Yes, please, Big Bad John! Great ballad of a blue collar hero. Plus, as a bit of trivia, its singer Jimmy Dean is the same one that owns the sausage company.
Mr. Ford lived in Palo Alto in the 1990s and shopped at "JJ&F", a small family owned and operated grocery store with an awesome meat department. My younger brother worked there at the time so that is how I found out. Ernie's car parked outside had a custom California license plate that said "PEAPCKR" or "PPICKER or some variation of that spelling ("Pea Picker" was his go-to word). I use to love watching him on the TV show I LOVE LUCY when he guest appeared playing the role of Lucy's rural-raised "Cousin Ernie". See him here, with Lucy in disguise as a vamp. He was funny as hell as an actor as well as being a famous singer: ua-cam.com/video/xSdBpDgfSGY/v-deo.html
This song was about being a hobo, a transient, a traveling homeless person & telling about the way he lived. Many of Mr. Miller's songs seemed to be about ignoring adversity & making the best of what you have.
It was a thing in the post depression and then post WWII eras. Transients are seen in almost all black & white movies and jumping the railcars was the way to get around. My uncle suffocated in a refrigerator car when he was 19 in Iowa as he made his way from Indiana to California 'riding the rails'. It was a hard life (duh.. poverty, et al) but for some it was (and is) a way of life.
It's hard not to like Roger Miller. Not only is he a great singer and musician, but extremely funny as well. More songs of his to check out include England Swings, Chug-a-lug, My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died), Kansas City Star, Me and Bobby McGee, and You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd.
Now I'm 66 years old and I can remember sitting in the back seat of my parents car and not only listening to this song but also singing it with my sister and brother. Really great memories!
I'm 56 years old now and still remember my best friends dad sing this song for me whenever I asked him to. I asked him often!! He never refused or was too busy!
My father loved Roger Miller and grew up on him. Chug a-lug, and can't roller skate in a Buffalo Herd. Brings back so many Memory's. My Dad was sent to heaven 32 years ago. Thank you .❤
4 bits = 50 cents. Thus "rooms to let, 50 cents" and "buys a 4 bit room" are two ways of saying the same thing. A "bit" was slang for an eighth of a dollar. I think it dates back to when the Spanish Dollar was essentially international currency. In order to make change, the Spanish Dollar was cut into eight pieces with each piece worth 12.5 cents. That's also where the phrase, "pieces of eight" came from.
@@davidwilliams1820 It was also used in the old cheer heard at many high school football games etc. 'Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar.. all for the (team name) stand up and hollar'
He turned Huckleberry Finn into a multi-Tony Award winning musical called Big River. There are some amazing songs in that musical including “Muddy Water” and “Waitin’ For the Light to Shine”. I listen to it frequently. He was SUCH a talented man!
"Waitin' for the Light to Shine (Reprise)" perfectly captures the key moment in the book, when Huck decides that he'd rather condemn himself to Hell than let Jim stay in captivity.
"England Swings" "Dang Me" and "You Can't Roller skate in a Buffalo Herd" are all great. This one is my favorite. His musical "Big River" has great songs.
He was a hobo traveling around. He's renting the room for fifty cents. Two hours of work earned him enough to pay for the room, "an 8X12 four bit room". A bit was 12.5 cents, two bits was a quarter and four bits was fifty cents. Some other Roger Miller hits we "Dang Me", "Chug-a-Lug", "Engine, Engine, No. 9", and "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd".
Yeah, these are not rooms at a Marriot. These are cheap dive rooms in a boarding house with a communal bath, etc. So a Man of the Road could travel around pick up some odd jobs. Most nights when he was flush he could get a room in a boarding house, and on the nights where he wasn't he'd sleep under the stars. Kind of amazing how cheap a man could live back in the day, but it was a life that doesn't resemble what most of us think of as living
Glad you love it. This is an example of the real essence of real country music. A collaboration with the singer and the music complimenting each other, not each playing in different directions. "Rooms to let" means for rent. And, Roger Miller was a major deal in Country Music during his career, at one time winning every Grammy award in one sweep.
This was my father’s favorite song. My father died ten years ago at 80, but whenever I hear this song, my memory of him comes into sharp focus for a few minutes.
My father passed 8 years ago this week,at 76. He also loved Roger Miller!!! He got me listening years ago. I'm sorry for your loss. But great memories!!!🥰🤗
My dad died in October at 83, and this was one of his favorite songs. His mind was going those last few months, but I'd made a youtube playlist of Roger Miller, The Brothers Four, and some more, and his eyes would light up.
To add to the Johnny Horton list "The Battle of Bull Run"; "O'Leary's Cow"; "The Sinking of the Rueben James"; "Snowshoe Thompson" Really just about anything from the album, Johnny Horton Makes History.
Roger Miller... LEGEND. Songs to react to: "Dang Me," "I've Been a Long Time Leaving," "You Can't Roller Skate With a Buffalo Herd," "Chug-a-Lug," and "Atta Boy Girl" (still said to me in praise by my 82 year old dad).
Roger Miller was truly one of the greats! He had such a distinctive voice, and was a phenomenal songwriter. He wrote a lot of fun, silly songs like You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd, My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died), and Chug-A-Lug. He also wrote songs like England Swings, Husbands and Wives, and others which were lovely. If you've watched Disney's Robin Hood, you've heard him before - he is the narrator and provides the voice for Alan-a-Dale, the rooster minstrel. He's worth taking time to explore - his lyrics and song structure are quite unique and interesting! Thanks for this great reaction!
It's a song about about a hobo with no money and he ain't got anything but he knows everything about surviving so he's the "King of the Road" I agree with others. " Chug-a-Lug" And "Dang Me" are a must!
God bless you, ma'am. I'm 60, and these songs remind me of the old folks that are gone. I'm miss them -but I have my grand kids. Kind of cool how God does that for us 🙂
Oh my goodness!! The songs of my childhood. Probably the first song my brother learned to sing when he was three- waaaaay back in the 60’s. We had an album with Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd and Dang Me …. I could probably play it and know every word 50 years after hearing it.
This song was all about the life of a "hobo", tramp, or vagrant. A person that was homeless & traveled from town to town by "stealing" rides on freight trains. Basically he was claiming that even though he had no belongings, he was still "King of the Road". He could do odd jobs to get enough cash to get by.
"One Dyin' And A Buryin'" is a great Roger Miller song that gets overlooked among the bigger hits like "Dang Me", "Chug-A-Lug", "You Can't Rollerskate (In A Buffalo Herd)", a lot of fun records. He was also the character of the Rooster in Disney's Robin Hood where he did a couple of songs including "Whistle-Stop" which was later sped-up and released as "The Hamster Dance" which kids of a certain age know very well since it was played in heavy rotation on Radio Disney.
Absolute legend, he also voiced Alan-a-Dale( the singing rooster) in Disney's Robin hood, so he sang Oo-De-Lally, Whistle stop and not in nottingham in one of the best Disney classic movies
Roger Miller was one of Oklahoma's great talents. He was a song writer, singer, actor, story teller. He was very funny on talk shows. He also worked on Broadway. Dean Martin did a cool version of King of the Road you should listen to. A true artist & talent.
Yay!!! One of my all time favorite songs. Its so much fun, love the classics. I also suggest Don Williams I Believe in You if you like this one. Its got super sweet lyrics and you will both love it i think. Edit after watching, this is a kickass karaoke song. Drunk people somewhere in the world are singing it right now.
Roger was one of the greatest lyricists period! Nobody could touch him and he always added music to fit perfectly! One of my biggest influences as my tunes have a ROGER tag on many of them.
Roger Miller was incredibly talented. In addition to working with Disney on Robin Hood, he wrote the music & lyrics for Big River (which he also acted in), winning the Tony Award for Best Original Score. Have y'all done The Statler Brothers yet? Flowers on the Wall was my Mama's favorite. She actually took me to the rodeo one year because they were the musical act ❤
@@barbaraburton8914 For you "Flowers on the wall" fans Home Free does an awesome cover of that song. If you haven't heard it you ought to give it a listen.
You’re right, that’s exactly what we did, sat around the fire and sang songs like this. Everyone knew the tune, and after one hearing, remembered every word. So much fun in simpler times.
"Rooms to let, .50 cents" Back in the day, people--usually widows-- would "let" or rent out rooms with no frills (and didn't allow smoking) "aint got no cigarettes"; in order to make money to get by. I think Roger is referencing migrant traveling men that rode the rails (trains) from place to place to find work wherever they could during the Depression.
Roger Miller had a lot of unusual songs like "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Heard", "Dang Me", "Do-Wacka-Do" and "England Swings", for a more conventional song by him try "Little Green Apples " I remember my dad playing Roger Miller on a Reel to Reel tape player, I'm talking BEFORE 8 track or cassette tapes. Definitely Old School. 😃
This song is a classic in every sense of the word. One of 1965's best. For your next Roger song, you have to do "Dang Me". It's one that'll stick in your brain forever. Roger was an incredibly successful musician in his time. He won 11 Grammys AND a Tony Award. He's in the Country AND Songwriters Hall of Fame. Sadly, he died relatively young, at 56, of lung cancer. (He was a prodigious smoker.) But this song will never lose its cool.
Roger did lots of good songs, most of them silly, funny stuff like “dang me” & “chug-a-lug”, but he was also the very first to record a song written by Kris Kristofferson called “me & Bobby McGee”, which ended up being recorded by many, including as you know, Janis Joplin. For the serious side of Roger, check out “husbands & wives”, “when two worlds collide”, or my favorite Christmas song ever “old toy trains” a song he wrote as a gift to his son when he couldn’t afford to buy him a gift.
Definitely old time smooth! Even when it came out, playing on the car radio, my Momma said it sounded old fashioned, in the very best way! Haven't heard this in ages, thank you so much! 😽💋🎶
This song was written in Caldwell Idaho, just down the road from my home town. Roger Miller and Tennessee Erny Ford were regular visitors to the state. Met them both and they acted like they had known us forever. Great artists.
I used to run around singing this while I was playing as a kid 60+ years ago. Worked at it till I knew ALL the words. "To let" is the same as rent only it was used more with family & close friends...
My older sister used to sing this all the time when I was young, I thought it was magical. It refers to the swag men that used to go from town to town picking up whatever work they could and catching rides on a boxcar on a train. This was particularly common in the early 1930's all over the world due to the depression.
My mom and my grandmother really love/loved this song. Your selection of older music really surprises me. You pick some things that aren't necessarily the most well known but they're always interesting. Thank you and looking forward to more.
Roger Miller brings back a lot of childhood memories. My mom bought an album of his and we listened to it all the time. I especially remember this song, England Swings and Dang Me.
I was about 9 years old when this came out in '65. My father used to sing and play guitar (just for his own enjoyment), and this was one of his favorites. I probably heard him sing it at least 2-3 times a week for many years. BTW, In this context "Room to let" = "Rooms to rent". Current usage is not all that common but not archaic, either. Most often heard in the form of "sub-let", as in when somebody rents out a property that they themselves lease from somebody else.
As a junior reporter in the far south of New Zealand I got to review all the visiting shows and now 45 years later I believe Roger Miller provided one of the finest concerts I ever saw. His songs were great, but his fiddle playing was even better.
I've mentioned before that I'm a performer. I've been singing on stage since 1961, when I was 6. Roger Miller was my first musical hero and the first song I did on stage was "Dang Me" by Roger Miller. I also did this song. Imagine a 6-year-old singing his songs, but I loved them!!
Talk about a singer who could command the stage! Not only a beautiful singer he was a FUNNY MAN. We saw him at Harrah’s Tahoe in the 1960s We loved him.
Roger is worth a deep dive into. One of my favorites is when he was the Porter Wagoner show. It's got two songs on it. In The Summertime and he plays fiddle on Porter's signature song Y'all Come. If you want a sad one, One Dying and a Burying. If you want an uptempo sad song, Atta Boy Girl.
You must hear the female answer from Jody Miller: 'Queen of the house' ... and if you like the piano in the background, you must hear the song from Jim Lowe: 'Green Door' from 1956 with a crazy spinet solo... I promise you, you will love it! ... nice greetings from munich/germany 🙂
This takes me back to Saturdays cleaning while Dad played Roger Miller, Red Sovine, and Jimmy Dean on the record player. “Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd”, “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”, and “Dang Me” are the ones that come to mind. Red Sovine sang “Teddy Bear” and “Phantom 309” among others, and Jimmy Dean with “Big, Bad John”, and “To a Sleeping Beauty”…. Such wonderful memories. So glad you did this reaction :)
he wrote a broadway show called Big River, it won 7 Tony Awards, you have to listen to one of his other big hits, Dang Me or Little Green Apples.he also was the minstrel, Allen a Dale in the disney animated movie robin hood
One of these days you'll have to check out The Highwaymen which is a super group consisting of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. If you do, play their self-titled single called the Highwaymen
This was my 11 year old son's favorite song when he was like 5 or 6! He used to run around singing it all the time and would constantly have Alexa playing it. Haven't heard it in a while, but still love it!
Roger Miller was one of the best song writers of all genres. Listen to Husbands and wives. Never been a better song. So well crafted. Saw his broadway play in New York. Only broadway play I have ever seen. Big River was based on Huckleberry Finn. I think it was 1985. You guys do a good job. I enjoy your enthusiasm.
In high school our coach taught us this song when he drove us to the "away" games. Never thought it would randomly pop up like this. Good memories and thanks!
I was in high school in 1965 when this song came out. Roger Miller was my songwriting idol, bar none... And yes, he was a very multi-talented musician!
He was a big star in his day. This song is about a time when life on the road was often by choice, and much safer than today. The guy is "King of the Road" no responsibilties, doesn't pay much for anything, and no needs for material things; he gets most things for free, like a king, of sorts.
I adore Roger Miller. “The Moon is High and So am I”, “Hard Headed Me”, “Chug-A-Lug”, “My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died)”, not to mention the entire soundtrack to Disney’s Robin Hood. He’s an absolute gem.
Now add these "story" songs to your list from close to the same time period. "Sixteen Tons" by Tennesse Ernie Ford" and "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean.
Or Don Williams
Yes, please, Big Bad John! Great ballad of a blue collar hero. Plus, as a bit of trivia, its singer Jimmy Dean is the same one that owns the sausage company.
Mr. Ford lived in Palo Alto in the 1990s and shopped at "JJ&F", a small family owned and operated grocery store with an awesome meat department. My younger brother worked there at the time so that is how I found out. Ernie's car parked outside had a custom California license plate that said "PEAPCKR" or "PPICKER or some variation of that spelling ("Pea Picker" was his go-to word).
I use to love watching him on the TV show I LOVE LUCY when he guest appeared playing the role of Lucy's rural-raised "Cousin Ernie". See him here, with Lucy in disguise as a vamp. He was funny as hell as an actor as well as being a famous singer: ua-cam.com/video/xSdBpDgfSGY/v-deo.html
Both are good. I would also add Marty Robbins Big Iron or El Paso.
@@jeffgalus8454 right on
This song was about being a hobo, a transient, a traveling homeless person & telling about the way he lived. Many of Mr. Miller's songs seemed to be about ignoring adversity & making the best of what you have.
It was a thing in the post depression and then post WWII eras. Transients are seen in almost all black & white movies and jumping the railcars was the way to get around. My uncle suffocated in a refrigerator car when he was 19 in Iowa as he made his way from Indiana to California 'riding the rails'. It was a hard life (duh.. poverty, et al) but for some it was (and is) a way of life.
@@MadMax-pu1kj Zactly.
Its what the lyrics invoke that make you bvb think. Yes. Like that he befriends the train engineers so he doesn't get hassled hopping a ride.
@@MadMax-pu1kj the transient on a train from Pee Wee's Big Adventure still makes me laugh every time.
Exactly
It's hard not to like Roger Miller. Not only is he a great singer and musician, but extremely funny as well. More songs of his to check out include England Swings, Chug-a-lug, My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died), Kansas City Star, Me and Bobby McGee, and You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd.
Hey! Never heard someone else mention Can't Roller-skate In a Buffalo Herd. Thought that song was hilarious as a real little kid.
You all forgot "Dang Me"
ua-cam.com/video/bcGU8OUXCDE/v-deo.html&ab_channel=trwiebe
"Dang Me"
Don't forget, Do-Wacka-Do.
Now I'm 66 years old and I can remember sitting in the back seat of my parents car and not only listening to this song but also singing it with my sister and brother. Really great memories!
Me too
My favorite song when I was 4 years old!
I'm 56 years old now and still remember my best friends dad sing this song for me whenever I asked him to. I asked him often!! He never refused or was too busy!
I'm 65 and I remember listening to it on my RCA AM radio (six tubes!) on WABC 770 NYC. Great memories.
I did, too!
Love Roger Miller, so many Light hearted/novelty songs. "You Can't Roller skate in a Buffalo Herd" was one of my favorites!
YES!!! This song is hilarious 😂
That is a great song and brings back such great memories
I hope they play England swings! I wish there was video of Roger Miller, he would make the best faces!
@@donnabeaudin9114 Actually I'd kind of forgotten that tune! It was great!
You can't go l swimming' in a baseball pool, etc etc lol
He's singing about being a classic hobo, a harmless drifter cruising around the country where ever the wind blows him! Great song! Great reaction!
Except the harmless hobo may pick locks “when no one’s around.” 😆
I love Roger Miller and he’s often hilarious as well as great! Try “Chug-a-Lug” or “Dang Me”.
or his song Oo-de-lally is good
2 more great songs for sure!
Dang me, Dang me, they oughta take a rope and hang me! LOL
Chug a Lug was the other one I couldn’t think of!!
Dang me is fun
My father loved Roger Miller and grew up on him. Chug a-lug, and can't roller skate in a Buffalo Herd. Brings back so many Memory's. My Dad was sent to heaven 32 years ago. Thank you .❤
Don't forget about My Uncle use to love me but she died, that was a funny song too!
@@jamestaylor4843 I love that song! And "Do-Wacka-Do."
“To let” means “to rent.” I love this song. A real oldie but goodie.
The song has a lot of slang. To let. Four bits. Old stogies. Man of means. Box cars (as a form of free transportation). Etc etc.
Yeah, you still hear of people “subletting” a room in their home. But rarely hear “let” on its own.
@@JRoss707 We use to let over here in the UK to mean for rent. You see to let signs on houses and apartments all the time here.
4 bits = 50 cents. Thus "rooms to let, 50 cents" and "buys a 4 bit room" are two ways of saying the same thing.
A "bit" was slang for an eighth of a dollar. I think it dates back to when the Spanish Dollar was essentially international currency. In order to make change, the Spanish Dollar was cut into eight pieces with each piece worth 12.5 cents.
That's also where the phrase, "pieces of eight" came from.
@@davidwilliams1820 It was also used in the old cheer heard at many high school football games etc. 'Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar.. all for the (team name) stand up and hollar'
He turned Huckleberry Finn into a multi-Tony Award winning musical called Big River. There are some amazing songs in that musical including “Muddy Water” and “Waitin’ For the Light to Shine”. I listen to it frequently. He was SUCH a talented man!
"Waitin' for the Light to Shine (Reprise)" perfectly captures the key moment in the book, when Huck decides that he'd rather condemn himself to Hell than let Jim stay in captivity.
one of my faves. "Muddy Water" is my heart...
"England Swings" "Dang Me" and "You Can't Roller skate in a Buffalo Herd" are all great. This one is my favorite. His musical "Big River" has great songs.
Grew up listening to hits album and watching his TV show. Always liked Dang Me
Roger Miller was country music royalty and an absolute Genius!!!
Gotta react to 'Dang Me'
He was a hobo traveling around. He's renting the room for fifty cents. Two hours of work earned him enough to pay for the room, "an 8X12 four bit room". A bit was 12.5 cents, two bits was a quarter and four bits was fifty cents. Some other Roger Miller hits we "Dang Me", "Chug-a-Lug", "Engine, Engine, No. 9", and "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd".
The old alma mater cheer. 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar, all for State U stand up and holler
Which is why "two-bit" became a synonym for "worthless" - only worth a quarter, after all.
Yeah, these are not rooms at a Marriot. These are cheap dive rooms in a boarding house with a communal bath, etc. So a Man of the Road could travel around pick up some odd jobs. Most nights when he was flush he could get a room in a boarding house, and on the nights where he wasn't he'd sleep under the stars. Kind of amazing how cheap a man could live back in the day, but it was a life that doesn't resemble what most of us think of as living
Let's not forget "England Swings Like a Pendulum Do".
@@ronaldjeffrey8712 Bobbies on bicycles, two by two...
Glad you love it. This is an example of the real essence of real country music. A collaboration with the singer and the music complimenting each other, not each playing in different directions. "Rooms to let" means for rent. And, Roger Miller was a major deal in Country Music during his career, at one time winning every Grammy award in one sweep.
This was my father’s favorite song. My father died ten years ago at 80, but whenever I hear this song, my memory of him comes into sharp focus for a few minutes.
I have Dad memories of this song too.❤
My dad was the same age as yours. He died 7 years ago at 83. My parents had this record too.
John McNally and NEPatsFan And All of You that have lost a Loved One: So Sorry for Your Loss💔
My father passed 8 years ago this week,at 76. He also loved Roger Miller!!! He got me listening years ago. I'm sorry for your loss. But great memories!!!🥰🤗
My dad died in October at 83, and this was one of his favorite songs. His mind was going those last few months, but I'd made a youtube playlist of Roger Miller, The Brothers Four, and some more, and his eyes would light up.
Roger Miller wrote a musical called ‘Big River’. He won 7 awards for this.
Johnny Horton is a great story teller: "North to Alaska"; "Battle of New Orleans", and "Sink the Bismark". History in a song, and smooth!
Also, When It’s Springtime In Alaska.
Yes battle of new Orleans
Love Johnny Horton ❤.
For a full history class try "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt" sung by Sid Selvidge.
Johnny Horton was really great! Good suggestions
To add to the Johnny Horton list "The Battle of Bull Run"; "O'Leary's Cow"; "The Sinking of the Rueben James"; "Snowshoe Thompson" Really just about anything from the album, Johnny Horton Makes History.
My dad died in 1967 when I was five. I don't have many memories, but I do remember he loved this song.
My favorite Roger Miller song from my childhood was You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd. My dad played a lot of Roger Miller.
Roger Miller... LEGEND. Songs to react to: "Dang Me," "I've Been a Long Time Leaving," "You Can't Roller Skate With a Buffalo Herd," "Chug-a-Lug," and "Atta Boy Girl" (still said to me in praise by my 82 year old dad).
Oh wow!!! A real oldie but goodie!!! I love when you do a song I liked but had forgotten all about it!! God Bless you all!!
I like that about this channel 🙋🏻♀️
Digging deep to bring this one. Thanks!
Roger Miller was truly one of the greats! He had such a distinctive voice, and was a phenomenal songwriter. He wrote a lot of fun, silly songs like You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd, My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died), and Chug-A-Lug. He also wrote songs like England Swings, Husbands and Wives, and others which were lovely. If you've watched Disney's Robin Hood, you've heard him before - he is the narrator and provides the voice for Alan-a-Dale, the rooster minstrel. He's worth taking time to explore - his lyrics and song structure are quite unique and interesting! Thanks for this great reaction!
It's a song about about a hobo with no money and he ain't got anything but he knows everything about surviving so he's the "King of the Road" I agree with others. " Chug-a-Lug" And "Dang Me" are a must!
He won 11 Grammys in 2 years as Country artist. Un heard of at time.
OMG! My father used to sing this when I was really young! I'm 62, and he passed away when I was 9! Best memories of him!
God bless you, ma'am. I'm 60, and these songs remind me of the old folks that are gone. I'm miss them -but I have my grand kids. Kind of cool how God does that for us 🙂
@@johnathandavis3693 yes it is! And I play a lot of oldies for them and they love it!
This song is going to be in your head for years. I've been singing this since he came out with it. You'll love it.
Oh my goodness!! The songs of my childhood. Probably the first song my brother learned to sing when he was three- waaaaay back in the 60’s. We had an album with Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd and Dang Me …. I could probably play it and know every word 50 years after hearing it.
This is one of the first songs I remember hearing as a kid. Roger Miller was like a favorite uncle and he was everywhere.
I absolutely LOVE his song “not in Nottingham” from the old Disney version of Robin Hood. It’s soooo good
Yes!
OMG 😲, YES !!!!
ooh da lolly!
Yep yep!
I had forgotten about that!! Thanks, Amanda!
Growing up with this song since this was one of my Dad's favorite. Thanks for the memories.
This song was all about the life of a "hobo", tramp, or vagrant. A person that was homeless & traveled from town to town by "stealing" rides on freight trains.
Basically he was claiming that even though he had no belongings, he was still "King of the Road".
He could do odd jobs to get enough cash to get by.
Great description of what I always thought the song was about.
Exactly!
50 cents would have been a lot for a hobo. Most hobos slept for free.
Yep. Ridin' the rails.
Rooms to let 50 cent is basically saying 50 cents to rent.
"One Dyin' And A Buryin'" is a great Roger Miller song that gets overlooked among the bigger hits like "Dang Me", "Chug-A-Lug", "You Can't Rollerskate (In A Buffalo Herd)", a lot of fun records. He was also the character of the Rooster in Disney's Robin Hood where he did a couple of songs including "Whistle-Stop" which was later sped-up and released as "The Hamster Dance" which kids of a certain age know very well since it was played in heavy rotation on Radio Disney.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I forgot about "One Dyin' And A Buryin.'" Another favorite.
Roger Miller doesn't have a bad song! He was a favorite of my grandma's, so I know all the lyrics. Thank you! 😁❤️
When I was a small boy, this stuff was blasted from the big bench front seats.
Absolute legend, he also voiced Alan-a-Dale( the singing rooster) in Disney's Robin hood, so he sang Oo-De-Lally, Whistle stop and not in nottingham in one of the best Disney classic movies
Roger Miller was one of Oklahoma's great talents. He was a song writer, singer, actor, story teller. He was very funny on talk shows. He also worked on Broadway. Dean Martin did a cool version of King of the Road you should listen to. A true artist & talent.
Actually, he was from Fort Worth. Starting out....he did do some gigs in Oklahoma.
@@hokep61 Home town is Erick OK
@@landenchantment I used to stop at the Loves truck stop at exit 7 when I drove a semi.
Born in Ft. Worth, Miller grew up on a farm outside Erick, Oklahoma
Roger Miller was a great songwriter, singer, musician and Broadway Musical writer :) This song was a huge 'crossover hit' in 1964 :)
Yay!!! One of my all time favorite songs. Its so much fun, love the classics.
I also suggest Don Williams
I Believe in You if you like this one. Its got super sweet lyrics and you will both love it i think.
Edit after watching, this is a kickass karaoke song. Drunk people somewhere in the world are singing it right now.
I like Circle Driveway!!
Don Williams voice is just dreamy! I love his duet with Emmylou!
Roger was one of the greatest lyricists period! Nobody could touch him and he always added music to fit perfectly! One of my biggest influences as my tunes have a ROGER tag on many of them.
One of my favorites of his is "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd"! Oh, and he's a hobo!
Whoever recommended this track, pat yourself on the back. GREAT SONG, EVEN BETTER ARTIST!!!
Roger Miller was incredibly talented. In addition to working with Disney on Robin Hood, he wrote the music & lyrics for Big River (which he also acted in), winning the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Have y'all done The Statler Brothers yet? Flowers on the Wall was my Mama's favorite. She actually took me to the rodeo one year because they were the musical act ❤
I loved Counting Flowers on the Wall! I can remember all the words even now. It's about the height of boredom and nothing to do.
Big River is some of my favorite music. It's simply superb.
@@barbaraburton8914 For you "Flowers on the wall" fans Home Free does an awesome cover of that song. If you haven't heard it you ought to give it a listen.
@@spiderdog7599 I will. Thanks
You’re right, that’s exactly what we did, sat around the fire and sang songs like this. Everyone knew the tune, and after one hearing, remembered every word. So much fun in simpler times.
God, I remember listening to this with my Dad in his truck just both of us jamming😜. Keep this up y’all 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
He wrote and produced the Broadway Musical hit "Big River". There is so much to the man.
"Rooms to let, .50 cents" Back in the day, people--usually widows-- would "let" or rent out rooms with no frills (and didn't allow smoking) "aint got no cigarettes"; in order to make money to get by. I think Roger is referencing migrant traveling men that rode the rails (trains) from place to place to find work wherever they could during the Depression.
Roger Miller had a lot of unusual songs like "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Heard", "Dang Me", "Do-Wacka-Do" and "England Swings", for a more conventional song by him try "Little Green Apples " I remember my dad playing Roger Miller on a Reel to Reel tape player, I'm talking BEFORE 8 track or cassette tapes. Definitely Old School.
😃
This song is a classic in every sense of the word. One of 1965's best. For your next Roger song, you have to do "Dang Me". It's one that'll stick in your brain forever. Roger was an incredibly successful musician in his time. He won 11 Grammys AND a Tony Award. He's in the Country AND Songwriters Hall of Fame. Sadly, he died relatively young, at 56, of lung cancer. (He was a prodigious smoker.) But this song will never lose its cool.
I"m 61, and I remember hearing my dad sing this song as he was getting dressed for the day .......
Roger did lots of good songs, most of them silly, funny stuff like “dang me” & “chug-a-lug”, but he was also the very first to record a song written by Kris Kristofferson called “me & Bobby McGee”, which ended up being recorded by many, including as you know, Janis Joplin. For the serious side of Roger, check out “husbands & wives”, “when two worlds collide”, or my favorite Christmas song ever “old toy trains” a song he wrote as a gift to his son when he couldn’t afford to buy him a gift.
Both of my parents sang and whistled this tune.. I've always loved it.. I listen to it often, especially when missing my parents..
Definitely old time smooth! Even when it came out, playing on the car radio, my Momma said it sounded old fashioned, in the very best way! Haven't heard this in ages, thank you so much! 😽💋🎶
This song was written in Caldwell Idaho, just down the road from my home town. Roger Miller and Tennessee Erny Ford were regular visitors to the state. Met them both and they acted like they had known us forever. Great artists.
I used to run around singing this while I was playing as a kid 60+ years ago. Worked at it till I knew ALL the words.
"To let" is the same as rent only it was used more with family & close friends...
Me too....lol
Another 😊of Roger Miller's great ones is You Cant Roller Scate in a Buffalo Herd.
My dad use to sing this all the time. When he passed, every time I hear this I think of him.❤️❤️❤️
Mine too!❤ great memories 👌 ❤
I believe in the Sunshine by Roger Miller is so uplifting on SO many levels!!! I'm 63 and I still love I Believe In The Sunshine! Still to day!
My older sister used to sing this all the time when I was young, I thought it was magical. It refers to the swag men that used to go from town to town picking up whatever work they could and catching rides on a boxcar on a train. This was particularly common in the early 1930's all over the world due to the depression.
No Broadway. His first big Hit. One of many. He wrote many hit songs. One of the most taletned singer/Song writers ever.
Roger Miller taught us that, "You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd." 😉♥
“But you can be happy, if you’ve a mind to.” 😁
Can't change film with a kid on your back, either.
He's a Hobo riding the rails, going from town to town. Carefree. I love it!
Roger Miller is a great hilliarious artist, You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd is a funny song.
In the '60s and '70s Roger Miller wrote more country songs than you could shake a stick at. A songwriting factory, he was.
My mom and my grandmother really love/loved this song. Your selection of older music really surprises me. You pick some things that aren't necessarily the most well known but they're always interesting. Thank you and looking forward to more.
I grew up listening to this song. My mama loved Roger Miller. She would have been 100 this year.
One of my favorite songs by Miller is the humorous “Kansas City Star.” He also the songs for the Broadway musical “Big River.”
Roger Miller brings back a lot of childhood memories. My mom bought an album of his and we listened to it all the time. I especially remember this song, England Swings and Dang Me.
I was about 9 years old when this came out in '65. My father used to sing and play guitar (just for his own enjoyment), and this was one of his favorites. I probably heard him sing it at least 2-3 times a week for many years. BTW, In this context "Room to let" = "Rooms to rent". Current usage is not all that common but not archaic, either. Most often heard in the form of "sub-let", as in when somebody rents out a property that they themselves lease from somebody else.
I was born in ‘68…but same in my case…to this day, one thing I most regret is never learning to play the guitar from my dad.
As a junior reporter in the far south of New Zealand I got to review all the visiting shows and now 45 years later I believe Roger Miller provided one of the finest concerts I ever saw. His songs were great, but his fiddle playing was even better.
I only know this song as my Dad used to play the record and sing along. I still know every word and every time I hear it it reminds me of my Dad ❤️
I've mentioned before that I'm a performer. I've been singing on stage since 1961, when I was 6. Roger Miller was my first musical hero and the first song I did on stage was "Dang Me" by Roger Miller. I also did this song. Imagine a 6-year-old singing his songs, but I loved them!!
Jay/Amber, he did pretty well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as the Billboard Hot 100 Country chart! A crossover artist as they say.
I've no doubt that anyone of a certain age watching this is singing along and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
His voice is so smooth and he gets you involved in the music 🎶 another song “Dang Me”
Talk about a singer who could command the stage!
Not only a beautiful singer he was a FUNNY MAN. We saw him at Harrah’s Tahoe in the 1960s
We loved him.
Roger is worth a deep dive into. One of my favorites is when he was the Porter Wagoner show. It's got two songs on it. In The Summertime and he plays fiddle on Porter's signature song Y'all Come. If you want a sad one, One Dying and a Burying. If you want an uptempo sad song, Atta Boy Girl.
You must hear the female answer from Jody Miller: 'Queen of the house' ... and if you like the piano in the background, you must hear the song from Jim Lowe: 'Green Door' from 1956 with a crazy spinet solo... I promise you, you will love it! ... nice greetings from munich/germany 🙂
"England Swings" by Roger Miller, a massive hit.
Roger Miller was also the rooster in Disney's Robin Hood. I've always loved his sound.
Alan A. Dale!
LOOOOVE this song! Reminds me of my grandparents!🥰🥰
Mom used to play this for me as a kid in the early 70s. Always loved Roger. He did the voice/songs in Disney's Robin Hood too.
You’re right, Amber…if you know it you want to sing it..my family always jumped in to belt it out (even though we always groaned at my dad :}
This takes me back to Saturdays cleaning while Dad played Roger Miller, Red Sovine, and Jimmy Dean on the record player. “Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd”, “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”, and “Dang Me” are the ones that come to mind. Red Sovine sang “Teddy Bear” and “Phantom 309” among others, and Jimmy Dean with “Big, Bad John”, and “To a Sleeping Beauty”…. Such wonderful memories. So glad you did this reaction :)
You should give "Can't roller skate in a buffalo herd" a try.
he wrote a broadway show called Big River, it won 7 Tony Awards, you have to listen to one of his other big hits, Dang Me or Little Green Apples.he also was the minstrel, Allen a Dale in the disney animated movie robin hood
One of these days you'll have to check out The Highwaymen which is a super group consisting of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. If you do, play their self-titled single called the Highwaymen
One of my favourite songs ever, always make me smile.
Try Johnny Horton's "Sink the Bismarck" or "Whispering Pines" or "The Battle of New Orleans". Loved those songs from the 50s when I was a kid.
He did a lot of great fun songs like “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd.”😂
This was my 11 year old son's favorite song when he was like 5 or 6! He used to run around singing it all the time and would constantly have Alexa playing it. Haven't heard it in a while, but still love it!
You wouldn't believe how many kids knew this song , we knew every word by heart
Speaking of Broadway, Roger Miller wrote a great musical called "Big River" based on Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn."
Roger Miller was one of the best song writers of all genres. Listen to Husbands and
wives. Never been a better song. So well crafted. Saw his broadway play in New York. Only broadway play I have ever seen. Big River was based on Huckleberry Finn. I think it was 1985. You guys do a good job. I enjoy your enthusiasm.
Saw "Big River" on Broadway back in 1985 with Daniel Jenkins and the late Ron Richardson. Scored many Tony awards for Roger! Deservedly so!
In high school our coach taught us this song when he drove us to the "away" games. Never thought it would randomly pop up like this. Good memories and thanks!
I was in high school in 1965 when this song came out. Roger Miller was my songwriting idol, bar none... And yes, he was a very multi-talented musician!
I love this song, it's one of my go to karaoke songs. Randy Travis also does a really good version of this song
He was a big star in his day. This song is about a time when life on the road was often by choice, and much safer than today. The guy is "King of the Road" no responsibilties, doesn't pay much for anything, and no needs for material things; he gets most things for free, like a king, of sorts.
His wife recorded a song "Queen of the House" as a so called response. It is a must listen.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Roger Miller, and this is a GREAT SONG!!!
You have to listen to his song “Dang Me”.
Higher than the highest treeeeeeee
Lordy won't you weep for meeeee
I adore Roger Miller. “The Moon is High and So am I”, “Hard Headed Me”, “Chug-A-Lug”, “My Uncle Used to Love Me (But She Died)”, not to mention the entire soundtrack to Disney’s Robin Hood. He’s an absolute gem.