The Ballad Of Jed Clampett
Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs Lyrics


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Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shooting for some food,
And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)

Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)

Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
They would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heaping helping of their hospitality




(Beverly Hillbillies, that's what they call 'em now,
Nice folks Y'all come back now, ya hear?)

Overall Meaning

The Ballad of Jed Clampett is a song about a man named Jed and his family, who were poor mountaineers barely getting by. One day, while shooting for food, Jed struck oil that came bubbling up from the ground. This made him a millionaire overnight, and his kin advised him to move away from their home and hometown to California. They packed up their belongings, loaded up the truck, and moved to Beverly Hills, specifically. The song ends with the family thanking all who visited them and inviting them to come back for another visit.


Line by Line Meaning

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Let me tell you a tale about a person named Jed


Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Jed was a person from the mountains who struggled to provide for his family


Then one day he was shooting for some food,
One day, he was out hunting for food,


And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
When he was hunting, he found oil underground,


(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)
(I mean oil, the valuable natural resource, it’s also known as Texas tea.)


Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Before he knew it, Jed had become a millionaire


Kin folk said Jed move away from there
His relatives suggested that Jed should leave the mountains


Said California is the place you oughta be
They believed that California was where he should go


So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
They packed up and moved to Beverly Hills


(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)
(Beverly Hills, where the rich and famous live, with luxurious amenities)


Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
Now it’s time to say farewell to Jed and his family


They would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
They want to express their gratitude for your visit


You're all invited back again to this locality
You are all welcome to come back to this area


To have a heaping helping of their hospitality
And enjoy their kind and generous hospitality


(Beverly Hillbillies, that's what they call 'em now,
(These days Jed and his family are known as the Beverly Hillbillies,)


Nice folks Y'all come back now, ya hear?)
They're good people, you should visit them again. Do you hear me?




Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

James B.

This video and other Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs songs ought to be having 70 million+ views! And listening to, and watching these master showman perform this lovely piece is really a thrill a minute!

NikkiB

Because this is posted by random Fred. No actual association to Flatt and Scruggs.

Jessie Morris

Love Lester and Earl !! Their music is great !!

60Cascade

What a gem! THANKS for posting.

BeingRomans829ed

“Cowboy Sings”, you sure do bring us some wonderful treasures! Thank you very much!

NikkiB

Certainly. Stolen from others and posted here.

hbk logo

im 16 and my grandpa sang this to me my whole life im so happy to know what its from finally

Zang Zang

If you like this stuff, find Bill Monroe and the Texas Playboys. This is Bluegrass son, Earl Scruggs invented this style of banjo picking.

Virginia Henning

Classic elegant. Love Lester and Earl

KY Stars

Thanks to YouTube and all the people out there that have these Gems like this, the whole world can hear this wonderful music if they look for it or find it! Kentucky is the land of Bluegrass where I am from. The Bluegrass state is our moto. We do have actual bluegrass, which is a blueish green color in patches. I love bluegrass! These 2 gentlemen were the very best!

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