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'
Sermon on the Jimbo
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I won? t say who he is, but
He has a bad problem with women. (Oh no!)
I want to tell you that this friend of mine just lusts for those women too much.
This friend of mine, now, I said I won? t say who.
Well just has a hard time with his demonic thoughts of women
& The downright sinful things that he would do with them
If he lost his most important will & promise. (Ha, ha ha, ha? Oh no!)
Kissin? (No!)
Playin? with the poodle!
Friends, this just upsets this man so much that
He cannot stop thinking those lewd, lustful,
Evil thoughts about women? s legs,
Their hips,
Their, their underwear!
I want to tell you fine people this one thing that I tell this friend of mine.
Over, & over, & over again. (I live here.)
I tell him he has a very special friend.
A friend who is there with him,
Day & night, night & day.
A friend who understands his needs,
Worries,
Many, many, many frustrations.
Do you know the name of my special friend?
JIMBO!
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
Jimbo will sit with you & watch a nature show. (Oh yeah?)
When you are feeling down, Jimbo will lift you up
& Take you for a ride in his pickup. (Yeah, yeah.)
Jimbo will come in your house
Carrying a six-pack of good will & joy. (Oh yeah!)
When you have sinned,
He will baptize you in the clear waters of his above ground pool.
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
But when the evil flood waters are a risin?
Don? t think that Jimbo hasn? t been there.
Because when evil makes those eyes stop & stare at those?
Bosoms!
Those thighs!
Those lips!
Those ears!
Those small of the backs!
Those panties!
You know Jimbo? s been there, too!
& No,
Jimbo is there with you now
As those demonic feelings down where the sun don? t shine
Are about to take over.
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, to our members.
You? ve got a friend in Jimbo.
You? ve got a friend in Jimbo.
The Reverend Horton Heat's song "Sermon on the Jimbo" is a humorous take on a serious problem. The singer has a friend who struggles with lewd and lustful thoughts about women. To help his friend, he repeatedly tells him about a special friend he has, someone who can help ease his worries and frustrations. The friend he's referring to is Jimbo, a figure who can be seen as a substitute for God or a higher power.
The lyrics of the song are filled with innuendo and double entendres, with the singer describing his friend's lustful thoughts in graphic detail. However, despite the humor, the underlying message is one of comfort and reassurance. By telling his friend about Jimbo, the singer is offering a way to cope with his struggles and find relief from his sinful thoughts.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a very dear friend.
The singer is talking about a friend of his who is struggling with women, but he won't say who he is.
And I won?t say who he is, but
The singer is keeping the identity of his friend confidential.
He has a bad problem with women. (Oh no!)
The friend of the singer is perceived to have a problem lusting after women.
I want to tell you that this friend of mine just lusts for those women too much.
The friend of narrator usually has evil thoughts of women and all the sinful things he would do with them.
This friend of mine, now, I said I won?t say who.
The artist repeats again that he won't be revealing the identity of his friend.
Well just has a hard time with his demonic thoughts of women
The friend of the singer is struggling with his evil thoughts of women.
& The downright sinful things that he would do with them
The friend of the singer has sinful actions in mind when he thinks of women.
If he lost his most important will & promise. (Ha, ha ha, ha? Oh no!)
If the friend of the artist loses his will be due to his meager hopes of acting out his lustful desires with women.
Huggin? (No!)
The artist is disapproving of his friend's desire to hug women he lusts after.
Kissin? (No!)
The artist is disapproving of his friend's desire to kiss women he lusts after.
Playin? with the poodle!
The singer is condemning the friend's inappropriate behavior and desires towards women.
Friends, this just upsets this man so much that
The friend of the artist hates himself for his lewd thoughts and desires.
He cannot stop thinking those lewd, lustful,
The friend of narrator keeps on having evil, lustful thoughts of women.
Evil thoughts about women?s legs,
The friend of the singer often thinks lustful things about women's legs.
Their hips,
The friend of the singer often thinks lustful things about women's hips.
Their, their underwear!
The friend of the artist often thinks about women's underwear.
I want to tell you fine people this one thing that I tell this friend of mine.
The artist wants to share something important that he tells his friend.
Over, & over, & over again. (I live here.)
The singer keeps on saying these important things over and over again to his friend, who he is urging to listen carefully.
I tell him he has a very special friend.
The singer always reminds his friend that he has a very special pal.
A friend who is there with him,
The artist reminds his friend that he has a good buddy who is always there for him.
Day & night, night & day.
The artist's friend's special friend is always there for him, no matter what time of day or night.
A friend who understands his needs,
The artist's friend's special friend is always understanding of his needs.
Worries,
The singer's friend's special friend is worried about his safety and wellbeing.
Many, many, many frustrations.
The artist's friend's special friend is always there to help him through his various troubles.
Do you know the name of my special friend?
The singer asks the audience if they know the name of his friend's special friend.
JIMBO!
The name of the friend's special pal is Jimbo.
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
The singer is asking the audience for a moment of celebration and gratitude.
Can I get a Halleluiah? (Halleluiah!)
The artist asks again for the audience's approval of Jimbo's name.
Jimbo will sit with you & watch a nature show. (Oh yeah?)
Jimbo is always there to hang out with you, even if it's just watching TV.
When you are feeling down, Jimbo will lift you up
When you're feeling depressed and struggling, Jimbo is there to encourage and support you.
& Take you for a ride in his pickup. (Yeah, yeah.)
Jimbo is there to take you on an adventure in his pickup truck.
Jimbo will come in your house
Jimbo is always willing to visit you in your own home.
Carrying a six-pack of good will & joy. (Oh yeah!)
Jimbo is carrying a six-pack of positivity and goodwill.
When you have sinned,
When you have made a mistake or a poor decision,
He will baptize you in the clear waters of his above ground pool.
Jimbo is there to help you cleanse yourself and start anew.
But when the evil flood waters are a risin?
When you're facing a tough time or are in a difficult situation,
Don?t think that Jimbo hasn?t been there.
Don't think that Jimbo has never faced tough times or difficult situations, too.
Because when evil makes those eyes stop & stare at those?
Because sometimes, looking at certain body parts can lead to temptation or sinful thoughts.
Bosoms!
The singer is referring to a woman's chest, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
Those thighs!
The artist is referring to a woman's thighs, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
Those lips!
The artist is referring to a woman's lips, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
Those ears!
The singer is referring to a woman's ears, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
Those small of the backs!
The singer is referring to the lower back area of women, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
Those panties!
The artist is referring to a woman's underwear, which can be sexualized and lead to lustful thoughts.
You know Jimbo?s been there, too!
The artist is comforting the audience by highlighting that Jimbo has experienced temptation and lust, too.
& No,
The artist is emphasizing that Jimbo is truly there for you.
Jimbo is there with you now
Jimbo is always with you, even during difficult or tempting moments.
As those demonic feelings down where the sun don?t shine
The artist is referring to the part of your body that you feel temptation or lust.
Are about to take over.
The singer is acknowledging that feeling temptation or lust is a struggle, but Jimbo is there to help you through it.
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, to our members.
The singer is grateful for the audience's support.
You?ve got a friend in Jimbo.
Jimbo is always there for you, just like a good friend should be.
You?ve got a friend in Jimbo.
Again, Jimbo is a special friend that you can always rely on.
Writer(s): James Collis Heath
Contributed by Kaylee T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.