# WTF does "John Wayne Is Big Leggy" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120 "2006-01-22T17:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/1 "2006-01-22T17:16:50Z")
There was really annoying song called “John Wayne Is Big Leggy” in the 80’s by a band named Haysi Fantayzee, that my sister used to listen to. Not sure why it came to mind 25 or so years later, but what does that mean to call somebody “big leggy”? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/2 "2006-01-22T17:55:52Z")
Never overanalyse lyrics. This maxim certainly applies in the case of Haysi Fantaysee (according to Wikipedia, a “new wave band of the early 1980s” :rolleyes: ). Anyway, John Wayne, cowboy, sitting on horses all the time, bow legs, that’s my take. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/3 "2006-01-22T20:09:39Z")
John Wayne was 6’4". ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/4 "2006-01-25T23:27:01Z")
I think the band was British, is “leggy” a britishism for tall? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/5 "2006-01-25T23:44:10Z")
“Leggy” is a Britishism for “having long legs” - usually applied to pretty ladies. “Big leggy” I have never heard outside that song, and I have no idea. Perhaps they were on drugs? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/6 "2006-01-25T23:54:51Z")
Actually, “leggy” also means tall right here in the US, not sure why I didn’t make the connection. Still, I wonder what exactly they meant in that awful, awful song. For some reason I think it meant something other than “tall”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/7 "2006-01-26T11:42:19Z")
**Usram** , IMHO, has given you the answer. I remember the song as being ‘John Waynes is bow leggy’ (gramatically it should be bow legged but pedantics and song lyrics do not happy bedfellows make) - the idea being he spent too much time on horseback / he walked with a certain swagger. Crap song btw. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/8 "2006-01-26T13:59:19Z")
If the “big leggy” line has you thrown, don’t start looking deep into “Shiny Shiny.” I read somewherre once it was about a bunch of people getting dressed for a party after a nuclear holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/9 "2006-01-26T16:47:54Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > **Usram** , IMHO, has given you the answer. I remember the song as being ‘John Waynes is bow leggy’ (gramatically it should be bow legged but pedantics and song lyrics do not happy bedfellows make) - the idea being he spent too much time on horseback / he walked with a certain swagger. Nope, it’s definitely “big” leggy [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004S7JN/qid=1138293921/sr=8-1/ref=sr\_8\_xs\_ap\_i1\_xgl15/002-3071329-8056053?n=507846&s=music&v=glance](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004S7JN/qid=1138293921/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl15/002-3071329-8056053?n=507846&s=music&v=glance) > [@Cat Jones](#): > > Crap song btw. No argument there. I still embarrass my sister by bringing up the fact that she used to listen to that album so much. ---
**Author:** ![brainburger2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@brainburger2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainburger2)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/10 "2016-12-07T13:10:44Z")
I am replying 11 years after this question was posted, so who knows if anyone will read this. However I was googling the same subject and found this question. It turns out that the song has a sexual meaning. It could be that ‘Big Leggy’ refers to having an erection, although I haven’t sourced that exact interpretation. However the song lyrics describe sex with a Native American, including a reference to anal sex. Yeah I was surprised too. There is a Wikipedia article about it here: > **[John Wayne Is Big Leggy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Is_Big_Leggy)** > > "John Wayne Is Big Leggy" is the debut single by British music group Haysi Fantayzee, released in 1982. It peaked at number 13 on the Austrian Singles Chart, number 3 on the German Singles Chart, number 4 on the Swiss Singles Chart, and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. > The song was a combination of political satire and sexual humour, using nursery rhyme-style lyrics. The protagonist, John Wayne, is having sexual intercourse with a Native American female. When Wayne's bandolier restricts the... Here are the lyrics: John Wayne Is Big Leggy Lyrics \ source: [John Wayne Is Big Leggy Lyrics by Haysi Fantayzee - Lyrics On Demand](http://www.lyricsondemand.com/h/haysifantayzeelyrics/johnwayneisbigleggylyrics.html) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/11 "2016-12-07T14:34:07Z")
I love that song. It’s one of my favorites from the MTV era. The song mocks John Wayne and by extension America in all its self-righteousness. > [@](#): > > He knows what’s right and he knows that god is with him > 'cos he is right - That’s us, for sure. Asking the squaw to turn right over - not “tune” right over" - could simply be a reference to doggie-style sex. Either way, the Indian gets fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/12 "2016-12-07T14:46:27Z")
OMG. I was poking around YouTube and I found this German rendition by [Bienenstich](https://youtu.be/jwYCpGPC-y4), the lowest-costing music video ever made. You’ll want to leave early on, but I won’t let you. You need to stay for the kazoo chorus. O.K.! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/13 "2016-12-07T21:00:52Z")
[Moderating] Welcome to the SDMB, **brainburger2**. Please read through the rules for posting here. In particular, please note that we’re strict about enforcing copyright here. A link to the lyrics of a song is OK, but quoting the entire song is well beyond the bounds of fair use. I’ve edited your post accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/14 "2016-12-08T04:20:43Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > OMG. I was poking around YouTube and I found this German rendition by [Bienenstich](https://youtu.be/jwYCpGPC-y4), the lowest-costing music video ever made. You’ll want to leave early on, but I won’t let you. You need to stay for the kazoo chorus. O.K.! That is effing awesome. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/15 "2016-12-08T17:10:09Z")
Big-legged women don’t have no soul. Just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/16 "2016-12-08T22:55:40Z")
My immediate interpretation, with no knowledge of the song, is that it referred to his stance and walk. I could even see how this could connect to the “erection” idea–his walk is because he’s erect. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/17 "2016-12-09T01:22:15Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Big-legged women don’t have no soul. Just sayin’ The biggest lie in all pop music. Kenan Thompson, as host of Black Jeopardy: A skinny woman can do this. Tom Hanks, as the white contestant: Not a damned thing. There were high fives all around. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/18 "2016-12-09T02:03:54Z")
I loved that band. Very original I thought. I could still listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/20 "2024-01-30T22:07:08Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Crap song btw. > > No argument there. I still embarrass my sister by bringing up the fact that she used to listen to that album so much. There’s an even stranger version from Germany. > [@Sink the Bismarck Song an Oddity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/31): > > British pop duo Haysi Fantayzee praising John Wayne: [[Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy (1982) HD 0815007] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoY8GEJigxs) And a German cover by Bienenstich: [[BIENENSTICH - John Wayne ist der Größte (John Wayne Is Big Leggy)] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwYCpGPC-y4) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-does-john-wayne-is-big-leggy-mean/341120/21 "2024-01-31T03:49:49Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > John Wayne Is Big Leggy For folks to judge for themselves. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YoY8GEJigxs/maxresdefault.jpg "Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy (1982) HD 0815007") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoY8GEJigxs)