He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a Polish American family and lived in Abrams during his youth. He learned to play the fiddle from his father, who was a professional polka musician. In the 1930s, he toured and made cowboy movies with Gene Autry. King joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1937.
In 1946, while the bandleader of Pee Wee King & his Golden West Cowboys, King, together with the band's vocalist, Redd Stewart, composed "The Tennessee Waltz", inspired by "The Kentucky Waltz" by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. King and Stewart first recorded "The Tennessee Waltz" in 1948, and it went on to become a country music standard.
King's other songs included "Slow Poke" and "You Belong to Me", both co-authored with Chilton Price and Redd Stewart. His songs introduced waltzes, polkas, and cowboy songs to country music.
King was not permitted to use the drummer and trumpeter he featured on his stage shows when the band played at the Grand Ole Opry. King refused to change his band's sound at the Grand Ole Opry, over the years being among the first to introduce or popularize drums (along with Bob Wills, who defied the Opry ban in 1945), horns, the accordion, and electric instruments including the pedal steel guitar to the Opry's brand of country music. His band also introduced on-stage dancing and Nudie Cohn's customized 'rhinestone cowboy' outfits to the Opry which later became popular with Nashville and country musicians, including Elvis Presley.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD Christmas Time’s A Comin’ performing "Jingle Bells" with the cast released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
He died of a heart attack in Louisville, Kentucky, at age 86.
Slow Poke
Pee Wee King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're a slow poke
I wait and worry but you never seem to hurry
You're a slow poke
Time means nothin' to you
I wait and then
Late again,
Why should I linger every time you snap your finger
Little slow poke?
Why can't you hasten when you see the time's a-wastin'?
You're a slow poke, dear
Why should I keep tryin' to change you?
It's not the thing to do
I guess I'll have to learn to be a slow poke too
You keep me waitin' till it's gettin' aggravatin'
You're a slow poke
I wait and worry but you never seem to hurry
You're a slow poke
Time means nothin' to you
I wait and then
Late again
Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, quarter to ten
Why should I linger every time you snap your finger
Little slow poke?
Why can't you hasten when you see the time's a-wastin'?
You're a slow poke, dear
Why should I keep tryin' to change you?
It's not the thing to do
I guess I'll have to learn to be a slow poke too
The lyrics to Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys' song "Slow Poke" express frustration toward someone who consistently keeps the singer waiting. The opening lines state, "You keep me waitin' till it's gettin' aggravatin' / You're a slow poke." The tempo is described as slow, and the person being described never seems to hurry, even when it causes the singer to worry or wastes time. The chorus repeats the title of the song and poses the question, "Why can't you hasten when you see the time's a-wastin'?"
The second verse continues to express frustration with the slow pace of the person being described. The lyrics suggest that this person does not value time the same way the singer does, and that even when the singer waits and worries, the person is still consistently late. The chorus repeats again, followed by the question, "Why should I keep tryin' to change you?" The song seems to suggest that learning to be a "slow poke" oneself may be the only solution.
Overall, the lyrics to "Slow Poke" are a lighthearted commentary on frustration with people who are consistently tardy or slow. The lyrics are relatable, and the catchy melody makes the song memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
You keep me waitin' till it's gettin' aggravatin'
You cause me to wait for an extended period until it becomes irritating.
You're a slow poke
You are a person who moves or works slowly and inefficiently.
I wait and worry but you never seem to hurry
I have to wait and concern myself, but you never show any sign of urgency.
Time means nothin' to you
You do not value time as a precious commodity and tend to squander it instead.
I wait and then
I patiently wait for you to show up.
Late again
You are consistently tardy, repeating the same mistake repeatedly.
Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, quarter to ten
The time keeps passing, and you are still not here.
Why should I linger every time you snap your finger
Why should I always be at your beck and call?
Little slow poke?
Are you a lazy and sluggish person?
Why can't you hasten when you see the time's a-wastin'?
Why can't you speed up when you realized that you are wasting precious time?
Why should I keep tryin' to change you?
Why should I exert effort trying to alter your sluggish behavior?
It's not the thing to do
It is pointless to try to change you.
I guess I'll have to learn to be a slow poke too
I have no choice but to adapt to your sluggish pace.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, Chilton Price
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MistyLaneLoveConquersALL
My mother used to sing this to me on the porch while waiting for the school bus🎶
I was about 6 years young. I miss her everyday ♥️
@TacoJFK3226
My bus driver would sing this song to some of the kids.
@MistyLaneLoveConquersALL
@@TacoJFK3226 How sweet ☺️
@resolute7627
this was my Mom and Dads song, they were Fort Worth Texas Poly High school class of 1952 They're together again now.
@frankjennings4022
After 60+ years this popped into my mind!
@leo675
Me too!
@Ulitawo
Me too... I woke up late today, out of the blue, the tune and song title popped out of my mind. I did not want to miss it so the search brought me here. It has been, since about 70 years for me.
@jenniferhart6542
Ne too!
@wayneu1233
I have no time for contemporary country music, but I still love the stuff that my parents loved when I was a little boy—like this!
@btc1221
My grandfather would sing this every time we were running late and he sang it so much I have the lyrics and can sing along to it without even listening to the song before he passed away last year and this will be one of my greatest memories listening to it remembering his memory love you grandpa that’s for shinning this on me today