Teaser: What are your favorite songs about musicians on the road
"It's a long way to the top . . . "
With a tip of the cap to
, (who is on tour), I’ve been working on a themed set of songs about musicians on tour.It’s a fun topic, so many musicians have written about that it’s easy to pick some real favorites. I offer one song as a teaser because I want to give it an extended write-up.
Tom T Hall — “Homecoming”
Well I knew you's gonna ask me
Who the lady is that's sleeping in the car
That's just a girl who works for me
And, man, she plays a pretty mean guitar
We worked in San Antone last night,
She didn't even have the time to dress
She drove me down from Nashville and
To tell the truth I guess she needs the rest
Tom T Hall won’t stand out because of his voice or performance charisma but, at his best, he’s one of the greatest songwriters. In this case there isn’t a wasted line; every image feels precise, believable, and contributes to the portrait of a son and father who tolerate each other but have no real connection or interest in each other.
We only hear the son’s side of the conversation which means that the rhythm of the language is unbroken1. It also makes it a little emotionally easier for the listener in that you don’t hear as many of the moments when they fail to connect. "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" demonstrates that Tom T Hall isn’t afraid of writing about pain, but in this case I think the wounds have mostly scarred over. Both of them have made their choices neither seems interested in change.
It’s still a sad song. The thing that gets me, once I stopped to think about the timeline. The musician couldn’t come home for his mother’s funeral because he was on tour. But it’s been long enough since then that his father had gotten a telephone and he didn’t know, and this is his first visit back and he doesn’t want to visit her grave with his father. He stopped on the way in, and compliments the tombstone, but doesn’t say anything more than that.
He doesn’t even go inside; they just chat at the door for a little while and then the son gets back on the road. The song is gentle but doesn’t soften the story at all.
Full lyrics
I guess I should've written, dad
To let you know that I was coming home
I've been gone so many years
I didn't realize you had a phone
I saw your cattle coming in,
Boy they're looking mighty fat and slick
I saw fred at the service station
Told me that his wife is awful sick
You heard my record on the radio
Oh, well it's just another song
But I've got a hit recorded
And it'll be out on the market 'fore too long
I got this ring in mexico
No, it didn't cost me quite a bunch
When you're in the business that I'm in
The people call it puttin' up a front
I know I've lost a little weight
I guess I am looking kind of pale
If you didn't know me better, dad
You'd think that I'd just gotten out of jail
No, we don't ever call them beer joints
Night clubs are the places that I work
You meet a lot of people there, but no,
There ain't much chance of gettin' hurt
I'm sorry that I couldn't be there with you all when momma passed away
I was on the road and when they came and told me it was just too late
I drove by the grave to see her, boy,
That really is a pretty stone
I'm glad that fred and jan are here,
It's better than you being here alone
Well I knew you's gonna ask me
Who the lady is that's sleeping in the car
That's just a girl who works for me
And, man, she plays a pretty mean guitar
We worked in San Antone last night,
She didn't even have the time to dress
She drove me down from nashville and
To tell the truth I guess she needs the rest
Well, dad, I gotta go,
We got a dance to work in cartersville tonight
Let me take your number down,
I'll call you, and I promise you I'll write
Now you be good and don't be chasin'
All those pretty women that you know
And by the way if you see barbara walker
Tell her that I said "hello."
Edit: My full list is now up.
It occurs to me that you could compare it to Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” which uses a letter as a way to give one side of the conversation.
Best road song? IMHO, Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere:"
https://youtu.be/CAEU1yANRSY?si=P2qD4L4R4AetnyEo
“Homeward Bound” by Simon and Garfunkel is a strong one. “All my words come back to me/ in shades of mediocrity/ like emptiness in harmony” is such a mood. Been there.