During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska, and "Sink the Bismarck". Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Johnny Horton had several top ten songs in the late 50's and early 60's and was on the verge of becoming one of the top stars of the 60's when he met with tragedy.
He was born John Gale Horton in Los Angeles in 1925. He was raised in Tyler, Texas. Horton worked in the fishing industry in Alaska and California, and attended Seattle University. He worked for a while as a carpenter, and played basketball at Baylor University. He worked at a local radio station in East Texas and at the Hometown Jamboree in California. He did some recording with little success for the Abbott, Mercury, and Dot labels and picked up the nickname the Singing Fisherman. Horton became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride.
Johnny married Billie Jean Jones, the widow of country music legend Hank Williams. He sang country songs and signed a recording contract with Columbia, where he would achieve his greatest success. Some of his first hits included Honky Tonk Man, I'm A One-Woman Man in 1956, Coming Home in 1957 and All Grown Up in 1958. He topped the country charts in 1959 with When It's Springtime In Alaska.
Johnny Horton then began to record a series of saga songs that crossed over to the pop charts. He covered Jimmy Driftwood's The Battle Of New Orleans in 1959. The song topped the country charts and it reached number one on the pop charts, where it remained for a solid six weeks. The song was a tribute to the final battle of the War of 1812. He also recorded Sink The Bismarck in 1960, a song that was suggested by the film of the same title; it went top ten country and pop. Johnny Horton was a star. He sang the title song for the John Wayne movie North To Alaska and it too made the top ten in both charts during the same year.
On November 5, 1960, while North To Alaska was still climbing the charts, Horton was killed in an automobile accident in Milano, Texas following an appearance at the Skyline Club in Austin. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetary in Haughton, LA.
Following Horton's death some of his earlier hit songs made the charts once again. Albums of his recordings were compiled and issued in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and they are still selling.
His biography was published in 1983 under the title Your Singing Fisherman.
Ole Slew-Foot
Johnny Horton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bear tracks bear tracks lookin' back at me
Better get your rifle boy before it's too late
Cause the bear's got a little pig and headed through the gate
He's big around the middle and he's broad across the rump
Runnin' ninety miles an hour takin' thirty feet a jump
Ain't never been caught he ain't never been treed
And some folks say he look a lot like me
I saved up my money and I bought me some bees
And they started makin' honey way up in the trees
Cut down the trees but my honey's all gone
Old Slew Foot's done made himself at home
He's big around the middle...
[ harmonica ]
Winter's comin' on and it's twenty below
And the river's froze over so where can he go
We'll chase him up the gully then we'll run him in the well
And shoot him in the bottom just to listen to him yell
He's big around the middle...
The song "Ole Slew Foot" by Johnny Horton is a classic country tune that tells the story of a man's encounter with a massive bear. The song begins with the man on a mountain observing bear tracks and warning the listener to grab their rifle before it's too late. The man portrays the bear as having stolen a little pig and heading through the gate. The bear is described as being round in the middle and broad across the rump, and he is said to run at an incredible speed of ninety miles an hour while jumping thirty feet.
The next verse depicts the man's efforts to make honey from bees that he purchased with his money, only to find out that the bear has made his home up in the trees and consumed all the honey. The final verse talks about how winter is approaching, and the man plans to chase down the bear and shoot him in the bottom, listening to his yell as he falls into the well. The song concludes with the bear's description as being strangely similar to the man's appearance.
Overall, the song uses a lively tune and humorous lyrics to tell a story that reflects the folkloric traditions of storytelling inherent in country music. The song also highlights the fear and awe people often have for wild animals and the measures they are willing to take to protect themselves and their property.
Line by Line Meaning
High on the mountain tell me what you see
Asking what someone sees from the top of the mountain
Bear tracks bear tracks lookin' back at me
Noticing the bear tracks staring back
Better get your rifle boy before it's too late
Warning someone to grab the rifle before it gets too dangerous
Cause the bear's got a little pig and headed through the gate
Explaining how the bear has a pig and is walking towards the gate
He's big around the middle and he's broad across the rump
Describing the bear as overweight and wide
Runnin' ninety miles an hour takin' thirty feet a jump
Telling how fast the bear is running and how far he is jumping
Ain't never been caught he ain't never been treed
Expressing how the bear has never been caught or chased up a tree
And some folks say he look a lot like me
Jokingly suggesting that the bear looks like the artist
[ harmonica ]
Musical interlude
I saved up my money and I bought me some bees
Explaining how the artist bought bees with his money
And they started makin' honey way up in the trees
Describing how the bees started making honey up in the trees
Cut down the trees but my honey's all gone
Saying that the trees were cut down but the honey is gone anyway
Old Slew Foot's done made himself at home
Blaming the bear for stealing the honey
He's big around the middle...
Repeating the chorus
[ harmonica ]
Musical interlude
Winter's comin' on and it's twenty below
Describing the cold winter temperature
And the river's froze over so where can he go
Wondering where the bear can go now that the river is frozen over
We'll chase him up the gully then we'll run him in the well
Deciding to chase the bear up the gully and run him into the well
And shoot him in the bottom just to listen to him yell
Suggesting to shoot the bear in the bottom just for fun
He's big around the middle...
Repeating the chorus
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLIE DANIELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sanguis
on I Hate Niggers
John Gale "Johnny" Horton did NOT write or sing the song "I Hate Niggers". That song was by Johnny Rebel and not written or released for some years after Johnny Horton died.