The group originally formed in 1985, playing its first gigs in Dallas's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Its current members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitar and lead vocals, Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass, and Scott Churilla on drums. Through relentless touring and a manic stage show, they have established themselves as one of the most popular underground acts in America. Their sound is self described as "Country-fed punkabilly." Their music is a mixture of country, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly, all played loud and energetically with lyrics that are often very humorous.
Jim Heath played in a cover band called Southern Comfort with friends from Corpus Christi Ray, his high school, before attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1977. At UT, he often entertained friends and dormmates and was often found playing in the stairwells at Moore-Hill Dormitory late into the night to avoid disturbing the sleep of roommate Harold Shockley, now a Corpus Christi banker. Jim left school in the spring to join up with a touring cover band by the name of Sweetbriar. Three years later, former dormmate David Livingston, now in his senior year of school and at home visiting family, saw a familiar face on stage and reunited with Jim. David told Jim stories of the punk music scene in Austin and the acts playing at venues like Raul's and Club Foot. Once, while home on another visit, David took Jim to a Dallas rock and roll venue, The Bijou, to see an act called The Cramps. After the show, there broke out a punks vs. rockers brawl in the parking lot. While Jim and David escaped any involvement in the scuffle, Jim later claimed to have had an epiphany on that evening. Always a fan of blues and honky tonk, Jim returned the favor by taking David and his wife, Ellen, to see The Blasters in Dallas at a venue known as the Hot Klub and Jim's love for roots rock took over from there.
Jim had married a former bandmate from Sweetbriar, and together they had a child. Together they decided that the rock-and-roll lifestyle was over and that it was time to have real jobs. Around 1985, Jim was known as "Jim the Sound Guy" by those who frequented two warehouses that by night became music venues, Theater Gallery and The Prophet Bar. Jim used the old Sweetbriar PA system to earn from $20-$50 per night for extra money, running sound for bands such as the New Bohemians, End Over End, Shallow Reign and Three On A Hill. One night during a lull, Russell Hobbs, one of the original Deep Ellum visionaries and proprietors of these venues goaded Jim into getting up to play. He played alone, tearing through a version of "Folsom Prison Blues" that is now so familiar to millions of Reverend Horton Heat fans around the world. Throughout the song, Hobbs hooted and shouted out, "Go Reverend". Jim decided then and there to form a band and came up with the name Reverend Horton Heat, as an ode to Johnny Horton, using the shortened version of his last name, Heath. The late nights and the fact the Jim was now playing in a band and his wife and former bandmate was not took its toll on the marriage and she soon left with their child and dog. Jim's feelings upon the loss of his family are well documented in the song, "Where In The Hell Did You go With My Toothbrush?". The Jimi Hendrix poster mentioned in the song was on the back of a door that Jim used for a practice room in the house he shared with his wife and child. The dog's name really was Smokey.
About this time, David and Ellen moved back from Oklahoma City, where they had been since graduating from UT. David began to book gigs for Jim and his new band, and their refeshing sound and raw live performance quickly won over the local music scene. Jim drew crowds to brand new music venues, playing three nights a week at Froggy Bottoms in the then brand new West End and assured a quick start to Club Dada, the first "for profit" bar in Deep Ellum by playing every night for the first two weeks that it was open. David continued to work with Reverend Horton Heat until 1989, when his own new family and day job required all of his attention, and Jim needed a real manager who could get him out on the road and into the studio. Jim and David remain close friends today, and a song that they co-wrote together back in the '80s, "Liquor, Beer and Wine", appeared on 1994's "Liquor In The Front".
Check out the [url=http://[officialsite]www.victorymerch.com/store/reverendhortonheat]Reverend Horton Heat merch store.
This artist is also on Last.fm as: 'The Reverend Horton Heat'
400 Bucks
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sent you 400 bucks
So you could buy some car
Well I loved you so much
I didn't get too far
For my 400 bucks
I guess I should of known
That you'd never repay
400 bucks 400 bucks
And you don't give a fuck
About my 400 bucks
A '57 sedan
And it's a mom and pop car
And now your old boyfriend's back
My only friend's at the bar
400 buck 400 bucks
And you don't give a fuck
About my 400 bucks
You got a new puppy dog
Threw your cat on the street
And now we're both fucked
Without my 400 bucks
400 bucks 400 bucks
And you don't give a fuck
About my 400 bucks
Remember when you said Honey
Someday that car is gonna look so good in front of our house
BITCH! I want my 400 dollars
I want my 400 dollars and I want it right now
Give it to me!
The lyrics to Reverend Horton Heat's "400 Bucks" are about betrayal and deception in a romantic relationship. The singer of the song had sent his lover, who he affectionately calls Honey, $400 to buy a car. He had hoped to impress her and improve their relationship with the purchase. However, it quickly becomes clear that Honey has no intention of using the money for a car or repaying the debt. She spends the money on herself and her old boyfriend, who has now returned to the picture. The singer is left feeling angry and betrayed.
The lyrics also touch on themes of materialism and the consequences of making poor financial decisions. The singer's love for Honey blinded him to her true intentions, and he now regrets giving her the money. He even threatens her with violence if she does not repay him promptly.
Overall, the lyrics of "400 Bucks" are a cautionary tale about trust and financial responsibility in relationships. It serves as a warning to listeners to be cautious when lending money to romantic partners and to be aware of red flags when it comes to money matters.
Line by Line Meaning
I said Honey
Addressing his lover
I sent you 400 bucks
Sending her $400 for buying a car
So you could buy some car
Explaining why he sent her the money
Well I loved you so much
Expressing his love for her
I didn't get too far
Indicating his limited progress in the relationship
For my 400 bucks
Referring to the money he sent her
You were sweet that day
She acted kind towards him only on that day
I guess I should of known
Regretting his lack of foresight
That you'd never repay
Realizing she would not return the money
400 bucks 400 bucks
Repeating the amount of money sent
And you don't give a fuck
She doesn't care about the money or his feelings
About my 400 bucks
Reiterating the money that she doesn't care about
A '57 sedan
The car she purchased
And it's a mom and pop car
Describing the type of car
And now your old boyfriend's back
Her former lover returns
My only friend's at the bar
Indicating his loneliness
You got a new puppy dog
She got a new pet
Threw your cat on the street
Neglecting her old pet
And now we're both fucked
They are left in a dire situation
Without my 400 bucks
Blaming her for his situation due to the money she didn't return
Remember when you said Honey
Recalling a promise she made
Someday that car is gonna look so good in front of our house
Quoting her earlier statement
BITCH! I want my 400 dollars
Calling her a derogatory name and demanding his money
I want my 400 dollars and I want it right now
Stressing the urgency of repayment
Give it to me!
Demanding repayment of his money
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALISON ELIZABETH GOLDFRAPP, WILLIAM OWEN GREGORY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devon Reed
I had an extremely intense acid trip by myself tonight and this song saved me from leaving reality. Thank you Reverend Horton Heat
Spiral Wizard
@Guitarded That sounds like the greatest show of all time.
Take America Back From Isяael
lol
Matt J
This is the best comment on YouTube right now
Guitarded
dude i took acid at a Rev concert , they opened for motorhead. i took two hits too much. HAHA
Tim Stadlmueller
Imagine knowing nothing about this guy and going to his show, what
an icon.
Heather K
I will be taking someone who knows nothing about this band to a show next month. I hope they love the Rev as much as I do!
PHILLIP DEES
the rev , taz and jimbo together were a force of nature.
Nobody
I love all of their stuff, but this album really hits the nail on the head.
Dulcie Morgan
It must have been a lot of fun being a band on Sub Pop during this period.