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'
Time to Pray
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her aura's halo ablaze
But inside her anger no men should tread
It's bound to kill you upon your burning bed.
Oh yeah! You best get out og her way,
Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray.
Some little thing happens some one she sees
The eyes get glassy she begins to squint
She's about to blow man you better get the hint.
Oh yeah! You best get out og her way,
Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray.
She's dangerous
She's dangerous (fire in the hole!)
Learned my lesson paid the price
How can something so evil come from someone so seemingly nice
But now she's yours brother remember what I say
When the eyes get glassy then it's time to pray.
Oh yeah! You best get out og her way,
Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray.
Oh yeah!
Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray!
The Reverend Horton Heat's song "Time To Pray" is a cautionary tale about a woman who appears sweet on the surface but has a volatile temper that can lead to dangerous consequences for those around her. The lyrics mention her "aura's halo ablaze" but also warn that "inside her anger no men should tread." The use of fire imagery throughout the song, including the line "bound to kill you upon your burning bed," underscores the danger that this woman represents.
The chorus of the song, with its repeated phrase "Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray," suggests that the only recourse when confronted by this woman's wrath is to pray. The urgency of this message is emphasized in the final lines of the song, which warn that "when the eyes get glassy then it's time to pray."
Overall, "Time To Pray" is a powerful warning about the dangers of underestimating someone based on outward appearances, and a reminder to be vigilant in recognizing and responding to potentially dangerous situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Her eyes so sweetly gaze
Her eyes appear charming and loving
Her aura's halo ablaze
Her aura is bright and radiant
But inside her anger no men should tread
She contains deep-seated anger that is perilous for men to deal with
It's bound to kill you upon your burning bed.
Her anger may be deadly and harmful
Oh yeah! You best get out of her way,
It's better to avoid her when her temper is close to boiling point
So gently poised at the table with me
She was calmly sitting and enjoying her meal with the singer
Some little thing happens some one she sees
Her behavior changes abruptly upon seeing or experiencing something unpleasant
The eyes get glassy she begins to squint
Her eyes get watery and she squints to show her frustration
She's about to blow man you better get the hint.
It's better to recognize her warning signs because she's about to burst into anger
She's dangerous
She's unpredictable and potentially harmful to others
She's dangerous (fire in the hole!)
Her fiery temper is scary and dangerous
Learned my lesson paid the price
The artist learned the hard way by facing the consequences of her anger
How can something so evil come from someone so seemingly nice
It's surprising to see such anger from someone who seems so innocent
But now she's yours brother remember what I say
If she's now someone else's problem, the singer advises them to watch out for her warning signs
When the eyes get glassy then it's time to pray.
When she's showing the signs of anger, it's time to get away and start praying for safety
Oh yeah! You best get out of her way,
It's important to avoid her when she's angry or showing warning signs
Oh yeah! Now it's time to pray!
It's paramount to start praying for your safety if she begins to show signs of anger
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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