About The Song
“Honky-Tonk Man” is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Johnny Horton. It was released in March 1956 as his debut single on Columbia Records, and the album of the same name reaching number 9 on the U.S. country singles charts.
Song-writing credits for “Honky-Tonk Man” have been attributed to Johnny Horton, Howard Hausey and Tillman Franks. In late-1955 Hausey, an aspiring songwriter, went to Shreveport, Louisiana (from where the Louisiana Hayride was broadcast) to pitch three of his songs to Johnny Horton. Horton and his manager, Tillman Franks, liked the up-tempo “Honky-Tonk Man”, but before it was recorded a deal was negotiated to include Horton and Franks in the publishing royalties (both of whom may have assisted in re-fashioning the melody).
The lyrics of the song are narrated in the first-person (“I’m a honky-tonk man”), describing a life of drinking and dancing with young women in honky-tonk bars; the account suggests a compulsive or addictive quality to the protagonist’s lifestyle (“I can’t seem to stop”). The chorus of the song juxtaposes the narrator’s obsessive and exuberant behaviour with what happens when his “money’s all gone” (“I’m on the telephone callin’: ‘hey hey mama, can your daddy come home?’”).
Country music singer Dwight Yoakam released his version of the song as his debut single in 1986. Yoakam’s version peaked at number 3 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart; it appears on his debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc..
Video
Lyrics
Well I’m a honky tonk man
And I can’t seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money’s all gone,
I’m on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Well now I’m living wild and dangerously
But I’ve got plenty of company
The moon comes up and the sun goes down
I can’t wait to see the lights of town
‘Cause I’m a honky tonk man
And I can’t seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
And when my money’s all gone,
I’m on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Well I’m a honky tonk man
And I can’t seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
And when my money’s all gone,
I’m on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Hey now, a pretty little girl and a jug of wine
Well that’s what it takes to make a honky tonk time
With the jukebox moaning those honky tonk sounds
I can’t wait to lay my money down
‘Cause I’m a honky tonk man
And I can’t seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money’s all gone,
I’m on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
I’m a honky tonk man
And I can’t seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money’s all gone,
I’m on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home