(Personal reflections
inspired by Bob Dylan songs)
Song: “Brownsville Girl”
Album: Knocked Out Loaded
Release Date: July 1986
The below was written in the spirit of Bob Dylan’s (and Sam Shepard’s) majestic “Brownsville Girl” ( https://vimeo.com/183524348 ):
Well there was this cowboy hat I wore one time
On a ’93 trip across Western Texas, which I borrowed from my Dad
Who purchased it 8 years earlier at the Boston College-won Cotton Bowl in Dallas
I’ve never worn a Stetson before or since; it was a very short-term fad
Well, Dad wore that cowboy hat through the winter and spring of ‘85
The funny thing about it was, we live in Massachusetts, far from cattle country
Another strange twist was that Dad never really could care less about cowboys
This all influenced me; respect, curiosity, and the leaf never too far from the tree
Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in
Leaving high water marks in its wake; memories that don’t decay
She’s driving with me from San Anton’ toward Mexico and the Rio Grande
Hot springs, roadrunners, pronghorn, canyons; the beauty makes it feel as if yesterday
I can still remember that first border town of Del Rio not far upstream of Brownsville
We were on our own now, and feeling the freedom of the road
That river was flowing, that city was vibrant, that bridge was teaming with people
This was different for us, but we believed in each other, it showed
Well we drove that car all day, up the Rio Grande, and into Big Bend National Park
All the while thinkin’ back on the week, your cousin, aunt, uncle, and the Alamo
You were in your element there, family oh so important
You carried that forward with a flair, a smile and a glow
Well, we’re driving this car and we are stalled by the crossing of peccaries
But now my mind is blown away, we are indeed in a different world
And I’m mesmerized by you, the night, the stars, the desert,
the looming Chisos Mountains just waiting to be explored
Big Bend’s ocotillo, yucca, and agave soon to be unfurled
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
Well, we headed up into the Chisos and soon we were on horseback
My stallion quite aggressive, nipping at everything in sight
And we crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico, the remoteness almost elusive
Baking under that desert sun, we slipped into a small dark saloon
Nobody there but us, the grizzled bartender, and two tough hombres’
It was like a scene in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, but we blended in, unobtrusive
Back in the Chisos we hiked to the highest among them
I veered off the beaten path for a moment and soon was being circled by vultures
They swooped in low, I didn’t know whether to duck or run, so I ran
Later while sitting by our campfire, dozens of large bats in the tree above
Keep an eye on the sky…. was this all some effect of being in the land of ancient cultures?
Further up the Rio Grande the next day in Lajitas we were on the edge of nowhere
The road like a roller coaster, several times I swear we were airborne
We stopped into a small diner, it was surreal, it was all black and white, no color
The waitress speaking in tongues, I could see she was reborn
Something about that cowboy hat though, I just can’t get it out of my head
It was way more than the novelty, I’m sure that I was aiming for something much higher
Was I searching for an America that once was, or maybe never was?
People approached me differently; perhaps the hat being what was required
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
The sky was the limit now, could we shoot for El Paso?
Thinking back on my 2-week journey had me aiming for more of the real McCoy
I started out on my own in Chicago, stranded there by a blizzard
Roaming the streets with Mac and that hat on my head, the aura of Midnight Cowboy
My real first destination was Mobile, Alabama, where I would be stuck inside for a week
But my Chicago flight had me touching down in New Orleans
I took in the French Quarter before driving my way East along the Gulf of Mexico
Lake Pontchartrain, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi
Hugging the coast, as I would the Rio Grande the following week…by all means.
I was feeling the music, I was feeling the vibes
Down on the bayou, alligators, grits, and moonshine
I got out ahead of the snowstorm, others from the Boston area were stranded
A work week in Mobile ahead, along with two heady presentations
And a depressed economy reflected in a downtown in need of a lifeline
The cowboy hat worked out a little better here though than it did in Chicago
But it would not kick into high gear until I landed in San Anton’
It worked in the Missions, it worked at the market place, and worked at the carnival
And it worked with her family, deep discussions that knocked you right down to the bone
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
Alas El Paso was not to be; we headed North after hitting Presidio
Saying so long to the Rio Grande as we veered off from its meanders
The border patrol eyed us suspiciously, our car having been through the mill
But there would be giant telescopes, caves, and petroglyphs all worthy of a gander
When I got home I returned that cowboy hat to my Dad, the wisdom of its ways now complete
It was complete for him too, this a fact many years earlier, I never saw Dad wear it again
Neither of us needed to, we had both heeded its soothsaying non-verbal advice
Doing our best to help veer the good ship forward,
In our faith and how we interact with our contacts, our spouses, families and friends
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
- Pete
Song: “Brownsville Girl”
Album: Knocked Out Loaded
Release Date: July 1986
The below was written in the spirit of Bob Dylan’s (and Sam Shepard’s) majestic “Brownsville Girl” ( https://vimeo.com/183524348 ):
Well there was this cowboy hat I wore one time
On a ’93 trip across Western Texas, which I borrowed from my Dad
Who purchased it 8 years earlier at the Boston College-won Cotton Bowl in Dallas
I’ve never worn a Stetson before or since; it was a very short-term fad
Well, Dad wore that cowboy hat through the winter and spring of ‘85
The funny thing about it was, we live in Massachusetts, far from cattle country
Another strange twist was that Dad never really could care less about cowboys
This all influenced me; respect, curiosity, and the leaf never too far from the tree
Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in
Leaving high water marks in its wake; memories that don’t decay
She’s driving with me from San Anton’ toward Mexico and the Rio Grande
Hot springs, roadrunners, pronghorn, canyons; the beauty makes it feel as if yesterday
I can still remember that first border town of Del Rio not far upstream of Brownsville
We were on our own now, and feeling the freedom of the road
That river was flowing, that city was vibrant, that bridge was teaming with people
This was different for us, but we believed in each other, it showed
Well we drove that car all day, up the Rio Grande, and into Big Bend National Park
All the while thinkin’ back on the week, your cousin, aunt, uncle, and the Alamo
You were in your element there, family oh so important
You carried that forward with a flair, a smile and a glow
Well, we’re driving this car and we are stalled by the crossing of peccaries
But now my mind is blown away, we are indeed in a different world
And I’m mesmerized by you, the night, the stars, the desert,
the looming Chisos Mountains just waiting to be explored
Big Bend’s ocotillo, yucca, and agave soon to be unfurled
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
Well, we headed up into the Chisos and soon we were on horseback
My stallion quite aggressive, nipping at everything in sight
And we crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico, the remoteness almost elusive
Baking under that desert sun, we slipped into a small dark saloon
Nobody there but us, the grizzled bartender, and two tough hombres’
It was like a scene in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, but we blended in, unobtrusive
Back in the Chisos we hiked to the highest among them
I veered off the beaten path for a moment and soon was being circled by vultures
They swooped in low, I didn’t know whether to duck or run, so I ran
Later while sitting by our campfire, dozens of large bats in the tree above
Keep an eye on the sky…. was this all some effect of being in the land of ancient cultures?
Further up the Rio Grande the next day in Lajitas we were on the edge of nowhere
The road like a roller coaster, several times I swear we were airborne
We stopped into a small diner, it was surreal, it was all black and white, no color
The waitress speaking in tongues, I could see she was reborn
Something about that cowboy hat though, I just can’t get it out of my head
It was way more than the novelty, I’m sure that I was aiming for something much higher
Was I searching for an America that once was, or maybe never was?
People approached me differently; perhaps the hat being what was required
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
The sky was the limit now, could we shoot for El Paso?
Thinking back on my 2-week journey had me aiming for more of the real McCoy
I started out on my own in Chicago, stranded there by a blizzard
Roaming the streets with Mac and that hat on my head, the aura of Midnight Cowboy
My real first destination was Mobile, Alabama, where I would be stuck inside for a week
But my Chicago flight had me touching down in New Orleans
I took in the French Quarter before driving my way East along the Gulf of Mexico
Lake Pontchartrain, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi
Hugging the coast, as I would the Rio Grande the following week…by all means.
I was feeling the music, I was feeling the vibes
Down on the bayou, alligators, grits, and moonshine
I got out ahead of the snowstorm, others from the Boston area were stranded
A work week in Mobile ahead, along with two heady presentations
And a depressed economy reflected in a downtown in need of a lifeline
The cowboy hat worked out a little better here though than it did in Chicago
But it would not kick into high gear until I landed in San Anton’
It worked in the Missions, it worked at the market place, and worked at the carnival
And it worked with her family, deep discussions that knocked you right down to the bone
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
Alas El Paso was not to be; we headed North after hitting Presidio
Saying so long to the Rio Grande as we veered off from its meanders
The border patrol eyed us suspiciously, our car having been through the mill
But there would be giant telescopes, caves, and petroglyphs all worthy of a gander
When I got home I returned that cowboy hat to my Dad, the wisdom of its ways now complete
It was complete for him too, this a fact many years earlier, I never saw Dad wear it again
Neither of us needed to, we had both heeded its soothsaying non-verbal advice
Doing our best to help veer the good ship forward,
In our faith and how we interact with our contacts, our spouses, families and friends
Big Bend Girl with your Big Bend Curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Big Bend Girl, show me all around the world
Big Bend Girl, you’re my honey love
- Pete
1 comment:
This diddy is a natural progression for Pete the writer. He now has published his first lyrics. Well done. Closing picture is a perfect way to end this endeavor. Can't wait till the next one.
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