Walker was born in Blytheville, Arkansas and grew up in South Bend, Indiana… Read Full Bio ↴Walker was born in Blytheville, Arkansas and grew up in South Bend, Indiana. His unmistakable saxophone style was the anchor for the band's rambunctious sound. The other members of the group were drummer James Graves, guitarist Willie Woods and on keyboards Vic Thomas.

The group was spotted by Johnny Bristol. He recommended them to Harvey Fuqua, who had his own recording labels. When this labels were taken over by Berry Gordy, Jr. Walker & The All Stars became members of the Motown label.

Their first and signature hit was Shotgun. It was written by Junior Walker himself, but under his real name Autry DeWalt. The song was produced by Motown president Berry Gordy. The song begins with a shot from a shotgun. The song reached #4 on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. Shotgun was followed by many other hits, such as (I'm A) Road Runner, Shake And Fingerpop and covers of the Motown classics Come See About Me and How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).

In 1969 the group had another hit entering the top 5. What Does It Take (To Win You're Love) reached #4 on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. From that time on Walker sang more on the records than earlier in their carreer.

In 1979, Junior Walker went solo and was signed to Norman Whitfield's label. He wasn't as succesful as he had been with the All Stars in his Motown period. Junior Walker also played the sax on the group Foreigner's Urgent in 1981. The solo was actually cobbled together from tapes that he had made with the band. He later recorded his own version of the Foreigner song.

In 1983 Walker was re-signed with Motown. He died on November 23, 1995 in Battle Creek, Michigan of cancer. Drummer James Graves died in 1967 in a car accident and guitarist Willie Woods in 1997

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jr._Walker_%26_the_All_Stars

Hole In The Wall
Jr. Walker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Well I'm standin' on a corner
With a bucket in my hand
I'm waitin' for a woman

That ain't got no man

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Well, I went upon the mountain
I looked down in the sea
I seen the crabs and the fishes
Doin' the be-bop-bee

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Well, there ain't no use
Of me workin' so hard
When I got a woman
In the boss man's yard

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it

Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I can't buy no beer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jr. Walker's song, "Hole In The Wall," appear to be a commentary on the hard times of poverty. The metaphor of a bucket with a hole in it suggests the singer's inability to hang on to anything of value or to keep himself afloat financially. He can't even buy a beer, which is a small pleasure that he can't afford. The line, "I'm standing on a corner with a bucket in my hand," suggests that the singer may be begging for money or collecting whatever he can to try to survive.

The second verse continues the theme of the singer's struggles, as he sings about seeing crabs and fishes dancing, while he is unable to join in the fun because of his lack of resources. It's a reminder that poverty can isolate people from the joys of life, making it easier to feel despair. The final verse brings in a note of frustration with the system, as the singer suggests it's pointless to work hard when the odds are stacked against him, and he has a woman waiting in the boss man's yard. The song suggests that life is unfair for those at the bottom, and it can be challenging to make ends meet.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I am broke and cannot afford to buy what I want.

I can't buy no beer
I cannot afford to buy beer.

Well I'm standin' on a corner
I am standing on a street corner.

With a bucket in my hand
I am holding a bucket.

I'm waitin' for a woman
I am waiting for a woman to arrive.

That ain't got no man
The woman I am waiting for is single.

'Cause my bucket's got a hole in it
The reason I am waiting for a woman is because I cannot afford what I want.

Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it
I am broke and cannot afford to buy what I want.

I can't buy no beer
I cannot afford to buy beer.

Well, I went upon the mountain
I went up a mountain.

I looked down in the sea
I looked down at the sea from the top of the mountain.