Jackson was still in high school when country singer Hank Thompson heard her sing on an Oklahoma City radio show and asked her to record with his band in 1954. She dated Elvis Presley, who encouraged her to step away from the country-tinged gospel she had been performing since childhood and try her hand at rock and roll. She developed her own distinctive voice and performed in a variety of styles, from folksy traditional tunes to country twang and high yodels to throaty, suggestive ballads. She was a prolific singer of songs with wry lyrics such as "Fujiyama Mama," which contained many references to the World War II bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; ironically, it became a #1 hit in Japan. Her biggest hit was 1959's "Let's Have a Party."
Jackson achieved great and continuing success throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has never found the same level of fame in her native United States. She toured with rock and roll pioneers such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. She has been nominated for two Grammys, and has been awarded the Oklahoma Native Daughter Award. She has been inducted into the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the International Hall of Fame, the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and the German Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 2009 was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence.
A born-again Christian, Jackson and her husband/manager Wendell Goodman abandoned rock and roll in 1971 and spent the next 25 years performing gospel in churches.
In 1996, Jackson was invited by alt-country singer Rosie Flores to duet with her on an upcoming album. The two were so pleased with the results that Jackson joined Flores on a handful of promotional club dates which were soon extended into a five-week North American tour. Jackson, plesantly surprised to discover that she and her songs were known by a generation of rockabilly fans her grandchildren's age, soon assembled her own band and returned to clubs and festivals, where she continues to perform.
In recent years Jackson has recorded with such artists as The Cramps, Lee Rocker, Dave Alvin, and Elvis Costello. 2006 saw the release of a new Jackson album, I Remember Elvis.
In 2009, it was announced that Jackson would start work on new recordings with Jack White. The resulting album, The Party Ain't Over, was released on January 25, 2011. It included a cover of the Bob Dylan rockabilly song, "Thunder on the Mountain" and the Amy Winehouse song "You Know I'm No Good". On January 20, 2011, she performed with Jack White on The Late Show With David Letterman and again on January 25, 2011, on Conan.
Busted
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the baby need shoes 'cause I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter
A pound but I'm busted
Got a cow that's gone dry
And a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills
The county's gonna haul
My belongings away, 'cause I'm busted
I went to my brother
To ask for a loan, I'm busted
I hate to beg like a dog
For a bone but I'm busted
My brother said
"There ain't a thing I can do
My wife and my kids
Are all down with the flu"
"I was just thinking
Of calling on you, 'cause I'm busted"
Well I am no thief
But a gal can go wrong when she's busted
The food that I canned last summer
Is gone and I'm busted
The fields are all bare
And the cotton won't grow
So me and my kids
Gotta pack up and go
But I'll make a living
Just where I don't know
'Cause I'm busted
Yeah I'm broke
Flat broke
No bread
I mean nothing
Wanda Jackson’s song “Busted” (1962) is a heartbreaking ballad about financial hardship and poverty. The lyrics capture the desperation and hopelessness of a woman who cannot make ends meet despite her best efforts. She owes money to various creditors, including the county, and her possessions are about to be taken away. Her cow is no longer producing milk, and her hen has stopped laying eggs. The cotton prices are so low that she can barely make a profit. She has no food left, and her children are going hungry. She turns to her brother for help, but he cannot offer any as his family is sick. She has to leave her home and the only life she knows because she cannot afford to stay. The song’s refrain “I’m busted” echoes throughout the song, emphasizing the singer’s sense of defeat and despair.
The song’s lyrics reflect the struggles of many Americans in the early 1960s, a time of economic uncertainty and hardship. The country was still recovering from the effects of World War II, and the Cold War was creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Wanda Jackson, known as the “Queen of Rockabilly,” was one of the few female artists in a male-dominated genre; her songs challenged societal norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my bills are all due
I have so much financial obligations
And the baby need shoes 'cause I'm busted
I am financially incapacitated to provide shoes for the baby
Cotton is down to a quarter
The price of cotton has gone down significantly
A pound but I'm busted
But unfortunately, I have no funds to make purchases
Got a cow that's gone dry
My cow is no longer producing milk
And a hen that won't lay
My hen isn't laying eggs anymore
A big stack of bills
I am overwhelmed with accumulating bills
That gets bigger each day
My debt keeps escalating day by day
The county's gonna haul
The government has authorized the repossession of
My belongings away, 'cause I'm busted
The reason is that I don't have the financial wherewithal to pay off my debts
I went to my brother
I approached my brother
To ask for a loan, I'm busted
To seek financial assistance from him as I am completely broke
I hate to beg like a dog
I despise having to ask for help like a beggar
For a bone but I'm busted
Because of my situation, I can't ask for more than a little help
My brother said
My brother's response was
"There ain't a thing I can do
"I can't help you
My wife and my kids
Because my family
Are all down with the flu"
Is currently sick with the flu virus"
"I was just thinking
"I was considering
Of calling on you, 'cause I'm busted"
Asking you for help, because I am in the same boat as you
Well I am no thief
I am not a criminal
But a gal can go wrong when she's busted
But when a woman is penniless, she might be forced to do something regrettable
The food that I canned last summer
The preserved food I stored from the summer
Is gone and I'm busted
Has all been consumed and I am once again without anything
The fields are all bare
The fields are empty and barren
And the cotton won't grow
The crop is not thriving and won't produce yield
So me and my kids
Therefore, my children and I
Gotta pack up and go
Need to leave the homestead and look for greener pastures
But I'll make a living
But I will find a way to make ends meet
Just where I don't know
I am not certain where that will be
'Cause I'm busted
But I am aware that I am broke and in dire straits
Yeah I'm broke
I am penniless
Flat broke
I have no money at all
No bread
I have no source of livelihood
I mean nothing
I don't have any assets whatsoever and I am completely destitute
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROB THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind