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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Tue May 8th, 2012, 19:19 GMT 

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I seem to recall that he did attempt this once in the 80's with Tom Petty I think. Anyone confirm?


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Tue May 8th, 2012, 22:11 GMT 
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arthurprecarious wrote:
I seem to recall that he did attempt this once in the 80's with Tom Petty I think. Anyone confirm?


It was an attempt at the chorus : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkRTtELr-40
Tour highlight!


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Tue May 8th, 2012, 22:24 GMT 
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Brownsville Girl is a great song... a road-trip masterpiece of americana imagery... in many ways, Dylan's greatest ever song.

My one criticism is that it is a bugger to dance to... to try to jig and jive, jitterbug and jiggy-jig-jig to this song is very hard work... it is almost impossible to dance in a frantic, frenetic way all the way through this track... but, that one failing does not detract from the fact that it is a brilliant opus of a song.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Tue May 8th, 2012, 22:27 GMT 
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My favorite Bob Dylan song!


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Tue May 8th, 2012, 22:55 GMT 

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Great song, tremendous vocal. And Benny if you were 14 in the mid eighties when did you get into early Bob. I always thought you were a silly old codger, turns out you are a middle aged wally! :wink:


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 01:20 GMT 

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has some of bob's best lines. ive always loved 'sometimes you just find yourself over the line', 'how far you going ruby asked with a sigh?' and 'people just do what's convenient and then they repent'. love this song. it's like a movie, nothing better than listening to it on a long drive at night.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 01:25 GMT 
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Brian_Eire wrote:
has some of bob's best lines. ive always loved 'sometimes you just find yourself over the line', 'how far you going ruby asked with a sigh?' and 'people just do what's convenient and then they repent'. love this song. it's like a movie, nothing better than listening to it on a long drive at night.
An amazingly accurate insight on people...

Brownsville Girl has a lot of great lines... a virtual treasure trove of observations and insights woven through a story that the narrator sings. Awesome.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 03:04 GMT 
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Played live only once on 6 Aug 1986 according to the Dylan, Inc. website:

Well, there was this movie I seen one time
About a man riding ’cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck
He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself
The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck

Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp
As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath
“Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me fair and square
I want him to feel what it’s like to every moment face his death”

Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in
And you know it blows right through me like a ball and chain
You know I can’t believe we’ve lived so long and are still so far apart
The memory of you keeps callin’ after me like a rollin’ train

I can still see the day that you came to me on the painted desert
In your busted down Ford and your platform heels
I could never figure out why you chose that particular place to meet
Ah, but you were right. It was perfect as I got in behind the wheel

Well, we drove that car all night into San Anton’
And we slept near the Alamo, your skin was so tender and soft
Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and you never came back
I would have gone on after you but I didn’t feel like letting my head get blown off

Well, we’re drivin’ this car and the sun is comin’ up over the Rockies
Now I know she ain’t you but she’s here and she’s got that dark rhythm in her soul
But I’m too over the edge and I ain’t in the mood anymore to remember the times
when I was your only man
And she don’t want to remind me. She knows this car would go out of control

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love

Well, we crossed the panhandle and then we headed towards Amarillo
We pulled up where Henry Porter used to live. He owned a wreckin’ lot outside of town about a mile
Ruby was in the backyard hanging clothes, she had her red hair tied back. She saw us come rolling up in a trail of dust
She said, “Henry ain’t here but you can come on in, he’ll be back in a little while”

Then she told us how times were tough and about how she was thinkin’ of
bummin’ a ride back to from where she started
But ya know, she changed the subject every time money came up
She said, “Welcome to the land of the living dead”
You could tell she was so broken hearted
She said, “Even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt”

“How far are y’all going?” Ruby asked us with a sigh
“We’re going all the way ’til the wheels fall off and burn
’Til the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade and the water moccasin dies”
Ruby just smiled and said, “Ah, you know some babies never learn”

Something about that movie though, well I just can’t get it out of my head
But I can’t remember why I was in it or what part I was supposed to play
All I remember about it was Gregory Peck and the way people moved
And a lot of them seemed to be lookin’ my way

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls,
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love

Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour
I was crossin’ the street when shots rang out
I didn’t know whether to duck or to run, so I ran
“We got him cornered in the churchyard,” I heard somebody shout

Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus Christi Tribune. Underneath it,
it said, “A man with no alibi”
You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I was with you
Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge and cry real tears
It was the best acting I saw anybody do

Now I’ve always been the kind of person that doesn’t like to trespass
but sometimes you just find yourself over the line
Oh if there’s an original thought out there, I could use it right now
You know, I feel pretty good, but that ain’t sayin’ much. I could feel a whole lot better
If you were just here by my side to show me how

Well, I’m standin’ in line in the rain to see a movie starring Gregory Peck
Yeah, but you know it’s not the one that I had in mind
He’s got a new one out now, I don’t even know what it’s about
But I’ll see him in anything so I’ll stand in line

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love

You know, it’s funny how things never turn out the way you had ’em planned
The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter is that his name wasn’t Henry Porter
And you know there was somethin’ about you baby that I liked that was always too good for this world
Just like you always said there was somethin’ about me you liked
that I left behind in the French Quarter

Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content
I don’t have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I’m gone
You always said people don’t do what they believe in, they just do what’s most convenient, then they repent
And I always said, “Hang on to me, baby, and let’s hope that the roof stays on”

There was a movie I seen one time, I think I sat through it twice
I don’t remember who I was or where I was bound
All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck, he wore a gun
and he was shot in the back
Seems like a long time ago, long before the stars were torn down

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 06:10 GMT 
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it's a wordy song. i'll give it that.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 06:15 GMT 
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^ GOOD words! .. so, i guess that makes it
- a LOT of GOOD song in a song! ... 8)


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 08:23 GMT 
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senor10 wrote:
Great song, tremendous vocal. And Benny if you were 14 in the mid eighties when did you get into early Bob. I always thought you were a silly old codger, turns out you are a middle aged wally! :wink:


Fuck off.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 11:26 GMT 
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Still Go Barefoot wrote:
Played live only once on 6 Aug 1986 according to the Dylan, Inc. website:
I'll give it a listen again today but as I recall, they only played a verse or two. Too bad really because I think Tom and the Heartbreakers were a great band for backing this number. And the Summer 1986 tour was fabulous.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 12:07 GMT 
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There's always an abundance of Dylan-related texts, here's an interesting study on "Brownsville Girl" I found once:

'Sam Shepard and Bob Dylan's "Brownsville Girl"' by Katherine Weiss

I think I prefer "New Danville Girl" from "The Naked Empire" bootleg to "Brownsville Girl", btw.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 16:20 GMT 
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TheGunfighter wrote:
There's always an abundance of Dylan-related texts, here's an interesting study on "Brownsville Girl" I found once:

'Sam Shepard and Bob Dylan's "Brownsville Girl"' by Katherine Weiss

I think I prefer "New Danville Girl" from "The Naked Empire" bootleg to "Brownsville Girl", btw.


Me, too, Gunny.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 21:22 GMT 
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It is a great song - in my top 10. I would love to hear it done live.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 22:18 GMT 
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Does anybody know who the Brownsville 'girl' in question is?... I have long thought that the song is about Drew Barrymore, but, as yet I can find no evidence to substantiate my theory... however, I am fairly certain that I am correct in my assumption.

Does anyone have any evidence that links Drew with this song about her?


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Wed May 9th, 2012, 23:01 GMT 
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thickboy wrote:
Does anybody know who the Brownsville 'girl' in question is?... I have long thought that the song is about Drew Barrymore, but, as yet I can find no evidence to substantiate my theory... however, I am fairly certain that I am correct in my assumption.

Does anyone have any evidence that links Drew with this song about her?


No idea - probably another Carol.

I have always pictured the girl in question as black although there is nothing in the lyrics to suggest that.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 02:53 GMT 
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thickboy wrote:
Does anybody know who the Brownsville 'girl' in question is?... I have long thought that the song is about Drew Barrymore, but, as yet I can find no evidence to substantiate my theory... however, I am fairly certain that I am correct in my assumption.

Does anyone have any evidence that links Drew with this song about her?
Drew would have been about 11 years old then... and Bob would have been 45... But Drew did have curls and teeth like pearls ... so maybe...


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 02:59 GMT 
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Flashman wrote:
No idea - probably another Carol.

I have always pictured the girl in question as black although there is nothing in the lyrics to suggest that.

well he did change the title from New Danville Girl to Brownsville Girl :p


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 04:27 GMT 
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Three legged man wrote:
Horrible song. I can't imagine actually sitting through the whole thing. It's really painful to listen to, I feel embarrassed for Bob.

All those annoying verses, building up to this idiotic chorus:

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love


Brownsville curls? WTF?




Well I got off at Danville
Got stuck on a Danville girl
You bet your life she's out of sight
She wore those Danville curls.

She took me in her kitchen
She treated me nice and kind
She got me outta the notion
Of bumming all the time.

She wore her hair on the back of her head
Like high-toned people do,
But the very next train come down that line
I bid that girl adieu.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 05:50 GMT 
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The vocals are just fantastic on this.


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 08:48 GMT 
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I love Brownsville Girl despite its shite 80s production and despite the silly chorus.

great vocals from Bob, his delivery is just priceless, full of humour and perfect timing.

there are quite a few, but to mention just two lines that always get me:

"But I’m too over the edge and I ain’t in the mood anymore to remember the times when I was your only man"
i love the convoluted cascading rhythm of this and it still amazes me to hear him actually fit it all in and pull it off.

and my favourite line is right at the very end:
"All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck, he wore a gun and he was shot in the back"
i cant put my finger on why i love this one so much, its just something about the way he sings it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIkVQB7rn84


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 11:12 GMT 
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Three legged man wrote:
Horrible song. I can't imagine actually sitting through the whole thing. It's really painful to listen to, I feel embarrassed for Bob.

All those annoying verses, building up to this idiotic chorus:

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you’re my honey love


Brownsville curls? WTF?
Having witnessed a ravishing beauty with Brownsville curls, I can assure you, its something to behold!


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 13:43 GMT 
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To whomever hasn't seen it yet: The Story Behind "Brownsville Girl"
I love the use of footage from "Thelma & Louise"!


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 Post subject: Re: Brownsville Girl is such an amazing song.
PostPosted: Thu May 10th, 2012, 15:36 GMT 
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One of Bob's best songs! He paints such pictures with his words..it's like taking a road trip through Texas!
i never, ever get tired of Brownsville Girl.

"Well, we drove that car all night into San Anton’
And we slept near the Alamo, your skin was so tender and soft..." 8)


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