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.
Singin' the Dinosaur Blues
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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Me and my friends are getting long in the tooth
After three or four decades of seeking the truth
Trying to recover from misspent youth
And gradually giving in to knowledge
I know a picker who moved to Nepal
Some of my brothers ain't breathing at all
And others have given up privilege
But I'm still beating on my old guitar
Singing my songs in a smoky old bar
Hitching my wagon to a shooting star
And hoping that star don't fall
I'll keep picking as long as I can
But I don't want to die just a honky-tonk man
I'm just a buffalo singing the dinosaur blues
I was out last night, just me and a partner
Ain't nothing but a fool would drink that hard
You wind up sleeping in your buddy's front yard
And you wonder what to tell the little woman
Me and the band's up all night long
We was passing the pipe and banging the gong
Trying to remember one of Van Zandt's songs
Something about Mudd and Gold a-gamblin'
But I'm still walking down the lost highway
Doing what it takes to make my way
Knowing that I got a piper to pay
And hoping that I like the song
Maybe it'll be a ditty I know
I got people to see and places to go
Just an old buffalo singing the dinosaur blues
I've been a lucky man all of my life
I got two great kids and a wonderful wife
Got a rosewood guitar and a very sharp knife
And I got a handy little knack for rhymin'
I been blessed with a voice that can sing
And a faith in the future and what it may bring
And change is the very most natural of things
And life is mostly attitude and timing
One of these days, well, I'll disappear
You'll look around and I won't be here
Don't worry, buddy, there's nothing to fear
I'm just going where the rivers flow
You can find me in a rubbery boat
Down in Mexico you can send me a note
Care of a old buffalo singing the dinosaur
I've played Buffalo, I recall Dinah Shore
I'm just a buffalo singing the dinosaur blues
The lyrics to "Singin' the Dinosaur Blues" by Jerry Jeff Walker reflect on the passing of time and the changes that come with it. The singer and his friends are "getting long in the tooth" and reflecting on their past. They have spent decades searching for the truth and recovering from their misspent youth. Some have given up on their dreams and privileges, while others have passed away. Nevertheless, the singer is still playing his guitar and performing in smoky bars, hoping to keep his career going. The lyrics express an acceptance of the natural passing of time and the changes that come with it.
The lyrics are also filled with references to other musicians and their songs. The singer mentions a "picker who moved to Nepal" and "another buddy's got a little shop in a mall." He also references a song by Van Zandt about "Mudd and Gold a-gamblin'." These references show the singer's love of music and his respect for his fellow musicians.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and my friends are getting long in the tooth
My friends and I are getting older and more experienced
After three or four decades of seeking the truth
We've spent many years searching for answers
Trying to recover from misspent youth
We're trying to move on from our past mistakes
And gradually giving in to knowledge
We're starting to accept that we don't know everything
I know a picker who moved to Nepal
I know a musician who left for a faraway place
And another buddy's got a little shop in a mall
My other friend owns a small shop in a shopping center
Some of my brothers ain't breathing at all
Some of my friends have passed away
And others have given up privilege
Others have let go of their status or advantages
But I'm still beating on my old guitar
I'm still playing my guitar
Singing my songs in a smoky old bar
Performing my songs in a dimly lit bar
Hitching my wagon to a shooting star
Trying to achieve something great
And hoping that star don't fall
And hoping that I won't fail
I'll keep picking as long as I can
I'll continue playing music for as long as I'm able
But I don't want to die just a honky-tonk man
But I don't want my life to just be about playing in bars
I'm just a buffalo singing the dinosaur blues
I'm just an old guy singing about outdated things
I was out last night, just me and a partner
I was out with a friend last night
Ain't nothing but a fool would drink that hard
Only a foolish person would drink so much
You wind up sleeping in your buddy's front yard
You end up sleeping outside
And you wonder what to tell the little woman
And you're unsure of what to tell your significant other
Me and the band's up all night long
My band and I stayed up all night
We was passing the pipe and banging the gong
We were smoking marijuana and making noise
Trying to remember one of Van Zandt's songs
Trying to recall a song by Van Zandt
Something about Mudd and Gold a-gamblin'
Something about people named Mudd and Gold gambling
But I'm still walking down the lost highway
But I'm still living a directionless or uncertain life
Doing what it takes to make my way
Doing what I need to do to survive
Knowing that I got a piper to pay
Knowing that I have debts to pay
And hoping that I like the song
And hoping that the life I lead is satisfying to me
Maybe it'll be a ditty I know
Maybe my life will be something familiar to me
I got people to see and places to go
I have people to visit and places to travel to
Just an old buffalo singing the dinosaur blues
Just an old guy singing about outdated things
I've been a lucky man all of my life
I've been fortunate throughout my entire life
I got two great kids and a wonderful wife
I have two amazing children and a fantastic spouse
Got a rosewood guitar and a very sharp knife
I own a nice guitar and a sharp knife
And I got a handy little knack for rhymin'
And I have a talent for rhyming words
I been blessed with a voice that can sing
I've been fortunate enough to have a singing voice
And a faith in the future and what it may bring
And I believe in what the future may hold
And change is the very most natural of things
And change is the most natural thing there is
And life is mostly attitude and timing
And our perspectives and timing affect our lives the most
One of these days, well, I'll disappear
One day I'll no longer be here
You'll look around and I won't be here
People will notice when I'm gone
Don't worry, buddy, there's nothing to fear
Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of
I'm just going where the rivers flow
I'm just following wherever life takes me
You can find me in a rubbery boat
You may find me in an inflatable boat
Down in Mexico you can send me a note
You can send me a message while I'm in Mexico
Care of a old buffalo singing the dinosaur
Send it to the old guy singing outdated things
I've played Buffalo, I recall Dinah Shore
I've played in Buffalo and I remember Dinah Shore
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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