Did You Know?
Did you know that “Clean Up Your Own Backyard” was released as part of Elvis Presley’s soundtrack album for the movie “The Trouble with Girls”? The song’s lyrics serve as a reflection on personal responsibility and the need to focus on self-improvement before attempting to change the world around us. Elvis Presley’s performances of this song showcase his emotional depth and versatility as an artist, reminding fans that his talents extended far beyond his iconic rock ‘n’ roll image.
Lyrics:
Back porch preacher preaching at me
Acting like he wrote the golden rules Shaking his fist and speeching at me Shouting from his soap box like a fool Come Sunday morning he’s lying in bed With his eye all red, with the wine in his head Wishing he was dead when he oughta be Heading for Sunday school Clean up your own backyard Oh don’t you hand me none of your lines Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I’ll tend to mine Drugstore cowboy criticizing Acting like he’s better than you and me Standing on the sidewalk supervising Telling everybody how they ought to be Come closing time ‘most every night He locks up tight and out go the lights And he ducks out of sight and he cheats on his wife With his employee Clean up your own backyard Oh don’t you hand me none of your lines Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I’ll tend to mine Armchair quarterback’s always moanin’ Second guessing people all day long Pushing, fooling and hanging on in Always messing where they don’t belong When you get right down to the nitty-gritty Isn’t it a pity that in this big city Not a one a’little bitty man’ll admit He could have been a little bit wrong Clean up your own backyard Oh don’t you hand me, don’t you hand me none of your lines Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I’ll tend to mine Clean up your own backyard You tend to your business, I’ll tend to mine