Townes Van Zandt - Talking Thunderbird Wine Blues - Live at Carnegie Hall, 1969

Phonographic Copyright (p) - EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Copyright (c) - EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Vocals, Guitar - Townes Van Zandt
Recorded Live at Carnegie Hall, Wednesday, November 26, 1969
Lyrics:
Well one of the funniest things I ever heard
Was when a friend of mine said "man, let's get some thunderbird"
I said "what's that? " he just started to grin
Slobbered on his shirt and his eyes got dim
He said "you got fifty-nine cents? "
I said "yeah, I got a dollar, but don't be a smart-aleck
I ain't gonna spend it on some indian relic"
And he said "thunderbird's not an old indian trinket,
It's a wine, man, you take it home and drink it."
I said "it sure don't sound like wine to me"
And he said he'd bet me the change from my dollar
We hustled on down to the nearest u-tate-um
The guy wanted my id, I whipped her out and showed him
He got a green bottle from the freezing vault
My friend started doing backward somersaults
Through the cottage cheese
Well we took it back to his house, started drinkin'
Pretty soon I set in to thinkin'
"man, this thunderbird tastes yum, yum, yummy
And I know it's doing good things to my tum, tum..., tummy..."
It's so you reason when your on that crap
Got a few more bottles and chugged them down
Pretty soon I pulled myself up off the ground
Decided I go see my dearest sweet wife
Who met me at the door with a carving knife
Said "get them damn grape peel from between your teeth."
I said "Darling, these aren't grape peel, it's toilet paper
You'll never believe why i've been eating toilet paper."
I could see we're gonna have a little misunderstanding
I said "dear, I better get in touch with you later"
She said "forget it, man, you're never touchin' me again!"
Now I've seen the light and heard the word
And I'm staying away from that ol' dirty thunderbird
A message come from heaven radiant, and fine,
All I drink now is communion wine
Six days a week