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.
Down Past the Bottom
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get to handlin the good times that I’ve known
Sinking lower and lower
Down past the bottom where the devil won’t go
Down past the bottom, nothing left to do but fade
No place to wonder, nowhere left to sail
Sinking lower and lower
I got the feeling in your last letter
Could’ve been a little nicer, treated you better
Just to have a hold of the time for thinking
A lot of time for walking, a lot of time for thinking
Down past the bottom
Down past the bottom where the devil won’t go
I got the feeling in your last letter
Could’ve been a little nicer, treated you better
Just to have a hold of the time for thinking
A lot of time for walking, a lot of time for thinking
Down past the bottom
Down past the bottom where the devil won’t go
Down past he bottom, falling harder than a stone
Get to handlin the good times that I’ve known
Sinking lower and lower
Down past the bottom where the devil won’t go
The lyrics to Wanda Jackson's song "Down Past the Bottom" are a poignant reflection on the depths of despair and heartbreak. The singer describes herself as falling harder than a stone and sinking lower and lower, describing a feeling of hopelessness and complete despondency. She reminisces about better times and reflects on her own behavior, regretting that she may not have treated someone well enough. She speaks of having plenty of time for thinking and walking, perhaps indicating that she is trying to walk off her pain and come to some kind of understanding. Ultimately, the song speaks of a place where even the devil won't go, a place so far down that there appears to be no hope of redemption.
The lyrics to "Down Past the Bottom" are haunting and powerful, and they reflect a deep sense of emotional pain and loss. They are an eloquent expression of the complexity of human relationships and the difficulty that we all face when we try to confront our demons and move on from past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Down past the bottom, falling harder than a stone
I have hit rock bottom, feeling helpless and hopeless.
Get to handlin the good times that I’ve known
I need to cling onto the memories of good times to keep going.
Sinking lower and lower
My situation is getting worse and worse.
Down past the bottom where the devil won’t go
I am in a miserable state, even the devil wouldn't want to be there.
Down past the bottom, nothing left to do but fade
I am so low that I feel like fading away and giving up on life.
No place to wonder, nowhere left to sail
I am lost and have nowhere to turn to find direction.
I got the feeling in your last letter
I am reflecting on a recent letter that I received.
Could’ve been a little nicer, treated you better
I realize that I may have treated someone poorly and wish I had done better.
Just to have a hold of the time for thinking
I wish I had more time to reflect and contemplate my actions.
A lot of time for walking, a lot of time for thinking
I need to spend more time alone, walking and thinking.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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