He had early exposure to music in the home as his father played a little boogie-woogie piano and was constantly listening to music. He started playing guitar in his early teen years and soon discovered Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed in his father's record collection. Additionally, Moeller remembers hearings lots of both ZZ Top and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Over the years Moeller's main influences have been from Freddie King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Earl King and Grant Green. Lesser, but meaningful influences come from a wide variety of other blues, soul and funk artists.
He began playing in Dallas and Fort Worth blues clubs whilst still in high school. During the summers Moeller and his year and a half younger brother Jay Moeller, who was already playing drums (and is now the drummer with The Fabulous Thunderbirds), would travel from their home in Denton down to Austin to "hang out" with their father. The summer they were 16 and 15 their father convinced Clifford Antone of the Austin blues club Antone's to let his sons periodically sit in with the evening's performers. The first night Moeller appeared on Antone's stage was with Little Charlie & The Nightcats. It was an event that Moeller would never forget and from that night on Antone was one of Moeller's biggest supporters.
After Moeller finished high school in Denton he moved to Austin and into the music scene that is 6th Street (Austin). He worked many of the city's well known venues and often soaked in the music of the constant stream of blues artists which Antone brought. Amongst those that played Antone's were Earl King, Albert Collins, and James Cotton.
Years later the Austin Chronicle quoted Antone (who also helped launch Stevie Ray Vaughan) as saying: "Johnny, nobody can burn like that kid. He's got the heart like Stevie had, about the only one I've seen with that kind of heart. Johnny's so quiet and bashful, just a sweet kid and sometimes those kids get overlooked."
By the time Moeller had joined The Fabulous Thunderbirds in mid 2007 he had recorded, played regularly with, or toured North America, Europe and Scandinavia with Darrell Nulisch, Lou Ann Barton, Mike Barfield, Doyle Bramhall II, Gary Primich, and Guy Forsyth.
Trick Bag
Johnny Moeller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twelve o'clock at night and you walk out the door
You told me, baby, you were going to the drugstore
But in my mind, I knew you were lying
That drugstore closed at a quarter to nine
Well, I saw you kissing Willy across the fence
The way you've been acting is such a drag
Put me in a trick bag
We had a fight and then you went and got mad
You went, got on the telephone and called your mom and dad
And they came running down and they had bats in their hands
Don't you hear that no more, you'll understand
But I saw you kissing Willy across the fence
And I heard you telling Willy, I ain't got no sense
The way you've been acting is such a drag
Put me in a trick bag
Ain't gonna hear, no
You get me wrong but I know I was right
It wasn't I that started the fight
Well, she is my daughter and, man, I'm her pa
And you ain't nothing but my son-in-law
But I saw you kissing Willy across the fence
And I heard you telling Willy, I ain't got no sense
The way you've been acting is such a drag
You put me in a trick bag
I ain't gonna hear that, it's just more lies
[Incomprehensible] tell me a big old pack of lies, all the time
Well, Lisa still got my guitar, I'm gonna play
I'm jumping, bye, bye
The lyrics of Trick Bag by Johnny Moeller tell the story of a man who is being deceived by his partner. He discovers that his partner has been lying to him, and even gets caught kissing someone else. After having a fight, the woman calls her parents, who come to her defense with bats in hand. The man tries to defend himself by saying that he's not at fault, but his partner's father stands by his daughter, stating that she is his daughter and he's just her son-in-law. The song portrays a relationship that's filled with deception and betrayal, and ultimately ends with the man deciding to leave.
The lyrics of Trick Bag can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, the song can be seen as a cautionary tale about trust and the consequences of betrayal. The man in the song is hurt by his partner's lies and infidelity, and leaves the relationship as a result. On the other hand, the song can also be interpreted as a commentary on gender roles and power dynamics in relationships. The woman in the song is depicted as being manipulative and deceitful, while the man is cast as the victim.
Line by Line Meaning
Twelve o'clock at night and you walk out the door
It's midnight and you're leaving home
You told me, baby, you were going to the drugstore
You said you were going to the drugstore
But in my mind, I knew you were lying
I sensed that you were lying
That drugstore closed at a quarter to nine
The drugstore closed early, at a quarter to nine
Well, I saw you kissing Willy across the fence
I watched you kiss Willy by the fence
And I heard you telling Willy, I ain't got no sense
I overheard you telling Willy I don't have sense
The way you've been acting is such a drag
I'm tired of your behavior
Put me in a trick bag
You've tricked me
We had a fight and then you went and got mad
We fought and you got angry
You went, got on the telephone and called your mom and dad
You called your parents on the phone
And they came running down and they had bats in their hands
They came with bats in their hands
Don't you hear that no more, you'll understand
You won't hear about it anymore and you'll understand why
Ain't gonna hear, no
I won't listen anymore
You get me wrong but I know I was right
You misunderstand, but I'm sure I'm right
It wasn't I that started the fight
I didn't start the fight
Well, she is my daughter and, man, I'm her pa
My daughter is your wife and I'm her father
And you ain't nothing but my son-in-law
You're just my son-in-law
I ain't gonna hear that, it's just more lies
I'm not gonna listen, it's just more lies
[Incomprehensible] tell me a big old pack of lies, all the time
You tell me lies all the time
Well, Lisa still got my guitar, I'm gonna play
Lisa still has my guitar, but I'm going to play
I'm jumping, bye, bye
I'm leaving, bye bye
Contributed by Maria H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.