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'
Marijuana
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a lot of my friends haven't seen it in quite a while
I feel my eyes rolling deep inside my head
And there's a feeling of misconception in the air
Yeah, I'm starting to see
Yeah, I do believe
I used to have a soft southern glowing face
I used to leave my heartaches with the chase
Well that's how you get that rattle snake smile
Better keep your distance with this tangled shape I'm in
Well, no one better touch me right now with this cold-blooded thick skin
Well you better run real fast when you hear that rattling sound
Well you better run real fast, man, or this one's gonna knock you down
I sit alone trying to shed this skin that I'm living in
Well, trying to clear my vision once again
Well I ain't no good for no one no not right now
'Cause I've got to run myself
And I've got to to run now
Well, I look like something you could put in a fuckin gcage
Come over here and give me a kiss
Yeah, I'm starting to see
Yeah, I do believe
Better keep your distance from this tangled shape I'm in
You know better than touch me right now with this cold blooded thick skin
Now, I said better run real fast when you hear that rattling sound
I said you better run real fast or this one's gonna knock you down
I sit alone in the desert rain with my tail in the air
The lyrics of Reverend Horton Heat's song "Marijuana" convey the singer's transformation under the influence of the drug, painting a vivid picture of a person with a "rattlesnake smile" and "cold-blooded thick skin." The singer's demeanor has changed, and they no longer have a "soft southern glowing face," but instead have become more guarded and reptilian in nature. They find themselves isolated from others and struggling to shed the skin that they've been living in, both metaphorically and literally.
The lyrics also touch on the singer's desire to be left alone, as they are no good for anyone at the moment and need to run themselves. They warn others to keep their distance, as they are in a "tangled shape" and potentially dangerous with the rattlesnake sound they make. However, despite their rough exterior, the singer ultimately longs for human connection and a kiss, ending with the image of sitting alone in the desert rain with their tail in the air.
Overall, "Marijuana" is a somber meditation on the transformative power of drugs, showcasing the singer's alienation and struggle to reconcile their changed identity with their desire for human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a long time since I wore this rattlesnake smile
It's been a long time since I felt happy and carefree like I used to be.
And a lot of my friends haven't seen it in quite a while
My friends haven't seen me truly happy in a long time.
I feel my eyes rolling deep inside my head
I feel really high and my eyes are rolling around.
And there's a feeling of misconception in the air
The environment and people around me feel different than usual.
Yeah, I'm starting to see
The marijuana is starting to affect my perception.
Yeah, I do believe
I'm convinced that the marijuana is changing how I see things.
I used to have a soft southern glowing face
I used to have a warm, friendly face.
I used to leave my heartaches with the chase
I used to be able to forget my problems by keeping busy.
When you get stung with the heart of a little Child
When you experience emotional pain that feels unbearable.
Well that's how you get that rattle snake smile
That's how you become emotionally hardened and cold.
Better keep your distance with this tangled shape I'm in
I'm in a bad state and not to be messed with.
Well, no one better touch me right now with this cold-blooded thick skin
I'm not open to physical contact at the moment.
Well you better run real fast when you hear that rattling sound
You need to leave quickly if you hear the sound of my warning rattle.
Well you better run real fast, man, or this one's gonna knock you down
If you don't leave now, I'll attack.
I sit alone trying to shed this skin that I'm living in
I'm trying to change myself and my circumstances.
Well, trying to clear my vision once again
Trying to see things more clearly.
Well I ain't no good for no one no not right now
I'm not in a good state to be around anyone.
'Cause I've got to run myself
I have to figure things out on my own.
And I've got to to run now
I need to leave this situation.
Well, I look like something you could put in a fuckin gcage
I look really messed up and unstable.
Come over here and give me a kiss
Despite my appearance and state, I still want affection.
Yeah, I'm starting to see
The marijuana is continuing to affect my perception.
Yeah, I do believe
I'm more convinced than ever that the marijuana is changing how I see things.
Better keep your distance from this tangled shape I'm in
I'm still in a bad state and not to be messed with.
You know better than touch me right now with this cold-blooded thick skin
Don't try to touch me right now.
Now, I said better run real fast when you hear that rattling sound
I warned you before to leave when you hear my rattle.
I said you better run real fast or this one's gonna knock you down
If you don't leave now, I will attack.
I sit alone in the desert rain with my tail in the air
I'm alone in a difficult situation, trying to show strength despite feeling vulnerable.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: DOMINIC T. KELLY, MATTHEW GREY PHAIRAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind