Nine Pound Hammer is an American cowpunk band formed in 1985 by vocalist Sc… Read Full Bio ↴Nine Pound Hammer is an American cowpunk band formed in 1985 by vocalist Scott Luallen and guitarist Blaine Cartwright (of Nashville Pussy) in their hometown, Owensboro, Kentucky.

Nine Pound Hammer first played at The Ross Theater in nearby Evansville, Indiana, with drummer Toby Myrig, David Epperson, and bassist Brian (Forrest) Payne. David and Brian left, and Bart Altman joined on bass. This lineup played locally in Owensboro, Kentucky and Evansville before relocating to Lexington, Kentucky as the Raw Recruit. The band then changed the name to the Black Sheep and became the house band at Great Scott's Depot. Darren Howard replaced Toby, and the band became Nine Pound Hammer again.

The band has six full length albums and several EPs.

In 2005, Nine Pound Hammer was asked to pen a theme song and lyrics for 12 oz. Mouse, a new Adult Swim animated series showing on America's Cartoon Network. Scott Luallen also appears in the series as the voice actor for the character Roostre.

Black Sheep
Nine Pound Hammer Lyrics

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My daddy was a brake man on a highball travelin' train
An' momma she raised four little children
and the family had a good name
An poppa and momma wanted for us all they never had
Big brother, little brother and sister too
none of them turned out half bad
'cept me
I'm the black sheep of the family

Big brother went to college and became a doctor man
I guess he makes about a million dollars a year
off the folks with insurance plans
He's got a big long mercedes-benz
And a house over-looking the town
He sits in his jacuzzi and he watches the sun go down
he feels real sorry for me,
I'm the black sheep of the family
Yeah I drive me a big ol' semi truck
I'm makin' payments on a two room shack
My wife she waits on tables
and at night she rubs my back
And I tell her what my poppa said to my momma
when he got off a highball train
Wake me up early, be good to my dogs
Little sister married a banker
Yeah, he owns a country club
He bought her a big ol' racing horse
and a funny looking little dog
He buys her big rings and diamonds
and a brand new japanese yacht
And they like to get together
an' talk about all the things they've got
But they never mention me, hell no
I'm the black sheep of the family
Yeah, I drive me a big ol' semi truck
I'm makin' payments on a two room shack
My wife she waits on tables
and at night she rubs my back
And I tell her what my poppa said to my momma
when he got off a highball train
Wake me up early, be good to my dogs
and teach my children to play
I'm sayin' Woman,

Wake me up early, be good to my dogs,
and teach my children to pray

Overall Meaning

"Black Sheep" is a song by the bluegrass band Nine Pound Hammer. The song is about a man who feels like an outcast in his family. The man's father was a brake man on a train and his mother raised four children, all of whom turned out well except for him. His older brother went to college and became a doctor, while his sister married a wealthy banker. Meanwhile, the singer drives a big semi-truck and lives in a small shack with his wife, who works as a waitress. Despite feeling like the black sheep of the family, he still remembers his father's words to his mother to wake him up early, be good to his dogs, and teach his children to play.

The lyrics of this song touch on themes of guilt, alienation, and self-worth. The singer feels like he has not lived up to the expectations of his family and struggles with feelings of inadequacy. He is aware of the success of his siblings but is not bitter towards them. Instead, he accepts his situation and tries to make the best of it. Moreover, the song also highlights the importance of family values and the role of a father and mother in shaping the lives of their children.

Line by Line Meaning

My daddy was a brake man on a highball travelin' train
My father worked on the train as a brake man, traveling long distances

An' momma she raised four little children and the family had a good name
My mother raised four children and our family had a good reputation

An poppa and momma wanted for us all they never had
My parents wanted us to have everything they never had

Big brother, little brother and sister too none of them turned out half bad 'cept me
My siblings turned out well, but I didn't

I'm the black sheep of the family
I am the family's outcast

Big brother went to college and became a doctor man I guess he makes about a million dollars a year off the folks with insurance plans
My brother went to college and became a doctor, making lots of money from insurance plans

He's got a big long mercedes-benz And a house over-looking the town He sits in his jacuzzi and he watches the sun go down he feels real sorry for me
My brother has a fancy car, a house with a view, and enjoys relaxing in his jacuzzi, feeling sorry for me in my situation

Yeah I drive me a big ol' semi truck I'm makin' payments on a two room shack My wife she waits on tables and at night she rubs my back
I drive a semi-truck, struggling to pay for my small home. My wife works at a restaurant and takes care of me after work

And I tell her what my poppa said to my momma when he got off a highball train Wake me up early, be good to my dogs Little sister married a banker Yeah, he owns a country club
I share with my wife what my dad used to tell my mom when he returned from work. My sister married a banker who owns a country club

He bought her a big ol' racing horse and a funny looking little dog He buys her big rings and diamonds and a brand new japanese yacht And they like to get together an' talk about all the things they've got
My brother-in-law gave my sister a horse, a pet dog, and expensive jewelry. They enjoy talking about their wealth

But they never mention me, hell no I'm the black sheep of the family
However, they never mention me because I am the black sheep of the family

and teach my children to play I'm sayin' Woman, Wake me up early, be good to my dogs, and teach my children to pray
I ask my wife to wake me up early, take care of our pets, and teach our children to pray

Writer(s): William R. Mclean, Allen AlvoidJones Jr, Ben Cauley, James Alexander, Andres Titus Copyright: Peep Bo Music, Polygram Int. Publishing Inc., Irving Music Inc.

Contributed by Lincoln F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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