"Rachel's Song" is THE perfect song by a truly genius song poet. Spare, direct, observant, getting across true realities about human 'suffering' in its literal meaning of carrying underneath life's problems the heavy weight of life's burdens. Four stanzas give us Rachel's story with a powerful economy that is like William Carlos Williams, William Faulkner, Larry McMurtry, Russell Banks. The young boy is at its essential core but has no voice. Rachel and the absent father create for him what the parents in Truffaut's " "Four Hundred Blows" create for Antoine Daniel. Anyone who has any childhood feeling left, can feel what is in the boy's heart and stomach and developing mind as rachel 'sings' her own defiant song. The song begins with an eastbound snow-dusted Chesapeake and Ohio coal train and shadows pulling the curtain of the night down along the mountain slopes and ends with those ephemeral snowflakes dancing each one briefly in the light outside the window. McMurtry's genius gives us the snowflakes peeking in at this mother and child family unit briefly hovering and falling on past. For the boy this naturally beautiful image is what? Like much great literature, McMurtry opens us up to feeling for the mother and the boy. And the song leaves us there forever after. I am grateful that he played it at the Bugle Boy in LaGrange two nights ago (October 27). It was the first time I have ever heard McMurtry play when he was not in 'liquor sales' as he puts it. That is, without people chattering, bottles and glasses clinging and clunking.His guitar work just gets better and better and his ability to "get the song across," as Bob Dylan puts it, and "not himself" is now refined to perfection, too. To hear McMurty perform is one of life's great blessings.
@rogergreene2272
3 жыл бұрын
I spent most of my Wednesday’s at the Continental Club where James had his residency. Gave me plenty of time to decide that he’s the best songwriter alive
@coopershattuck1678
11 жыл бұрын
THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST DAMN SONGS IVE EVER HEARD
@ryancarmona4587
2 жыл бұрын
ANY UPDATES ON NEW GOOD MUSIC?
@thelastrebelshow1627
2 жыл бұрын
Almost Every McMurtry song is the best damn song you’ve ever herd. 😸
@thelastrebelshow1627
2 жыл бұрын
@@ryancarmona4587 Have you herd horses and the hounds- McMurtry? Great album. It’s his latest. 🤟
@jakeh2239
10 жыл бұрын
Him and Chris Knight are two of the greatest story telling musicians alive. So much respect for them.
@cmfishburn
12 жыл бұрын
Last time I saw him here in Maine he didnt have time to change out of his hunting orange, it was so real, great show to!!!!
@dennisgrubbs1929
4 жыл бұрын
Now that is cool as shit
@knifelyfe6565
Жыл бұрын
@@dennisgrubbs1929 hes a big Turkey hunter.Not easy game to hunt.Turkeys are smart.
@SolvidFIY
Жыл бұрын
Outstanding; I can't believe that music is coming out of one man and a guitar! I've just been discovering James McMurtry and he keeps amazing me with his acoustic, live, and studio tracks.
@gacrotalus
12 жыл бұрын
I heard Jason Isbell do this in Georgia. I was already in love with it. James is the best! What a beauty!
@toddcarman2553
3 жыл бұрын
Ran into that here on KZitem and about fell out!! Play it all the time now. I do love a nice respectable cover if it fits. ✌💚
@georgeredhawk1996
6 жыл бұрын
This song reminds me of when my kid's mother and me broke up . The kid's ended up with me . Their mother died of cancer in '09 . It's all there .
@paulelliott3220
9 жыл бұрын
Genius Great song, playing and his usual brilliance of saying a lot, with limited words but much wisdom, clever phrasing and depth. James should be HUGE and listening to his stuff a lot these days Fantastic
@ToolShedDaddy
13 жыл бұрын
I have been fortunate enough to see him many times ...... some of the best shows of my life
@goodgollywally
4 жыл бұрын
One of James McMurtry's greats songs in my opinion.
@thamuddler
15 жыл бұрын
no i just went to my first continentalclub show last wednesday. loved it. liked the crowd as well
@81lievense
4 жыл бұрын
Absolute genius that brings me peace
@lavinder5
15 жыл бұрын
I love this song.
@bendershome4discountorphan859
7 ай бұрын
Thanks james for thirty years of jams i still think too long in the wasteland is a banger
@jamcrane3
11 жыл бұрын
I saw him perform at Birdie's in Indy, he had a rack of about seven different guitars that he played and, and man can he play!
@Mikedun1
9 жыл бұрын
James is the best thing going. Wow.
@barryzuckerwise7390
6 жыл бұрын
Was making a mix of my favorite songs by James when I came across this and it blew me away. Definitely rethinking my mix now. What an incredible story teller.
@demiglace2000
12 жыл бұрын
Who could not like this?
@rickshunter1
15 жыл бұрын
Great song I like the sound of the 12 string always have always will
@tompalaima7274
10 ай бұрын
This is THE perfect song. none better. 3:29
@thamuddler
15 жыл бұрын
so cool this guy plays weekly in Austin. i had no idea for a while...
@coopershattuck1678
11 жыл бұрын
well thats it the guitar is comin out when i get home......
@bonzo328
12 жыл бұрын
love his tunz!
@JosefCreations
3 жыл бұрын
I love the rachel song
@jamcrane3
11 жыл бұрын
Warren Zevon was fantastic man !! A totally excellent songwriter and singer. Carmelita forever!
@sweetwaterfilm
8 жыл бұрын
mr murtry - never stop sharing your gift -
@sweetwaterfilm
8 жыл бұрын
mcmurtry! (excuse , it erased!)
@Highpinesnow
8 жыл бұрын
It's 1am ....who do youthink I share my time with?......
@semidav1
11 жыл бұрын
Real Good Stuff!
@JamieJobb
11 жыл бұрын
This video crew does great work, I tell ya what! Hand-held and zoomed in ... it's a steady shot!
@pdpratt41
11 жыл бұрын
I would agree with Mr. King. And as an aside, I'm going to guess that Stephen King's choice 10 years ago would have been Mr. Warren Zevon. They were good friends and with some google searching you can find some of what King said about Zevon. Similar stuff. So I guess what I'm getting at is folks should give Zevon a listen if they haven't before. My favorite singer/songwriter of all-time.
@toterola451
14 жыл бұрын
Someone else on the comments board compared James to Dylan. I'd put James in that rarefied class myself, with one caveat: James is a lot more serious, and he's much more consistent. Just my 2 cents worth.
@mikep3450
5 жыл бұрын
I wrecked the El Camino
@dennisgrubbs1929
4 жыл бұрын
I wrecked a Road Runner - wouldn't have been DWI -it was just wide open- died in battle though doing what it was made to do just thank God noone was with me and no other casualties other than the car
@Bookworm36100
8 жыл бұрын
1:00
@davidlabelle361
13 жыл бұрын
Dylan? Way more literate than Dylan. More like the Warren Zevon of Alt. Country.
@4me2email
12 жыл бұрын
don't apologize~Gibbs says it's a sign of weakness =)
@kattie2000ful
12 жыл бұрын
Jesus!!!!
@AKidintheway
15 жыл бұрын
check out hurricane party
@Thats-Cool-Thats-Trash
12 жыл бұрын
@toterola451 Peace right back at you, man. Both great artists.
@ryan5ryan
13 жыл бұрын
@toterola451 well said, and in my opinion, a lot more REAL. Dylan can't hold a candle to McMurtry in the Real department.
@thelastrebelshow1627
2 жыл бұрын
What is this the 70s? Show the guitar not close ups on his face we know what he looks like. Great version 👍
@toterola451
13 жыл бұрын
@eyesoftheworld0, Dylan's earlier work will make him immortal. But I just don't think his stuff in the last 20 years has been even a shadow of the monumental work we came to expect from Mr. Dylan. I listen to "Freewheelin", "Blond on Blond", "John Wesley Harding", "Blood on the Tracks", etc. and I can't help but think: WTF happened?
@Orsino
6 жыл бұрын
Tuning?
@brianeshnaur9691
3 жыл бұрын
Standard
@toterola451
13 жыл бұрын
@maxfrost68 , like I've said about a lot of stuff in the last 30 years: Too hip, gotta go. Peace.
@thamuddler
15 жыл бұрын
i dont think so... but that sounds familiar, maybe i saw it happen...
@KvltKommando
6 күн бұрын
Sounds like Alice in Chains to me
@Thats-Cool-Thats-Trash
13 жыл бұрын
@toterola451 Christ, you're missing it, man. Listen to Time Out of Mind or Love and Theft, give them a chance and you'll see. I think WTF happened is that Dylan passed YOU by.
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