and "Life's too short to wear tight shoes." This attitude is then extended to more specific situations, such as "Life's too short for cheap guitars" and "Life's too short to be involved with a girl like you." The latter line brings the focus back to the initial theme of the song, highlighting that relationships we don't enjoy can be a major waste of our limited time.
Overall, "Life's Too Short" is a light-hearted song that encourages listeners to prioritize what's important in their lives and let go of things that don't matter. It also serves as a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously and to find humor in the absurdities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately I'm feeling lousy all the time
Recently, I have been feeling terrible all the time
I picked up my pants sat down tried to figure out why
I tried to figure out why I have been feeling terrible by myself
I had it whittled down to a page or two
I narrowed down the reasons for my terrible feelings to a few pages
And the paper trail led me straight to you
My investigation led me to the realization that you are the source of my terrible feelings
I see life's too short to put up with the things you do
I have come to the conclusion that life is too short to tolerate the actions you take
Spell you cast been messing with my sanity
The spell you cast has been affecting my mental health
Call me now baby while you stickin' them pins in me
You call me and pretend everything is okay while you continue to harm me
But I figure if I'm finally over you
However, I think I might finally be over you
Cause I see right through that little 'doo you do
I can see through the deceptive tactics you use
When life's too short to be involved with a witch like you
I have realized that life is too short to associate myself with someone like you
Life's too short to get in a rut
Life is too short to fall into a boring routine
Life's too short to get a bad haircut
Life is too short to have a terrible new hairstyle
Life's too short to be this long
Life is too short to feel like it is dragging on forever
Life's too short to admit that you're wrong
Life is too short to be stubborn and refuse to admit being wrong
Life's too short to wear tight shoes
Life is too short to wear shoes that do not fit comfortably
Life's too short to be blue
Life is too short to be sad or depressed
Life's too short to be involved with a girl like you
Again, life is too brief to be around someone like you, specifically referring to a girl
When I walk out I'll be free as a man can be
Once I leave, I will feel as uninhibited as a man could be
As funky as a monkey swinging high in the jungle tree
I will feel free and uninhibited - as funky as a monkey swinging from a tree in the jungle
And if that lion asks for you or the monkey asks or the elephant too
If any animal would ask me about you, I will tell them where to find you - caged up in a zoo
I'll send you back home there caged up in your zoo
I will metaphorically send you back to the place where you belong - a cage in a zoo
Life's too short for cheap guitars
Life is too brief to play on low-quality guitars
Life's too short to smoke cheap cigars
Life is too brief to smoke low-quality cigars
Get your kicks from dead-beat chicks
Get your thrills from women who lead dead-end lives
For chewing gum down at the end of the bar
For meeting these dead-beat women standing at the end of a bar chewing gum
Life's too short for steamship cruise
Life is too brief to take lengthy cruises on steamships
Yeah, life's too short to brush and floss
Yes, life is too brief to spend time brushing and flossing
Life's too short to sleep with the boss
Life is too brief to get romantically involved with your boss at work
Six-way lights or disco bars
Bright-but-tacky lighting or disco-themed bars are not worth it in life
Or trying to pick up chicks in a compact car
It's not worth it to try and meet women while driving around in a small car
Life's too short for a bad tattoo
Life is too brief to get a poorly-done tattoo
Yeah, life's too short to be involved with someone like you
As previously mentioned, life is too brief to keep being around someone like you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind