They were formally inducted into the Grand Ole Opry at a special ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on September 17, 2013.
Their 2004 album "O.C.M.S." was selected by CMT (Country Music Television) as one of the top-10 bluegrass albums of that year. Their current tour includes bars, festivals, and larger venues. They are best experienced in smaller settings, where their infectious high-energy style electrifies the crowd, often a mixture of older listeners and 20-somethings.
They make frequent guest appearances on A Prairie Home Companion.
Boll Weevil
Old Crow Medicine Show Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
come on down to my house make a home in my old straw hat
lookin for a home
yeah lookin for a home
lookin for a home
lookin for a home
just go on away from me ya got a boll weevil down your ?peel?
lookin for a home
yeah lookin for a home
lookin for a home
ah, lookin for a home
first time that i seen him a fiddlin in the square
next time i seen him got his whole darn family there
lookin for a home
yeah lookin for a home
lookin for a home
ah, lookin for a home
farmer gone to the banker, i need to cash a check
just go on away from me ya got a boll weevil down your neck
lookin for a home
yeah lookin for a home
lookin for a home
yeah, lookin for a home
The lyrics to the Old Crow Medicine Show's song "Boll Weevil" revolve around the titular character, a beetle known for invading and destroying crops throughout the South. The boll weevil addresses the farmer directly, inviting him to come down to his house and make a home in his old straw hat. This seems to be a clever taunt, as the boll weevil is essentially telling the farmer that no matter what he does, the weevil will always be there to cause damage.
In the following verses, the farmer has conversations with a merchant and a banker, both of whom try to send him away because he has a boll weevil down his "peel" (which could mean his skin, or possibly his throat) and down his neck, respectively. This highlights the widespread fear and devastation caused by the boll weevil, as it affected not just farmers, but also merchants and bankers who depended on the cotton industry.
The repeated chorus of "lookin for a home" underscores the boll weevil's relentless pursuit of a place to live and thrive, despite the efforts of humans to eradicate or avoid it. The song can be seen as a commentary on both the futility of trying to control nature, and the resilience of a small, scrappy creature in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
now the boll weevil said to the farmer, now what do ya think of that
The boll weevil is asking the farmer for his opinion and offering the farmer a place to stay in his own straw hat.
come on down to my house make a home in my old straw hat
The boll weevil invites the farmer to live in his straw hat, which the boll weevil considers a suitable home.
lookin for a home
The boll weevil is searching for a place to live.
yeah lookin for a home
The boll weevil reiterates that he is still searching for a home.
farmer gone to the merchant, i need a lil meat and meal
The farmer goes to the merchant to buy food, but he is being bothered by the boll weevil.
just go on away from me ya got a boll weevil down your ?peel?
The merchant tells the boll weevil to leave because he does not want to be bothered by him and is afraid of him.
first time that i seen him a fiddlin in the square
The boll weevil was first seen playing a fiddle in the town square.
next time i seen him got his whole darn family there
The next time the boll weevil was seen, he had brought his entire family with him.
farmer gone to the banker, i need to cash a check
The farmer goes to the banker to cash a check, but he is being bothered by the boll weevil.
just go on away from me ya got a boll weevil down your neck
The banker tells the boll weevil to leave because he does not want to be bothered by him and is afraid of him.
yeah lookin for a home
The boll weevil reiterates that he is still searching for a home.
lookin for a home
The boll weevil continues to look for a place to live.
lookin for a home
The boll weevil is still searching for a place to call home.
ah, lookin for a home
The boll weevil continues to repeat his search for a home.
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.