1. A country music sin… Read Full Bio ↴Roger Miller is a name of at least two musicians:
1. A country music singer/songwriter from Oklahoma, USA
2. An alternative rock singer/songwriter from Massachusetts, USA
1) Roger Dean Miller (b. 2 Jan 1936 - d. 25 Oct 1992), was an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs. His most recognized tunes included the chart-topping country/pop hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me" and "England Swings", all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era.
After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, penning such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later started a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the late-1960s, but continued to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit "Old Friends" with Willie Nelson in 1982. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he also acted.
Miller died from lung cancer in 1992, and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by younger artists, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn, each reaching the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum in his home town serves as a tribute to Miller.
Although usually grouped with country music singers, Miller's unique style defies easy classification. Many of his recordings were humorous novelty songs with whimsical lyrics, coupled with scat singing or vocalese riffs filled with nonsense syllables. Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road." The biographical book Ain't Got No Cigarettes described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent", and stated that many regarded him as a genius.
On his own personal style, Miller remarked that he "tried to do" things like other artists but that it "always came out different" so he got "frustrated" until realizing "I'm the only one that knows what I'm thinking." He commented that the favourite song that he wrote was "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd." Johnny Cash discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his 1997 autobiography. He commented that it was the closest to his own that he had heard.
1) Roger Miller (b. 1968), is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for co-founding the groups Mission of Burma and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.
His main instruments are guitar and piano. Guitar Player magazine describes Miller's guitar playing as balancing rock energy with cerebral experimentation, while his keyboard work has earned comparisons to Béla Bartók and even Cecil Taylor.
Born in Boston, Miller was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Detroit-area bands like the Stooges and the MC5, Miller formed several garage bands in his teens. With brothers Benjamin (Ben) Miller and Laurence B. (Larry) Miller, he formed Sproton Layer; their recordings were collected and released in 1992 as With Magnetic Fields Disrupted. Miller played bass guitar and was the primary singer and songwriter, and the ongoing collaboration M3. Attending CalArts in 1976, majoring in composition, Miller also studied piano and French Horn, and studied music by 20th century experimental composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He would eventually drop out of college in favor of punk rock.
Relocating to Boston, Massachusetts, Miller was a member of the short-lived Moving Parts before co-founding Mission of Burma in 1979. The group was popular in and around Boston, but was unable to expand their audience. Miller played guitar and sang, and slightly edged out bassist/singer Clint Conley as the more productive songwriter. It was also Miller's idea to invite Martin Swope to join the group and add tape loop effects, giving the group an unusual, experimental sound.
Mission of Burma disbanded in 1983 due in large part to Miller's worsening tinnitus, attributed in large part to their notoriously loud live performances. In subsequent years, Mission of Burma's small body of recordings grew to be regarded as important and influential.
During the Burma years, Miller worked as a freelance piano tuner.
After Burma broke up, Miller turned his attention to playing piano with the more experimental, instrumental group Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic, which he left in 1987. Afterwards, Miller had several collaborations, solo efforts and film scores; many of these post-Burma albums were released by SST Records.
Old Friends
Roger Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing croquet till it's dark old friends
Mmm old friends swapping lies of life and loves
Pitching popcorn to the doves old friends mmm
Old friends looking up to watch the birds holding arms to climb a curb
Old friends oh old friends
Old friends Lord when all my work is done bless my life and grant me one
Old friends looking up to watch the birds holding arms to climb a curb
Old friends oh old friends
Lord when all my work is done bless my life and grant me one
Old friend at least one old friend
In the song "Old Friends" by Roger Miller, the singer reminisces about the good old days with his old friends. The lyrics paint a picture of them spending lazy days together, playing games like pitching pennies and croquet in the park. The old friends are seen chatting amicably and swapping stories about their life and loves, while feeding popcorn to the doves, giving a sense of serenity and simplicity. They walk around with arms linked and look up at birds while joking around and having a good time. As the song comes to an end, the singer prays to be blessed with at least one old friend in his life, after his work is done.
This song celebrates the value of friendship and the joy of being able to look back fondly at old memories. The lyrics portray the closeness that can only come from shared experiences and bonds that come from time spent doing simple things together. It reminds us that in the end, it's the little things that matter most like having someone to share a good laugh with. Even when all is said and done, the singer realizes that having at least one old friend to reminisce with is a true blessing.
Line by Line Meaning
Old friends pitching pennies in the park
Friends from the past playing a game of tossing coins in the public garden.
Playing croquet till it's dark old friends
Friends playing croquet, a game that involves hitting wooden balls through metal hoops, until late in the evening.
Mmm old friends swapping lies of life and loves
Old pals having a conversation about their experiences, relationships, and personal tales.
Pitching popcorn to the doves old friends mmm
Feeding popcorn to the birds and cherishing the moments spent with familiar acquaintances.
Old friends looking up to watch the birds holding arms to climb a curb
The comrades standing together to witness the beauty of creatures in the sky and supporting each other to step up on the pavement.
Old friends oh old friends
Friends who have known each other for a long time and hold great affection for one another.
Old friends Lord when all my work is done bless my life and grant me one
A request made to God for a last wish to have at least one old friend in their life once all tasks are completed.
Old friend at least one old friend
A plea for companionship, even if it's only from a single old friend.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROGER MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff Baumann
Old friends pitching pennies in the park
Playing croquet till it's dark old friends
Mmm, old friends swapping lies of lives and loves
Pitching popcorn to the doves old friends, mmm
Old friends looking up to watch a bird
Holding arms to climb a curb
Old friends, oh, old friends
Old friends Lord when all my work is done
Bless my life and grant me one
Old friend, at least one old friend
Old friends looking up to watch a bird
Holding arms to climb a curb, old friends
Mmm, old friends, Lord when all my work is done
Bless my life and grant me one
Old friend, at least one old friend
Songwriters: Roger Miller/Willie Nelson
Released: 1982
Papa Lilburn
Every time I listen to this song my eyes fill with tears as I think of so many of my "old friends" already gone by way of the grave!
V.A. HOSS
Thank you very much my friend! Yea, they don't get much better than these guys singing!! :)
Cuzn Ed
Oh man, Ray Price’s voice. I’ll always love the sound he could make just by opening his mouth.
jupiter March
Love all of their voices, but Ray Price is phenomenal!
Txnnev61
I'm running up on 78 years old. This song is so appropriate these days. If I was to have a funeral service I think I would want my family to play this song more than any other type of music.
Bob Dant
Written by Roger, Willie's guitar style is unmistakable.
Cornelia Denninger
Willie and Trigger a great duo in music , fantastic guitar work . Willie is so skilled. /CD
Tarquin45
According to my Billboard Top Country Singles book, this only made it to #19 in the Country chart. I would have thought that when you have a song as meaningful and sincere as this, sung by 3 absolute icons of Country' it would have been far more successful.
Nancy Crocker
I was the music director of a prominent country radio station when this song came out. My program director and I loved it but knew from the start it wouldn't be a smash hit. That was during the whole Urban Cowboy thing—Barbara Mandrell doing her thing, and Kenny and Dolly doing "Islands in the Stream," etc. Country pop. It's a beautiful song and I hope it's reached the people who need it and appreciate it. I've certainly never forgotten. A friend tonight sent me a link to Simon and Garfunkel's "Old Friends/Bookends," and I immediately came looking for this.
Ronald McWhorter
Roger has a very special voice. This is his best one