Reed was born on the 20th March 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia, the second child of Robert and Cynthia Hubbard. Reed's parents separated four months after his birth, and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes or orphanages. Reed was reunited with his mother and stepfather in 1944.
By high school (O'Keefe High School, Atlanta, Georgia) Reed was already writing and singing music, having picked up the guitar as a child. At the age of eighteen he was signed by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery to make his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise". At Capitol Records, he recorded both country and rockabilly singles with little success, until label mate Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958. By 1958, Lowery signed Reed to his National Recording Corporation, and he recorded for NRC as both artist and as a member of the staff band, which included other NRC artists Joe South and Ray Stevens.
Reed married Priscilla Mitchell in 1959. They have two daughters, Charlotte Elaine Reed Stewart, and Seidina Ann Reed Hinesley.
After a two-year stint in the military, Reed moved to Nashville in 1961 to continue his songwriting career, which had continued to gather steam while he was in the armed forces, thanks to Brenda Lee's 1960 cover of his "That's All You Got to Do". He also became a popular session and tour guitarist. In 1962, he scored some success with the singles "Goodnight Irene" and "Hully Gully Guitar", which found their way to Chet Atkins, who produced Reed's 1965 "If I Don't Live Up to It".
In 1967 Reed had his first chart hit with "Guitar Man", which Elvis Presley soon covered. Presley had gone to Nashville to record in 1967, and one of the songs he was working on was "Guitar Man," which Reed had written and recorded. Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. Reed also played the guitar for Presley's "Too Much Monkey Business" (1968), recorded at the same session. After Presley recorded another of Reed's songs, "U.S. Male", the songwriter recorded an Elvis tribute, "Tupelo Mississippi Flash", which became his first top-twenty hit.
After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses", a hybrid of rock, country, and Cajun styles, which reached number eight on the U.S. pop charts, Reed teamed up with Atkins for the duet LP Me & Jerry. During the 1970 television season, he was a regular on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 he issued his biggest hit, "When You're Hot, You're Hot", which was also the title track of his first solo album and reached number nine on the pop charts.
A second collaboration with Atkins, Me & Chet, followed in 1972, as did a series of top-forty singles, which alternated between frenetic, straightforward country offerings and more pop-flavoured material. A year later, he scored his second number-one single with "Lord, Mr. Ford" (written by Dick Feller), from the album of the same name.
Reed was featured in animated form in a December 9, 1972 episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Phantom of the Country Music Hall". He sang and played the song "Pretty Mary Sunlite", which is played throughout the episode as Scooby and the gang search for Reed's missing guitar.
In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a back seat to his acting aspirations. In 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a film star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's Gator, Reed appeared in 1978's High Ballin and 1979's Hot Stuff, which won the Best Picture award from the Pawn Shop Association of America. He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a number-two hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down".
Reed also hosted a television variety show, filming two episodes of The Jerry Reed Show in 1976. The show featured music performances and interview segments, but did not contain the comedy skits that usually were a part of variety shows of the 1970s. Guests included Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens, and Burt Reynolds.
Reed died on the 31st August 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from emphysema.
The Bird
Jerry Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was at this bar on the interstate
When this guy with this bird on his shoulder walked through the door
He proceeded to tell me the wildest thing
Sir this bird of mine can sing
Like no other bird you ever heard before
Well I kinda looked at the guy and said oh really
He turned to the bird and said do ole Willie
Whisky River take my mind
Don't let her memory torture to me
Whisky River don't run dry
You're all I've got take care of me
Well if that ain't the durndest thing
I thought son what a heck of a thing
A man could get rich making that bird sing
And I could feel this wild idea coming on strong
And besides I'm sitting here with two weeks pay
And I'd probably blow it on beer anyway
Hey wait 'til you hear him sing like George Jones
He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
Soon they'll carry him away
He stopped loving her today
I said well that does it sir
Yep I'd like to buy that bird
Five hundred dollars to take him off your hands
Well he thought for a while and he said alright
And he handed me the bird and he said good night
He counted my money and out the door he ran
Well I was thinking I'd found the rainbow's end
That the money would soon be pouring in
When suddenly the bird flew out the door and was gone
Well then it hit me and I got boiling made
'Cause I knew right then I'd been had
And as he flew off into the night he was singing this song
On the road again
I just can't wait to get on the road again
Somebody stop that bird
Well love is making money with my friends
I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again
My bird
I Just can't wait to get on the road again
I find love is making money with my friends
I can't wait to get on the road again
Somebody give me a B B gun
On the road again
I want that bird
Just can't wait to get on the road again
This is for the birds
Love is making money with my friends
The song "Bird" by Jerry Reed tells the story of a man who comes across another man with a bird that can sing like no other bird he’s ever heard before. The man is convinced that he can make a lot of money with the bird and offers the other man $500 for it. The man agrees and hands him the bird, but as he flies off, the man realizes he has been had when the bird starts singing "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson instead of the songs he thought it would sing. The song has a comedic tone and highlights the foolishness of the man who was trying to make a profit from the bird's talent.
The lyrics of "Bird" are rich in imagery and humor. The singer comes across as naive and gullible, believing that he can make a fortune from the bird's talent. The bird's ability to sing is highly exaggerated, making it a comedic effect in the story. The song is a commentary on the human tendency to be easily swayed by promises of wealth and success, even when the chances of achieving it are slim.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my throat was dry and it was getting late
I was thirsty and it was becoming late
I was at this bar on the interstate
I was drinking at a bar on the highway
When this guy with this bird on his shoulder walked through the door
A man carrying a bird on his shoulder entered the bar
He proceeded to tell me the wildest thing
The man then told me something unbelievable
Sir this bird of mine can sing
He said, 'This bird of mine can sing wonderfully'
Like no other bird you ever heard before
He claimed that no other bird can sing like his bird
Well I kinda looked at the guy and said oh really
I was skeptical and replied, 'Is that so?'
He turned to the bird and said do ole Willie
The man asked his bird to sing a George Jones song
When the bird started singing I almost fell in the floor
When the bird sang, I was amazed and stunned
Whisky River take my mind
I want to forget my past with alcohol
Don't let her memory torture to me
I don't want to be troubled by memories of my lost love
Whisky River don't run dry
I need enough whiskey to keep me going
You're all I've got take care of me
Alcohol is the only thing that can help me now
Well if that ain't the durndest thing
I thought, 'That's incredible!'
I thought son what a heck of a thing
I considered what a fantastic opportunity this was
A man could get rich making that bird sing
It occurred to me that the bird could make me rich
And I could feel this wild idea coming on strong
I felt an overwhelming urge to act on this idea
And besides I'm sitting here with two weeks pay
I had two weeks' wages on me
And I'd probably blow it on beer anyway
I knew I would probably waste the money on alcohol
Hey wait 'til you hear him sing like George Jones
I thought, 'Just wait until you hear him sing a George Jones song'
He stopped loving her today
The bird sang 'He Stopped Loving Her Today'
They placed a wreath upon his door
The lyrics continued, 'They placed a wreath upon his door'
Soon they'll carry him away
And, 'Soon they'll carry him away'
He stopped loving her today
The bird repeated the chorus, 'He Stopped Loving Her Today'
I said well that does it sir
I decided, 'I'll take the bird'
Yep I'd like to buy that bird
I told the man I wanted to buy the bird
Five hundred dollars to take him off your hands
I offered him five hundred dollars for the bird
Well he thought for a while and he said alright
The man hesitated and then agreed
And he handed me the bird and he said good night
He gave me the bird and said goodbye
He counted my money and out the door he ran
The man took my money and ran out of the bar
Well I was thinking I'd found the rainbow's end
I thought I had found a way to make a fortune
That the money would soon be pouring in
I believed that the bird would make me wealthy
When suddenly the bird flew out the door and was gone
Suddenly, the bird flew out of the door and disappeared
Well then it hit me and I got boiling made
I realized what had happened and became extremely angry
'Cause I knew right then I'd been had
I knew that I had been tricked
And as he flew off into the night he was singing this song
As the bird flew into the night, he sang 'On the Road Again'
On the road again
The bird sang 'On the Road Again'
I just can't wait to get on the road again
He sang 'I just can't wait to get on the road again'
Somebody stop that bird
I shouted, 'Someone stop that bird!'
Well love is making money with my friends
'Love is making money with my friends' was also part of the bird's song
I can't wait to get on the road again
The bird continued singing 'I can't wait to get on the road again'
On the road again
The chorus was repeated, 'On the Road Again'
My bird
I exclaimed, 'That bird was mine!'
I Just can't wait to get on the road again
The bird sang once more, 'I just can't wait to get on the road again'
I find love is making money with my friends
The bird repeated, 'I find love is making money with my friends'
Somebody give me a B B gun
I shouted in frustration, 'Someone give me a BB gun!'
On the road again
The bird sang again, 'On the Road Again'
I want that bird
I stated, 'I wanted that bird badly'
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The bird repeated one last time, 'I just can't wait to get on the road again'
This is for the birds
The phrase 'This is for the birds' is an idiom meaning worthless or not worth doing
Love is making money with my friends
The bird's final words were 'Love is making money with my friends'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barry Etris, Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman, Hal Coleman, John Shinn, Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1982 {December 12th} "The Bird" by Jerry Reed peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Hot Country Singles* chart, the first week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" by Earl Thomas Conley, and for its second week at #2, 'Wild and Blue" by John Anderson was in the top spot...
The following month on January 15th, 1983 "The Bird" reached #1 {for 1 week} on the Canadian RPM Country Singles chart...
Between 1967 and 1983 the Atlanta, Georgia native had fifty-two records on the Hot Country Singles chart, six made the Top 10 with three reaching #1, "When You're Hot, You're Hot" in 1971, "Lord, Mr. Ford" in 1973, and "She Got the Gold Mine (I Got the Shaft)" in 1982...
He just missed having two more #1 records when both the above "The Bird" and "East Bound and Down" peaked at #2...
Jerry Reed, born Jerry Reed Hubbard, passed away on September 1st, 2008 at the age of 71...
May he R.I.P.
* And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Hot Country Singles' Top 10 on December 12th, 1982:
At #3. "Wild and Blue" by John Anderson
#4. "A Love Song" by Kenny Rogers
#5. "The American Dream"/"If Heaven Ain't A Lot Like Dixie" by Hank Williams, Jr.
#6. "Can't Even Get The Blues" by Reba McEntire
#7. "Going Where The Lonely Go" by Merle Haggard
#8. "Lost My Baby Blues" by David Frizzell
#9. "Marina Del Rey" by George Strait
#10. "I Wonder" by Rosanne Cash
@BrassMtn
For one thing, country artists are not made like this anymore. It’s a story and a few cover songs all tied in one. Incredible! Could you imagine him doing this at a concert!? Even today the place would go nuts!
@soving
It's uncanny how well that bird does impressions.
@hankfrady9863
No doubt
@ralphcopas
Jiikkmj
@Dr_Binx
I’ll say
@raverbaby551
This is my favourite
@raverbaby551
Yep...I'd like to buy that bird
@MrDommer79
My 7 yr old son says daddy play the bird song! God bless Jerry. RIP
@jennivanpoirier8928
I love his song
@lucasbaxter5355
This is the reason you are the top comment!!!