I’ve read about it, but some of this song sure makes you think and just has a real haunting quality to it. And of course, that’s the purpose of the lyrics isn’t it — and it’s done SO well in this song. What’s weird is that Garth Brooks won’t let his stuff be on iTunes… so I bought a version by Dan Roberts (one of the composers of the song). Guess what, I think I like Dan Robert’s version better :-0

This is not the first time Mr. Brooks has done something like this… he was one of the movers trying to make it so artists got a cut off of USED CD’s >:-( I’m all for artist’s rights, but come on… if I buy a used car, Ford shouldn’t get a cut! He’d get more sympathy in his battles (as most of HATE the record labels for Killing Napster) if he’d realize his fans are not his enemies.

The Beaches of Cheyenne

They packed up all his buckles
And shipped his saddle to his dad
And by the way the house looked
She must have took it bad
The workers come on Monday
To fix the door and patch the wall
They say she just went crazy
The night she got the call

He was up in Wyoming
And drew a bull no man could ride
He promised her he’d turn out
Well it turned out that he lied
And their dreams that they’d been livin’
In the California sand
Died right there beside him in Cheyenne

They she just went crazy
Screamin’ out his name
She ran out into the ocean
And to this day they claim
That if you go down by the water
You’ll see her footprints in the sand
‘Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne

They never found her body
Just her diary by her bed
It told about the fight they had
And the words that she had said
When he told her he was ridin’
She said then I don’t give a damn
If you never come back from Cheyenne

They she just went crazy
Screamin’ out his name
She ran out into the ocean
And to this day they claim
That you can go down by the water
And see her footprints in the sand
‘Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne

Nobody can explain it
Some say she’s still alive
They even claim they’ve seen her
On the shoreline late at night
So if you go down by the water
You’ll see her footprints in the sand
‘Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne

Yes every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne

This ALWAYS struck a chord with me

Guitar Town
(Steve Earle)

Hey pretty baby are you ready for me
It’s your good rockin’ daddy down from Tennessee
I’m just out of Austin bound for San Antone
With the radio blastin’ and the bird dog on
There’s a speed trap up ahead in Selma Town
But no local yokel gonna shut me down
‘Cause me and my boys got this rig unwound
And we’ve come a thousand miles from a Guitar Town

Nothin’ ever happened ’round my hometown
And I ain’t the kind to just hang around
But I heard someone callin’ my name one day
And I followed that voice down the lost highway
Everybody told me you can’t get far
On thirty-seven dollars and a jap guitar
Now I’m smokin’ into Texas with the hammer down
And a rockin’ little combo from the Guitar Town

Hey pretty baby don’t you know it ain’t my fault
I love to hear the steel belts hummin’ on the asphalt
Wake up in the middle of the night in a truck stop
Stumble in the restaurant wonderin’ why I don’t stop

Gotta keep rockin’ why I still can
I gotta two pack habit and a motel tan
But when my boots hit the boards I’m a brand new man
With my back to the riser I make my stand
And hey pretty baby won’t you hold me tight
We’re loadin’ up and rollin’ out of here tonight
One of these days I’m gonna settle down
And take you back with me to the Guitar Town

What, yer askin’ is that fat bastard babbling about this time!? Well, I am now a member of Flannery’s Beer Club — this thanks to my brother Kent, who bought me a membership. They’ve now stopped accepting memberships for a while (much to Wee’s irritation) but… as a member, you get your own marked stein, an embroidered golf shirt, a t-shirt and discounts on beer and food at Flannery’s Tavern on the Square. It’s so worth it!

Why??
Why, youz is thinkin’ would that be that great? Well, for one, they have GREAT food. For another, I find I am enjoying having a beer (or three) in a congenial place such as this. The people that work there are great, the people I have met there are great! What more can you ask for? Okay, Kent lives close by, if I get tanked, he doesn’t fear driving and so I can pass out at his place 🙂 Is that good enough?

Something Missing
I think that this is something we miss in America, the pub life they have in the UK and other Commonwealth places. A social place to unwind, to talk, to discuss things from politics to sports to life. We all need such a thing. I miss it in my life nowadays. My Mom used to have a great bar called the Bohemian Tavern in Cottage Grove, Oregon and I liked it too… no problems, a good time. This is what I want in life… Oh, I am so into a Disney ending… not some damn art-geek ending where everyone gets wiped out and even the dog gets killed… oh, I’m so shallow, aren’t I?
Ende!