Born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Long, Ford began his radio career as an announcer at station WOPI in Bristol, leaving in 1939 to study classical music and voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 1st Lieut. Ford served in World War II as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, Calif. In San Bernardino, hired as a radio announcer, Ernest J. Ford did the news and general announcing. He was assigned the job of hosting an early morning country music disc jockey programme titled "Bar Nothin' Ranch." To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie," a wild, madcap exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio.
At KXLA he continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show "Dinner Bell Roundup" as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He also became a local television star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California "Hometown Jamboree" television show. He released almost fifty country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shot Gun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie", and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring exciting accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free", a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer Kay Starr, became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950.
Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from bandleader Kay Kyser as host of the television version of the NBC quiz show "College of Musical Knowledge" when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year break. He also portrayed the country bumpkin Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy.
Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop charts in 1955 with his rendition of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament that Travis wrote in 1946, based on his own family's experience in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. With a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's Musical Director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts, and made Ford a crossover star. It became Ford's signature song.
Ford subsequently helmed his own primetime variety programme, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC from 1956 to 1961. Ford's programme was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show; Ford insisted on this despite objections from network officials who feared it might provoke controversy. It quickly became the most popular segment of the show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" becafter his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!"
In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel album, which remained on Billboard's "Top Album" charts for a remarkable 277 consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964. After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to Northern California and from 1962 to 1965, hosted a daytime talk show The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show from San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC TV network.
Over the years, Ford has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for radio, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ford, who offstage contended with a serious alcohol problem that never affected his professional work, began suffering increasing liver problems in the 1980s that worsened in 1990, the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He fell ill in 1991 after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by President George Bush, and died in a Virginia hospital on 17th October, exactly thirty-six years after "Sixteen Tons" was released and one day shy of the first anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Ford was posthumously recognized for his gospel music contributions by being added to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.
Anticipation Blues
Tennessee Ernie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just got home from the mill
She looked a little peaked, her eyes were kind-a streaked
I couldn't figure out what made her ill
She looked a little weepish, smiled kinda sheepish
The answer hit me like a hickory mall
I throwed my dinner bucket down
Yelled like my trailin' hound I was gonna be a daddy after all
Now the waitin'
Anticipatin'
Rock-a-bye
I'm gonna be a daddy now!
Well the weeks went by kinda sweetly, then all at once
I thought she'd lost her mind
She would rant, she would rave, for the things she would crave
Like ice cream and sauerkraut combined
She wanted watermelon, it was wintertime
Dill pickles set around the house in jars
My how she'd eat that stuff, she never seemed to get enough
And at 3am she'd want candy bars
Oh,
Now the waitin'
Anticipatin'
Rock-a-bye
I'm gonna be a daddy now!
Well at last the time was drawin' near, I began to walk and pace and sweat
The doctor said: Now son, I know this ain't no fun
But we ain't never lost a Daddy yet
I stood up and set down, I even though of leavin' town
The doctor and nurse came out all grins
They said: Buck up my boy you should shout with joy,
You're the Daddy of a pair of bouncin' twins!
No more waitin, anticipatin' rock-a-bye, I'm a Daddy now!
The Tennessee Ernie Ford song, Anticipation Blues, is a story of a man waiting for the birth of his child while his wife experiences pregnancy cravings and mood swings. The man comes home from work to find that his wife has just returned from the doctor's office, looking unwell. He realizes that she's pregnant, and he'll soon become a father. Over the course of the next few weeks, the man witnesses the full spectrum of pregnancy symptoms, and he becomes increasingly anxious as the due date approaches. He imagines all kinds of worst-case scenarios, including the possibility that he might lose his wife or child during childbirth.
The song captures the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy and the anxiety that expectant fathers often feel. The lyrics are full of vivid details that paint a picture of what it's like to wait for a baby to be born. The man is full of anticipation and anxiety, and he's impatient for the big day to arrive. Tennessee Ernie Ford's powerful voice conveys the man's emotions with remarkable clarity, and the catchy melody helps to convey the sense of urgency and excitement that the man feels.
Overall, Anticipation Blues is a moving tribute to the experience of pregnancy and childbirth. It captures the range of emotions that expectant parents go through, from excitement to fear, and it celebrates the joy that comes with the birth of a child.
Line by Line Meaning
She just got home from the doctor's
My wife just arrived home from the doctor's appointment, and I have just returned from work.
I just got home from the mill
I just finished working at the mill before coming home.
She looked a little peaked, her eyes were kind-a streaked
My wife looked tired, and her eyes had dark circles under them.
I couldn't figure out what made her ill
I am unsure as to why my wife was feeling unwell.
She looked a little weepish, smiled kinda sheepish
My wife had a sad look on her face but gave me a small smile when she saw me.
The answer hit me like a hickory mall
Suddenly, I realized what had happened with my wife.
I throwed my dinner bucket down
I was shocked and excited, so I slammed down my empty lunch box on the table.
Yelled like my trailin' hound I was gonna be a daddy after all
I shouted at the top of my lungs that I was going to be a father!
Now the waitin'
Now, we have to wait for the babies to come.
Anticipatin'
I am excited and anticipating the arrival of my children.
Rock-a-bye
I will rock my future children to sleep.
I'm gonna be a daddy now!
I am overjoyed that I will be a father!
Well the weeks went by kinda sweetly, then all at once
The weeks were passing by quickly and without any difficulties.
I thought she'd lost her mind
At one point, I was worried about my wife's mental state.
She would rant, she would rave, for the things she would crave
My wife was expressing hysterical thoughts about the specific foods she craved.
Like ice cream and sauerkraut combined
My wife craved a strange combination of ice cream and sauerkraut.
She wanted watermelon, it was wintertime
My wife was craving watermelon, even though it was the winter season.
Dill pickles set around the house in jars
My wife requested that dill pickles be stored in jars throughout the house.
My how she'd eat that stuff, she never seemed to get enough
My wife would eat a lot of her cravings, but she always remained unsatisfied.
And at 3am she'd want candy bars
My wife would have cravings for candy bars in the middle of the night.
Well at last the time was drawin' near, I began to walk and pace and sweat
As the due date approached, I became nervous and anxious.
The doctor said: Now son, I know this ain't no fun
The doctor reminded me that childbirth is not easy for anyone.
But we ain't never lost a Daddy yet
Although it can be challenging, the doctor has never lost a father during childbirth.
I stood up and set down, I even though of leavin' town
I was so nervous that I considered leaving town instead of being present during the delivery.
The doctor and nurse came out all grins
The doctor and nurse were both smiling when they exited the delivery room.
They said: Buck up my boy you should shout with joy
The doctor and nurse encouraged me to cheer and celebrate because the twins had arrived safely.
You're the Daddy of a pair of bouncin' twins!
I was now the father of two healthy and energetic twins!
No more waitin', anticipatin', rock-a-bye, I'm a Daddy now!
I am no longer waiting or anticipating because I am now a father to two adorable twins.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLIFFIE STONE, ERNEST J. FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind