2 years ago

160

Turnpike Troubadours Before the Devil great songs tragic-comic

This is a great tune, the best song TTs wrote IMO.
I love tunes that tell stories, this one dark but with light and love, great wordsmithing, songwriting...
--I like the studio version best for it's purified energy, and precision, but here you can see the musicians performing. (from the lp/cd) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb1wYnHJMsE

'Before The Devil Knows We’re Dead' Lyrics:
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Well he was pushing 80, but he acted 22
He could laugh and drink just like his grandchildren would do
There was square hay on the meadow, second cutting of the year
Well his summer work was over once they got the pasture cleared
They were drinking on the big bluff across the river from the field
Well he walked up to the edge and threw a stone in and he kneeled
And he looked down at the water, he said boys I'm going in
They were cheering when he jumped but he did not come up again

Well raise another round boys and have another glass
Be thankful for today knowing it will never last
Still lets leave the world laughing when our eulogies are read
May we all get to heaven 'fore the devil knows we're dead
May we all get to heaven 'fore the devil knows we're dead

Well it was 20 after midnight, they were going 85
She was barely out of high school wanting bad to feel alive
Just a two lane piece of blacktop, a snakey stretch of road
Well the wind blew through the wing vents, it was clear and fresh and cold
Well the driver killed the headlights and he put the throttle down
When they hit the railroad crossing they were five feet off the ground
Just a-screaming through the midnight 'til they came down again
Well the front tire hit a bar ditch, they went end over end

Well I'm twenty eight years old now, I was born in '84
And I've been free as I can be and I won't ask for anymore
So let the fiddle play a hoedown after I've drawn my last breath
Well tell everyone I know that I loved them all to death

May we all get to heaven 'fore the devil knows we're dead
May we all get to heaven 'fore the devil knows we're dead

--lyrics respectfully lifted from genius.com
https://genius.com/Turnpike-troubadours-before-the-devil-knows-were-dead-lyrics

you want lyrics? - be a genius ! :)

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