People don’t write like this anymore, the man was a wordsmith with more character than we knew back then… Doo Whacka Doo, brilliant none sense song but, he had a tenderness with songs like this! I Remember when you passed to the celestial band, I was saddened beyond words.
I don't know if I could remember a songwriter who can combine melancholy, joy and sadness as excellently as Roger Miller. A master in his own right, a category of his own. Best example: A World so Full of Love.
It looks like there are 12 people who've lost their damn mind. I mean folks can dislike whatever the hell the want, but the internet has far too many haters. In any event, this is to my mind one of the most profoundly insightful songs that Roger Miller ever wrote, and this tossed off performance poignant.
27 haters to this date 04/23/2020. Not sure what their mindset might be, but Roger Miller's genuine mind knew well enough the sadness of a heart torn apart by life's balance being upset by a soul's restless thoughts.
Look closely at the look on Bobby's face at 0:47. From his reaction, you can tell it provoked emotion. As a musician for 32yrs, that's the mark were always trying to hit with people, and for it show on another musician is the ultimate compliment.
I had absolute chills when I saw Big River on Broadway. The show was stopped numerous times for standing ovations and calls for more DURING the show. Not just at the end. It was incredible. Mr. Miller was on the national news for creating this masterpiece. His songs were written to reflect as many of American type songs of the time of Tom Sawyer. The harmonies and vocals he wrote were tremendous. I would love to see some of the songs here. I think this is the greatest achievement of his career.
I learned this song from the same show this was taken from and it is one of my favorite ones.. Matter of fact I was sitting in the back yard and was playing the song on my guitar. I can just think of Roger Miller and I start laughing. I was running late to go somewhere and had my morning meds in my pocket and thought about Roger when I pulled my meds and my change out. He had told someone that he put his pills in his pocket and swallowed 35 cents. LOL
Wow! I agree! I'd never heard this before now. Listening to Waterhole#3 brought me here. I leave with tears in my eyes. What a gift to us was Roger Miller.
Yes it was. I saw it when it originally aired. It was at the time when Big River was about to come out. I remember Roger and Bobby talking about it and the music for it and Roger said something like, "There's some stuff in this". He had a gleam in his eye; he knew how good it was. I wish somebody would put those old Bobby Bare and Friends shows on DVD or something. It was one of the better music shows that has ever been on TV.
What a fabulous character who was larger than life and left a commanding legacy of richness in his unique music. He was without doubt a writers writer! RiP Roger and thanks for your music it will never die.
I discovered him in the 80s in high school. My brother was home from college and had discovered Roger's greatest hits. We played him endlessly. Over the next few years that record got played at many parties until most people he knew at college and I knew in high school were fans and were snapping up his records.to bring to parties. It didn't really take anything for 17-20 year olds to become addicted to this guy. He had that kind of appeal.
Thanks for this. I've been a Roger fan since I was a kid, singing along to his hits on the radio. I guess the first one I really remember was "King Of The Road", but I probably know the words to about 70% of his catalog. I just love him that much! My husband and I bonded over Roger Miller songs when we were dating.
Greatly missed. What a talent! He could make you laugh, make you cry, and make someone like me want to see a Broadway play. Loved Roger long before Big River, and love him still.
@MyMoppet52 I am jealous that you got to see this show! I didn't discover Roger Miller until after he had passed. I agree this suite of songs is the most consistently strong of any of his career. This clip is from a biography long out of print, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do what I can to help keep his memory alive and his songs sung. He (and Johnny Cash) have even inspired me to learn the guitar at 48.
This song should be number one with a bullet on anyone's chart. One of the most beautiful sad songs I have ever heard. The depth of feeling and insight is just heartbreaking.
This song shows the genius of Roger Miller. My Dad used to play Roger Miller songs on 8-track tapes when I was gowing up. I'm an adult now, my Dad is gone, and I own every Roger Miller CD out there, even the German imports, which are ecxellent. His songwriting abilities and vocal talents are unmatched in our day and age. Roger Miller was a treasure that we should never forget!
Roger Miller ,there will never be anyone to compare with him I met him twice and I am close to his two brothers Duane & Wendell , He was & is a Lgend and for me will live on forever , Luv Ya Roger
By any definition, Roger Miller was a genius... not only able to look at the world in a different way, but to take everyone else along for a little peek; what a legacy...
Roger Miller was my first introduction to music...My fahter would play his records over and over again as we danced beside each other playing our air guitar. I went on to write songs I think Roger gave me the liberty to do them as crazy as I wanted. I met him and Waylon Jennings as they were about to leave harlan Howards Birthday Party and told him how much I had learned from them as they turrned and I still remember their shadows as they passed through the treeline thinking how lucky I was.
I think the most underrated thing about Roger Miller was his voice. Not too many have praised his vocal talent. Sure, it seems a bit rough and strange when compared to some other artists, but that's what I think makes his voice so interesting.
"BIg time Roger Miller fan, when ever we played I always would included "The Last Word in lonesome is ME'" simple little song that showed how clever Roger was....
@RyanIncorporated just stumbled across your comment , yeah rough at the edges but look at Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, the talent is in the delivery of the song, Roger Miller was a vastly talented multi talent. Some one said here on youtube he may be forgotten, there is that chance because he died so young and a lot of what he achieved is not known worldwide. One thing though here in the UK his songs are still played on BBC radio nationwide regularly, walkin in the sunshine, England swings.
@abargle I forgot to thank you for doing what you can to keep his music and memory alive. He just has never gotten the recognition he deserved. I think some of his novelty or cute songs labeled him and he WAS a fantastic musician, singer, and writer! Thank you!
This is not his best vocal performance, but Miller was an outstanding vocalist. Do you think Ray Price lets just anyone sing harmony in his band? If you look on RU-vid there is a clip of him and Ray singing "Invitation to the Blues". The harmony is so tight that he sounds like Ray's long lost brother. He also did the harmony on "It Only Hurts Me When I Cry", by Dwight Yoakam.
@boomerchd . I notice that this was taken from Bobby Bare's TV show called "Bobby Bare & Friends" which featured famous country song writers. Unfortunately, it was shown only on Nashville TV channel.
Thank you so much for this! One of a kind..... I have been trying to find his "I'll pick up my heart and go home" on youtube..... sigh. I love that song, haven't heard it for years and can't afford to buy it.
Wow .. just seen him live for the first time. This was a great song in the show "Big River' where Roger excelled in fitting songs to story. Sad he is not still out there.
@abargle Well I'm jealous you are learning the guitar! I know we can all do things I have my hands full. I just do what needs to be done...and listening to music. I fell in love with Roger Miller he had England Swings & it was a cross over hit. I then found other songs I loved of his but hadn't known it was him. I am 10 years older than you & my roommate's mom paid for our visits to Julliard in NY. We saw musicals. Also, Lauren Bacall in Applause. I was lucky.
Roger Miller. Singing a Broadway tune. That he wrote. For a musical based on a Mark Twain book. Something about that just screams the American Dream to me.
I've been a Roger Miller fan since I was a very young child ('King of the Road' and 'Dang Me') and I miss his music. Only Tom T. Hall came close to having his sense of humor, but not his poignancy.
Great songwriter. His first three hit records are unbelievable. Then he lost his gift for a while, after he went off the pills. But found the spark again for Big River, which has some of his best songs, including this one.
Quotes About Roger from other songwriters Roger Miller is right up there with Mark Twain and Steven Foster, real America originalsRoger was the guy everyone wanted to write like. Roger was the guy responsible for making country music cool to the pop music world. He cut Bobby McGee and is was like having Dylan do it to have Roger cut it, you have to understand he was Huge, I was singinghis songs before I even got to Nashville Kris Kristofferson I loved his writing, a lot of people don’t really know Roger, Don’t know how good he really was, Roger never did get the recognition he deserved for being the writer that he really was, Roger was mostly known for his novelty songs, but he was probably one of the bets ballad writers there ever was. Willie Nelson Roger was the most unique human being I have ever met Buck Owens Roger was lost between the rock field the pop field and the country field They didn’t know what category to put him in. Waylon Jennings He was a phenomenal thinker and truly worthy of having the term Genius applied to his musical prowess, It’s not over used when applied to Roger Miller. In my opinion I just think he’s a true song writing genius a lyrical genius as good as Johnny Mercer or Cole Porter Dwight Yoakam No one said it quite like Roger. Was he a genius? The ones who know think so Toby Keith I admired him as much as you could admire anybody Merle Haggard He was the most talented singer, the most talented and gifted person of the centuty Mickey Newbury Roger Miller was the most spontaneously creative person I ever met Jimmy Dean Roger had genius Mel Tillis Roger wss closest to a genius I’ve ever known, because he could do things with the English language that were almost unbelievable Bill Anderson I don’t think Roger has ever had just dues. OK they put him in the hall of fame. That’s nice but there’s so much more to Roger. He did it all, Buddy Killen Roger was just one of those unexplainable, once-in-a-lifetime, God sent phenomenon. I quote him almost on a daily basis Marty Stuart He’s one of the best song writers I’ve ever heard. He wrote with quality even his novelty songs like “Dang Me” and “Chug a Lug" but when you get to songs like :Husbands and Wives' and "When Two Worlds Collide" he just wrote from one spectrum to another Curly Putnam Every day that Roger Miller was in my life was a brighter day Johnny Cash Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Roger Miller,” were my biggest influences :commenting on Roger Miller “He’d take words anywhere. He’d just take them anywhere he’d bend and shape them any way he wanted them, to get to the end result and I thought that was just great.” .John Prine
A hasty thought from the heart flies . A careful well thought out idea from the mind will go slowly by foot .This song is a well thought out honest song.take care ADonovan43
Where can I find his recorded version of this song? What album was it on? The state of his catalog is a shame and a sin. Outside the boxed set and truckstop budget comps it's just disappeared.
+Geoff Hayton Actually, the studio version is on a rare Roger album (never released digitally, the bastards) called "1986." It also contains a number of other tracks from "Big River." I found all my Roger and Johnny Cash albums at used record stores, but now that you know the name of the album you're looking for, you might want to check on ebay, too. Good luck!
I was very very lucky. My sister works or better said sells her wares at one of those craft boutiques. In one of the stalls I found the original soundtrack to Big River on cd. Instant buy!
It can be two ways ,if you argue,leavings not the only way to go ,or what causes the argue ,deception,jealousy or maybe just words stupidly said,?,leavings not the only way to go?
That is sad, but it makes Roger "ours" in a way that Springsteen and Madonna will never 'belong' exclusively to their fans. It's strange watching that dynamic change, like it did with Cash. Anyway, if we want Roger Miller shared with the world, it's gonna be up to us. Embed, email, do whatever you have to. Peace.
I rate Roger Miller, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash mong the greatest country music originals . Most of the others were clones of Hank Williams , or Jimmie Rodgers, who were also trailblazers in their day.
