He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Harris traveled as a singer and dancer with the Lucky Millinder Big Band in his youth. His first big solo hit was in 1944 with his record "Who Threw The Whiskey in the Well". He was a dynamic live performer who brought a lot of attention to the emerging styles of rhythm and blues.
Harris made a major contribution to the birth of rock and roll when he covered "Good Rocking Tonight", written and originally recorded by Roy Brown. Brown's version was a jump blues with a jazz rhythm section. Harris's cover version was much more frantic and played with a much stronger back beat. In effect, Harris, a black artist, had done what many white artists were to do later. He had turned blues into rock and roll and made one of the first rock and roll records. The song was later covered by Elvis Presley.
Harris recorded for many labels and in 1947, had a hit on Aladdin Records with "Wynonie's Blues", featuring Illinois Jacquet on tenor sax. His greatest success came at King Records where he was the leading male solo artist. "All She Wants to Do is Rock" went to Number One on the R&B charts. Many of his songs were novelty numbers, like "(Don't Roll Those) Bloodshot Eyes (at Me)", "Good Morning, Judge", and "I Love my Baby's Pudding", and his last hit, "Loving Machine".
Harris' severe alcoholism resulted in his career going into a tailspin in the mid-1950s. While other blues shouters of his generation such as Big Joe Turner were able to maintain their popularity despite changing styles, and Presley's cover versions brought his songs to a whole new audience, Harris fell into obscurity. He recorded little after 1956 and nothing after 1960. Harris' last public appearance was as a guest performer at a Motortown Revue concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California in 1966, which was universally considered to be a disaster (according to author Nick Tosches' article on Harris in Creem magazine, collected in Tosches' Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll). Harris died of throat cancer on June 14, 1969.
Bloodshot Eyes
Wynonie Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You tell me that you love me, then you roll those big brown eyes
When I saw you last week your eyes were turnin' black
Go find the guy who beat you up, ask him to take you back
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
Well, it's plain that you're lyin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I used to spend my money just to make you look real sweet
I wanted to be proud of you when we walk down the street
Now don't ask me to dress you up in a satins and in silk
Your eyes look like two cherries in a glass of buttermilk
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
It's plain that you're lyin'
When you tell you've been cryin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
Now, I guess our little romance has finally simmered down
You should join a circus, man, you'd make a real good clown
Your eyes look like a road map, I'm scared to smell your breath
You'd better shut those peepers 'fore you bleed yourself to death
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
It's plain that you're lyin'
When you tell me you've been cryin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
In the song "Bloodshot Eyes" by Wynonie Harris, the singer is addressing his lover's appearance after a night of heavy drinking. He argues that just because she is pretty and thinks she is wise, it does not mean she can lie to him about her late nights out. He also implies that she had been beaten up by a man and suggests that she go back to him. He further criticizes her looks, saying that her eyes look like cherries in buttermilk and that they have turned black, and he warns her about the consequences of keeping them open for too long.
The chorus of the song enforces the singer's message that he is fed up with his lover's drunkenness and lying. Through his words, he is also expressing his hurt and disappointment and conveying a sense of disillusionment about their relationship. By the end of the song, he has decided to end their romance and advises her to join a circus, as her behavior and appearance would suit her well in such an environment.
Overall, "Bloodshot Eyes" is a cautionary tale about the consequences of heavy drinking and the loss of trust and respect that can arise in a relationship when one partner behaves irresponsibly. It also highlights the damaging effects of violence against women, as the singer suggests that his lover's bruises were caused by a man.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, just because you're pretty and you think you're mighty wise
Despite being pretty and thinking highly of oneself, do not lie about love and deceive others.
You tell me that you love me, then you roll those big brown eyes
Saying “I love you” while having a guilty conscience is not enough to deny the truthfulness of one's eyes.
When I saw you last week your eyes were turnin' black
Your eyes were turning black because you were bruised, most likely due to physical abuse.
Go find the guy who beat you up, ask him to take you back
Instead of deceiving others with lies, go talk to the person who caused the bruises in the first place.
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
Stop avoiding the truth and lying by pretending that you have not been up to any mischief.
I can see you've been out on a spree
Your physical appearance suggests that you have not been sober and have been up to some trouble.
Well, it's plain that you're lyin'
The truth is quite evident from your eyes and demeanor, and there is no point in lying.
When you tell me you been cryin'
You cannot hide your guilt behind a mask of tears because your bloodshot eyes tell a different story.
I used to spend my money just to make you look real sweet
I used to spend a lot of money on you just to make you look presentable and desirable.
I wanted to be proud of you when we walk down the street
I wanted to show you off to the world as someone I could be proud of.
Now don't ask me to dress you up in a satins and in silk
Do not expect me to spend any more money on you, especially since your bloodshot eyes suggest a reckless behavior.
Your eyes look like two cherries in a glass of buttermilk
Your eyes are bloodshot and look like cherries in a glass of buttermilk, which is an unappealing and unattractive sight.
Now, I guess our little romance has finally simmered down
Our romance has died down, probably due to your lying and reckless behavior.
You should join a circus, man, you'd make a real good clown
You are behaving so erratically that you would make a perfect clown in the circus.
Your eyes look like a road map, I'm scared to smell your breath
Your eyes look like a map of all the trouble you have been in, and your breath smells bad, indicating that you may have been drinking.
You'd better shut those peepers 'fore you bleed yourself to death
If you keep rolling those bloodshot eyes at me, you might end up hurting yourself.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUTH HALL, HANK PENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hiptothejive12
Now, just because you're pretty and you think you're mighty wise
You tell me that you love me, then you roll those big brown eyes
When I saw you last week your eyes were turnin' black
Go find the guy who beat you up, ask him to take you back
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
Well, it's plain that you're lyin'
When you tell me you been cryin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I used to spend my money just to make you look real sweet
I wanted to be proud of you when we walk down the street
Now don't ask me to dress you up in a satins and in silk
Your eyes look like two cherries in a glass of buttermilk
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
It's plain that you're lyin'
When you tell you've been cryin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
Now, I guess our little romance has finally simmered down
You should join a circus, man, you'd make a real good clown
Your eyes look like a road map, I'm scared to smell your breath
You'd better shut those peepers 'fore you bleed yourself to death
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
I can see you've been out on a spree
It's plain that you're lyin'
When you tell me you've been cryin'
Don't roll those bloodshot eyes at me
@Its_worm_time_babey_
This is 10x better than any current rap song about their ex that I’ve ever heard
@user-xi9oe8yw6v
Man...Louis Prima sounds just like him.
We're still listening to your music, and keeping it alive and kickin' Wynonie Harris!
Love it! ✌😎
@evenstevens410
I thought the same thing within the first few seconds.
@salmaomayrat1224
Hahha search harris name looking for a song because I was 100% sure I was him hahaha turn out to be Louis prima 😂 the song is raining pennies BTW 😍
@TruthMatters1202
Smokin' hot combination of rock, blues, swing, and bop elements. If this doesn't make you move, you ain't alive, man/woman! It's on my setlist.
The Rockin' Eldorados! Chicago 2022
@noodlam
Can't stop listening to Wynonie. Where have I been? He ROCKS.
@horarwgt
Country star Hank Penny wrote and had a country hit with this song in 1950 on King Records. King's owner, Sid Nathan, owning the copyright on the composition, then had Wynone cover the tiune for the R&B market -- also on King. It worked, becoming, in 1951, Harris' second to last hit. Known as "Mr. Blues," Harris rarely recorded any slow, sad songs. He loved uptempo, rockin' party music -- making him the male version of the heroine of another of his hits, "All She Wants To Do Is Rock."
@MichaelPowersNY
Both songs arranged by Eddie Durham
@JohnPatterson-kz8jr
Asleep At The Wheel did a pretty good cover version.
@MusicDude86
"Now don't ask me to dress you up in satin and in silk, your eyes look like two cherries in a glass of buttermilk." That is quite possibly the best lyric I have EVER heard in any song. Dylan wishes he wrote that lyric. I'm not bein' sarcastic, I'm tellin' it like it is.