| Author | Message | ||
     Juan Vera Bellon Member Username: Veritabellon Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2007 |
Hi,I'm new here and don't know if this is the kind of stuff people do here,but I've been desperate lookin for Black mule lyrics... I'm from spain and I miss some words. I'd be grateful if any generous soul will post the song here or show me where to get it... and of course,I miss Grant too... | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 178 Registered: 01-2007 |
Look under the guitar tabs link are they there. Welcome Juan | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 282 Registered: 05-2005 |
Welcome on board Juan! The guitar tabs are there, but the lyrics are not. I have them written down somewhere, will post them in the next few days. | ||
| Pat Boland Member Username: Pat_boland Post Number: 32 Registered: 05-2005 |
The neighing of the horses in the moonlight woke him up There was a line of ice across his cup Except for the wind in the corn the world was perfectly still. The moon hung over the window sill. Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule Just then four men on horses came riding up and dragged him out into a clearing They said "Listen here mister, if you don't give us all your gold we're going to give you one hell of a beating". Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule Just then nun on a black mule was riding by She said "Oh, Gentlemen, what are you doing? If you don't leave that man right alone I'm going to punish you for evil-doing" Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule Well, you know bad men, they never listen They went up in a puff of brimstone. She cut him down, she led him by the hand to a cave Took him into a world of limestone. Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule She bathed his wounds. She put salt upon his back. She read to him from a great big book. When he was healed she led him by the hand again Said "Go into the world and take a look". Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule He was walking down a Beirut* street when a car-bomb blew him up. Oh! Life can be cruel. When they took him to the mortuary to identify his finger-prints all they found were the hoof-prints of a mule. Ride on Black Mule Ride on Black Mule * Grant substituted "Beirut" with "Baghdad" when playing the song live in latter years, as seen on 'That Striped Sunlight Sound'. | ||
| Juan Vera Bellon Member Username: Veritabellon Post Number: 2 Registered: 09-2007 |
Thanks Pat,Catherine and Frank for your warm welcome;you know sometimes it's hard to get the lyrics of certain songs, and this one in particular as played on "That Striped Sunlight Sound" has been one of my favourites since then and was driving me crazy causing me some difficulties. Thanks again for helping me | ||
| Alex Bolton Member Username: Alexb Post Number: 34 Registered: 01-2006 |
I've always felt the lyrics of this song show both the best and the weakest of GWs writing. The first verse is compelling imagery that complements the hushed nature of the delivery. He always was great at landscapes, Cattle and Cane, Boundary Rider etc. However it isn't sustained and by the time we get to the "puff of brimstone" and mystifying references to Beirut, the gauchness of the lyric has undermined the song. There were some poor lyrics on his solo albums; think the man who liked his "eggs over fried" or the "Chili all around..yeah"! And this from a man who could write a profound, sustained lyric like "Quiet Heart". My feeling is GW didn't always hone his words enough, occasionally being seduced by that lazy rock tendency that spontaneity is automatically meaningful. When he did get it right, the effect was haunting. | ||
| Duncan Hurwood Member Username: Duncan_h Post Number: 87 Registered: 05-2005 |
The song works in a fairytale way, though, which I think gets past some of the more plain ("she read to him from a great big book")lines. Certainly it's one my children's favourite Go-Betweens songs (from the Tivoli CD, where it's at its best). | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 926 Registered: 01-2005 |
I always thought that Grant freshened up Black Mule effectively with the substituted "Baghdad" lyric. He wasn't hitting you over the head with a political statement, but the message was there. |