there's gold in them hills

There's Gold In Them Hills was recorded in July, 2007 at Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY and is on Warpaint. It's been played 23 times live. I love There's Gold In Them Hills most for its storytelling quality-- and I think I associate that inherent nature of TBC as being reborn with Warpaint.

Crowesbase writes that, about There's Gold In Them Hills, Chris said: “It takes an old gold rush character and makes it into California and the music business. Or anybody who's left their home to follow their muse and seek out what their life might be amongst the trials and tribulations. I don't think I could write this song at 25. I just have a different perspective on where we've been and where we're going.”

Could I love him more? That explanation completes the song even though it was already perfect. This song is a lot like growing up--and I just love the allusion Chris and Rich used along with the melody.

On the first day of winter
I was set to leave
With the lost art of true love in my eye
Through wild frontier
With outlaws and thieves
To find me a mountain in the sky

There's gold in them hills
I heard the man cry
There's gold in them hills
For the takin'
It's a one-way ticket
Down a river of lies
There's gold in them hills
If you make it

On the last day of spring
I first saw the sea
A poor boy with good luck on my side
Ready for riches
I rolled up my sleeve
And took my first step
Down in he mine

There's gold in them hills
I heard the man cry
There's gold in them hills
For the takin'
It's a one-way ticket
Down a river of lies
There's gold in them hills
If you make it

Hid my wallet
Same old pocket
Sixteen dollars
Brand new shoes
Empty bottle
Satin garters
What's a country boy to do?

Tell dear mother that I miss her
But things are different now
There's nothing I can do
Your dark-haired son is now long gone
Remember me
When you stare at the moon

Broken my heart
For diamonds and gold
Through scandal, through madness
Through cold
All I have left is this grey in my beard
This mountain and the stories that I've told

There's gold in them hills
I heard the man cry
There's gold in them hills
For the takin'
It's a one-way ticket
Down a river of lies
There's gold in them hills
If you make it

midnight from the inside out

I'm still trying to get into Lions and I've managed to rotate a few songs into my daily TBC playlist. One of them being Midnight From the Inside Out but I still contend that Lions is just so different from every other TBC album. And, indeed, Midnight From the Inside Out is a bit heavier sounding to me. It's been played 91 times live, which is more than I would have guessed. Watching the live version below, however, I can see why . . .

You, with your fast and furlined mind
With your disregard of time, virtue, horizon
Here, where the angels never sleep
Where the water's dark and deep
You breathe molasses

Chorus:
Midnight from the inside out
Turn around and they all fall down
Screaming red and the lights go out
Turn around and they all fall down

You, madness dripping from your tongue
While staring at the sun
You speak explosion
Up, with the flies around the moon
Needle, mirror, spoon and cotton candy

jealous again

Another song off Shake Your Money Maker as I try to get over my Amorica binge. Jealous Again has been played 878 times live, which is close to the top of TBC's catalogue, and Crowesbase gives us some insight from Chris. About Jealous Again, Chris said "Narcissistic and arrogant. Sure everyone feels jealous about someone else but maybe this time someone will be jealous over me. In a way, it's a song for the band, when the boys are feeling nervous and cold and desperate." I love this idea--that Chris would want someone to be jealous about him.

Jealous Again is another song for which I absolutely love the chorus. Particularly, the repetition of "Stop, understand me / I ain't afraid of losing face" is so endearing and so honest. After reading Chris's quote about the song, you definitely understand this lyric.

Cheat the odds that made you
Brave to try to gamble at times
Well I feel like dirty laundry
Sending sickness on down the line
Tell you why

'Cause I'm jealous, jealous again
Thought it time I let you in
Yeah, I'm jealous, jealous again
Got no time, baby

Always drunk on Sunday
Try'n to feel like I'm at home
Smell the gasoline burning
Boys out feeling nervous and cold

(Repeat 1st Chorus)

Stop, understand me
I ain't afraid of losing face
Stop, understand me
I ain't afraid of ever losing faith in you
Never felt like smiling
Sugar wanna' kill me yet
Find me loose lipped and laughing
Singing songs ain't got no regrets
(Repeat 1st and 2nd Chrous)

Don't you think I want to
Don't you think I would
Don't you think I'd tell you baby
If I only could
Am I acting crazy
Am I just too proud
Am I just plain lazy
Am I, Am I, Am I, ever

one mirror too many

I'm trying to vary my post today from Amorica even though I can't stop listening to it! One Mirror Too Many has only been played 42 times live and it's off Three Snakes and One Charm. What I love most about One Mirror Too Many are the lyrics -- and the whole meaning behind the song. To me, this song is about self scrutiny and how that dissipates when you find someone to love. Or rather, how you get so into that person you love, so immersed in them that you can't see how they could think they have any flaws. It's such a powerful feeling.

My favourite lyric being the very beginning of the song -- "the moment I touch you" . . . that's when it all starts. Note in the video after the lyrics, Chris sings "the second I touched you" instead. LOVE! Also, just reading the lyrics of this song, one would almost think it's a ballad but no, it's rather uptempo and rocking!

From the moment you see
The moment you breathe
The moment I touch you

From the moment you crawl
The moment you fall
The instant I loved you

From the moment of darkness
The moment of light
The second I kissed you

From the moment I enter
The moment I leave
In this moment of rapture

One mirror too many gonna tie you up
A life forever empty has got to be rough
Too many starless nights gonna leave you blind
You can never make it right
Unless you leave it behind

From the moment you stumble
The moment you run
In your presence I crumble
From the moment it happens
The moment you know
There's no life without you

she gave good sunflower

I am on such an Amorica kick this week. Even though I decided last week that Descending is my favourite song off that album, I can't stop listening to She Gave Good Sunflower this week. Just a side note, but Descending took over that position from Cursed Diamond. But getting back on track, I am in love with She Gave Good Sunflower this week, especially the guitar riff and Chris's screaming right after -- it's so therapeutic to sing along to in the car!

Crowesbase reports that She Gave Good Sunflower has been played 186 times live and that "the song's working title in 1993 was "Sunflower, She Gave It Really Good". An early version of this song was recorded on August 12, 1993 at Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA."

I already described my favourite part of the song but my favourite lyric is from the chorus: "Say don't pretend to me / I beg and I plead, your sunflower I need." It's just sooooooooo good.

I've been lost in the headlights
All night long
Said i've felt taller, yes I heard
the dealer's song

Say babe don't mark me absent
I only missed out by a fraction
Be the sun that bursts through my clouds
It's hard enough just living on this ground

chorus:
Say don't pretend to me
I beg and i plead, your sunflower I need
Thought nothing would surprise me
I was wrong now i see
Come on baby and just do me
if you please

This made me reminiscing
About the honey we made
I feel warm in your blizzard
And your flood I crave
I won't abuse my anger
I promise you no lecture

Come be the sun bursting through my clouds
It's hard enough just living on the ground

Chorus

she talks to angels

Chuck Leavell plays on this song !!! As Rich described in the iTunes exclusive interview, "She Talks To Angels was one of those that was-- you know-- we all knew was great and to have Chuck Leavell come in and play on it was just amazing to us." In the same interview, Chris said that "after all these years, the songs that always interest me the most and my favourite ones to sing . . . are our ballads. I think they're the most telling about who we are as people and about how we really feel about things." So, She Talks to Angels may very well be the most popular song by TBC, which is why I feel compelled to talk about it on this blog even though it's not on my favourite songs. Don't get me wrong--it's a gorgeous song but I love so many TBC songs so much better.

Crowesbase quotes Chris and Rich as describing the story behind the song: "A story about a very sad person, a sad but beautiful girl. Though it's loosely based on someone I know, it could be about a lot of people who are addicted. Everyone's been there or knows someone who's there right now." (Chris) "But there's no message about morals in the song." (Rich) "It's not my job to handle people's morals. Morality's your own business." (Chris)

She Talks to Angels is off Shake Your Money Maker, TBC's first album and it's been played 482 times live. I have no personal anecdote for this song -- it just is.

She never mentions the word addiction
In certain company
Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan
After you meet her family

She paints her eyes as black as night now
She pulls those shades down tight
She gives a smile when the pain comes
The pain gonna' make everything alright

Says she talks to angels
They call her out by her name
Oh yeah, she talks to angels
Says they call her out by her name

She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket
She wears a cross around her neck
Yes the hair is from a little boy
And the cross from someone she has not met
Not yet

(Repeat Chorus)

She don't know no lovers
None that I've ever seen
And to her that means nothing
But to me it means, means everything

(Repeat second verse)
(Repeat Chorus)

then she said my name

Some days I just wake up with TBC lyrics bouncing around in my brain. Even considering that I am pretty much obsessed with Descending right now, today I woke up with Then She Said My Name in my head. Specifically, the lyrics "Let me tell you 'bout the secret / I've been keeping" are in my head a lot.

So, Then She Said My Name is off By Your Side and it's only been played 18 times live. Crowesbase also writes "The chorus from this song is identical to the chorus of "Throw It All Away". Early versions of "Virtue And Vice" used the identical verse structure of this song." I don't have much to say about Then She Said My Name -- it's just that those particular lyrics stick in my head a lot . . . I guess it's the secrets part.

Let me tell you 'bout the book
That I've been reading
It's got all my favorite words
Let me tell you 'bwout who I saw scheming
Ya better know it's not my girl

Let me tell ya 'bout what I've been seeing
It's the window to the world
Let me tell you 'bout the secret
I've been keeping
Said the oyster to the pearl

Are you sorry?
No not me
And tell me why should I be
Cause I've been knocked right off of my feet
And no I didn't even miss a beat

I never thought a love could be like this
Then she said my name
Now I'm wrapped around her finger
I'll never be the same

So let me tell ya 'bout the joke
That you've been living
Said the clown to the fool
Let me tell you 'bout
The wheel that keeps on spinning
Said the teacher to the school

Are you worried?
Well could be, cause I'll tell you what I've seen
I've weathered storms that would sink most ships
Yes I know when to button my lip

Offer me a melody
Pour a cup of wine
Spill your deepest memory
And someday you'll be fine

remedy

I can't believe I've gone this long without posting an entry about the song that got me into TBC in the first place, Remedy. This song is one of the most popular songs by TBC but, really, for a reason. Remedy is off my favourite TBC album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion and it's been played 830 times live which must be right up there in the top five.

So this is how I got into TBC-- I was at the airport on a Friday night, the Friday night before TBC was slated to play Vegoose Halloween weekend 2006. I was with a friend who had flown in to go to Vegoose with me and some other friends, waiting for luggage when who should walk up to get his own bags? Chris Robinson! Of course I had seen pictures of him but the flesh was, well, captivating. So we went to Vegoose--it was truly one of the best days of my life--and in particular TBC's set. They ended that set with Remedy and the next day, I went and bought The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. I've been falling ever since . . .

The clip at the end of this post is from VH1 Storytellers and Chris actually talks a little bit about the actual inspiration for Remedy so it's worth watching. He really did see a dead bird on a window sill in Philadelphia but the song is about more than that--give it a listen.

Baby, baby why can't you sit still?
Who killed that bird out on you window sill?
Are you the reason that he broke his back?
Did I see you laugh about that?
If I come on like a dream?
Would you let me show you what I mean?
If you let me come on inside?
Will you let it glide?

Can I have some remedy?

Remedy for me please.
Cause if I had some remedy
I'd take enough to please me.

Baby, baby why did you dye your hair?
Why you always keeping with your mother's dare?
Baby why's who's who, who know you too?
Did the other children scold on you?
If I come on like a dream?
Would you let me show you what I mean?
If you let me come on inside?
Will you let it slide

feathers

"There's one song called 'Feathers', though, that I really, really think is something else." - Chris Robinson, 4/30/94. Apparently, there are six known versions of Feathers. However, no version of Feathers made it onto Amorica although it was recorded in thoses sessions as well as in the Tall or Lost Crowes session. Not sure why Feathers didn't make it onto Amorica but it's still a great song.

Crowesbase details the different versions of the song, but since I've only heard the Lost Crowes version of Feathers, that's all I can talk about. What I particularly love about this song is the chorus-- it's just such a nice and easy transition in the song but it's distinctive and sounds really different from the rest of the song. The lyrics are my favourite in the song, too: "If I found you a floating feather / Sent down to help me fly away / If I found you a floating feather / I would be amazed."

I feel clean again
I don't waste my sin
I can't spare a grin
Because it's bad blood time again

My morning full on speed
No it's not so rare to me
This is, this is a hungry need
Won't you help me to plant the seed

And if it grows
Yes, we'll know, oh we'll know
If I found you a floating feather
Sent down to help me fly away
If I found you a floating feather
I would be amazed
I'd be amazed

Your lips taste dry again
A death cold has got your skin
I'm not lost in who loses or wins
I would just like for this spell to end

Cause I'm ready
Ready to begin
Begin again
If I found you a floating feather
Sent down to help me fly away
If I found you a floating feather
I would be amazed

I, well I remember one time
You were all smiles
Nothing stood in our way
Well so here I am now
Here I am just wanting to return to those days
We'll get there baby
I'll take you there babe
Oh, we will find, we will find our way