Wier's career dates back to the mid 1960s and covers multiple music genres. He started as the drummer and vocalist of Austin, TX garage rockers The Wig. After the group split, he went on to become very successful as a country artist. He is most famous for his composition Don't It Make You Wanna Dance which was a minor pop hit for him, but has been covered by, among others, Jerry Jeff Walker, Chris LeDoux, John Hiatt, and Barbara Mandrell. Bonnie Raitt's version of the song was a country hit when it was included on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. Wier was inducted into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2002.
Black Hat Saloon
Rusty Wier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came upon this old ghost town.
Sure looked eerie by the light of the old full moon.
I was weary I got down
Thought I’d have myself a look around
Through some swinging doors came a half haunted tune
And the broken down sign read ‘The Black Hat Saloon’
Walked right through them swingin’ doors
Something like I’d never seen before
Looked like a scene from 100 years ago
A scarlet lady strode to my side
Said she’d take me on a mystic ride
All night long we danced around the moon
But the sun woke me up to an empty dusty room
With a broken down sign that read ‘The Black Hat Saloon’
Black Hat Saloon, come on and sing to me a melody
Telling me all about what a good life it used to be
Sing to me of the days of the silver and the gold
When the music and the laughter
From the whiskey warms your soul
Now it’s all grown cold
The lyrics of Rusty Wier's song Black Hat Saloon paints a vivid picture of a traveler's experience when they venture into a ghost town in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The place seems to have been abandoned for a century, but the traveler can hear haunting music emanating from what appears to be an old saloon. The traveler is enticed by the mysterious and sensuous atmosphere of the place and ends up dancing all night with a scarlet lady. However, when the traveler wakes up the next morning, they find themselves alone in an empty, dusty room with a broken sign that reads 'The Black Hat Saloon'. The song is a poignant reminder of how time strips away the glory of the past, leaving behind only faded memories of what used to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding through the Black Hills, Southbound.
Traveling through the Black Hills region while heading towards the south.
Came upon this old ghost town.
Came across an old deserted town that appears to be haunted.
Sure looked eerie by the light of the old full moon.
The town seemed spooky due to the light from the old full moon.
I was weary I got down
I was tired and needed to rest.
Thought I’d have myself a look around
Decided to explore and take a look around the town.
Through some swinging doors came a half haunted tune
There was a spooky melody coming from the swinging doors.
And the broken down sign read ‘The Black Hat Saloon’
The sign, which was in poor condition, said 'The Black Hat Saloon'.
Walked right through them swingin’ doors
Entered the saloon by walking through the swinging doors.
Something like I’d never seen before
Saw something that was completely new to me and not experienced before.
Looked like a scene from 100 years ago
The interior of the saloon appeared as if it was from a century ago.
A scarlet lady strode to my side
A lady dressed in red approached me.
Said she’d take me on a mystic ride
Promised to take me on a mysterious journey.
All night long we danced around the moon
Spent the entire night dancing under the moonlight.
But the sun woke me up to an empty dusty room
Woke up due to sunlight shining into a deserted and sandy room.
With a broken down sign that read ‘The Black Hat Saloon’
Saw the deteriorated sign that still had 'The Black Hat Saloon' written on it.
Black Hat Saloon, come on and sing to me a melody
Requesting the saloon to start playing some tune.
Telling me all about what a good life it used to be
Asking the saloon to narrate joyful stories from the past.
Sing to me of the days of the silver and the gold
Requesting to sing melodies about the times when people found silver and gold.
When the music and the laughter From the whiskey warms your soul
Asking to play joyful music and adding drinks to warm up everyone's soul.
Now it’s all grown cold
However, everything seems to be cold and joyless now.
Contributed by Ella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bob Krus
on Blue Haze
'If I wake up Screaming!' Good Night!!! Not exactly love song stuff. The line is 'If I wake up DREAMING.'