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Joined: Mar 2005
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I have been learning Townes Van Zand's song ,"Poncho and Lefty". I was showing my wife the lyrics and saying things like, "What a great line". Then I got to the line that says, "His horse was fast as polished steel" and she said, "That line doesn't work". I finally memorized the song and that line kind of stuck in my mouth so I changed it. Here is how I sing it now in that verse:
Poncho was a bandit boys He packs his piece of polished steel (replacing "his horse was fast as polished steel" He wears his gun outside his pants For all the honest world to feel
I wondered if you'all have a line in a great song that you would change. I can think of a few other examples of lines I have changed and I can think of some examples of lines that various cover artist have changed from the original. Come to think of it, I became a songwriter partially because of my tendency to change lines in some of the songs I use to sing.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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America, Horse with no name--- "The heat was hot"
bc
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I forgot about that song. He met "a fly with a buzz" in that song too. That must have been trippy.
Have you ever just changed the lyrics before you sang a cover?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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"Oooooh that smell. Can't ya smell that smell?...."
Oy.
;-)
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I don't know. Maybe, in "A Horse With No Name", it was to show how basic or dulled thought processes would become in that desert environment. Heat/hot or fly/buzz. Now, that it's been brought up, I can see how that adds to the song.
Greta
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Oh man do I have a few. But I'm drawing a blank. It's been a long day. I'll be back when they come to me.
Yes--I'd love to change some songs to cover them, esp. if they don't fit right sung by a female singer.
I change a line of "Summertime" when I do it, because it's funnier my way: "Oh you're mama's rich, 'cuz your daddy's good-lookin'..."
Linda
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Okay - I love Martoina McBride but in her new song - the line "God is great but sometimes life ain't good" makes me giggle because it remind me of "God is great, God is good let us thank him for our food" - I'm sure it's just my immature side
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Samuel, I change the words to LOTS of cover tunes. Usually something tasteless or obscene.{Hey, whatever works...I play redneck bars, not ice cream socials!} "I've been thru Newport {KY}on a Ho'with no name."... From Tom Petty "You don't know how it feels"--"My old man was born to rock, Nancy Zimpher bites my--{You get the picture} The University of Cincinnati basketball fans all go nuts! Oh yeah, "And the three men I admire most' The Father, Son, and Donnie Most.
Last edited by Bob Cushing; 05/02/07 06:37 PM.
bc
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Out of my dreams and into my CAR you're my angel devine your sixteen your beautiful and your mine Ringo covered this oldly with that little change and made us smile.
getting back to Poncho and Lefty. I still don't see how ponchos horse could be as fast as "polished steel" so here is the way I'm singing it now:
Poncho was a bandit boys He lined his vest with polished steel Wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel
I think of Poncho Villa as wearing one of those bullet vest- so this line makes sense to me. Now I have no proof that Van Sanzt was even talking about Ponch Villa, but it works for me because I can believe the line now.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Danny O'Keefe's The Road, as sung by Jackson Browne. Love how it sounds and what it says for the most part, but can't live with the "Coffee in the morning, cocaine afternoons" line so I sing Caffeene kinda mornings, white line afternoons". The song is a artist road song, and most artists I know spend the morning wakinging up and the afternoon travelling to the next gig, so that suits the image better for me, aas well as getting rid of the cocaine referance, while realising, some may see the white line as refering to it still. I actually understand the polished steel line mentioned above as saying the horse was slick , or quick as a pistol. Came out fast and flew. Like a Quarter horse sort of thing. Mind you. A lot of Townes lyrics have me scratchinhg my head. Singing Summertime, I sing "So. Hush little baby, and don't you cry, 'cos the fish are jumping, and the cotton is high. And. it's. Summertime." as an out. I also sing the Daddy is rich/Momma's good looking, a varied number of ways. Same as Ella, Frank, Sarah, and all have done forever. Same with most covers I do. That Old Black Magic is a great one to adlib on. Graham
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Phish came up with some bad lines, but like most jam bands they were focused more on the music, here's a taste for those of you unfamiliar with them:
"Fee was a buddhist prodigy, long past the age of maturity, one day he knew it would set him free, like it did for Floyd the Chimpanzee"
Gimme a break...
"Take a peek at the cheetah Reba, cheetah on the prowl in a cage sink a boulder in the water, tie a cable to a tree..."
Come on now...
I do however like their humorous lyrics, too bad they didn't stick with that, like in the Helping Friendly Book song if anybody knows it, very funny. I think they could have been a great band with decent lyrics, some of their jazz infused rock is incredible, namely You Enjoy Myself and those of that ilk, check it out if you've never heard it, it's great! (and thankfully there aren't many lyrics...)
My name is Mike and I like to play guitar and I like to play the keys and I like to write music and I like to write long run-on sentences that use the word 'like' a lot! http://www.myspace.com/mikeredwine
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Yeah, But those guys were {are} on drugs!
bc
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As are many creative types, unfortunately, including many of the jazz greats and even classical greats...
My name is Mike and I like to play guitar and I like to play the keys and I like to write music and I like to write long run-on sentences that use the word 'like' a lot! http://www.myspace.com/mikeredwine
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That's what I need!
Wait,,,,,all my 70's contacts are either gone or,,,,really gone! Oh well,,,I'll be creating just on Dunkin.
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The polished steel line refers to the fact that if you keep your gun (steel) polished it come out of the holster faster.
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That is how I took it to be yep. Graham
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I always figured that the "polished steel" line meant that Pancho's horse could outrun the automobiles of the time. Even one that was oiled and polished up regularly. Hey, it works for me.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Johnson.
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He met "a fly with a buzz" in that song too. That must have been trippy. It's funny, all the years I have been listening to this song I genuinely thought it was "fly with no buzz" which is worthy of reporting and what I would sing. Maybe they were just a} too stoned to do a re-take or b} too stoned to notice on play back Oh well, they say you learn something everyday Nige
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Bob
How about a reworked version of a recent hit ( well in the last 2-3 years ) with the lines
This is not the song that won American Idol , this is just a tribute
Cliff
How many song writers does it take to change a light bulb ?
Change !!!! WTF ....
I Ain't changing nuthin ....
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