I came to Nashville in 1984 to be a songwriter. After failed attempts to write commercial songs I just quit. This past year (2023 )I discovered Townes and he’s inspired me to write again and not worry about commercial boundaries. He moves me, changes me ,challenges me and inspires me ! I listen to him everyday.
Good luck Tim, the world needs soulful heartfelt music that will never make you enough money. Do it anyway, we need it now more then ever. Come to Terlingua if nothing else works out !
When i began writing poetry, I was writing with no aspiration of sharing with a single other soul than my own. When a woman finally convinced me to share at an open mic, the audience was blown away. When I left, I went home and for 3 months I kept trying to write with the audiences's reaction in the front of my mind. The result was writers block. Nothing I wrote felt right. One day, I stopped myself and reminded myself of who I was. I started writing again what I felt. Not what I thought folks wanted to hear. I have since published 4 books. well over 600 poems between them all. Write as though the darkened room will be your only audience. Let your heart pump the life that courses through your soul, and you can't go wrong.
You know that Steve Earle said that Townes van Zandt was the best song writer ever and he would stand on Bob Dylans coffe table and say so. When Townes was asked what he thought about what Steve Earl had said, Townes replied, I have met Bob Dylan and have seen his body gaurds and I don't think Steve could get within a mile of his coffe table.
Later on Steve Earl said he was misunderstood when he said that. Regarding Townes and Dylan, its known that Dylan asked him a few times to do a song together, but Townes politely refused, not wanting the fame he will get being around Dylan.
I stumbled upon Townes shortly after my wife left me. I can’t stress how important it is when you’re deep in heartache to find something out there that resonates. The way this man wrote and performed helped me process my profound grief like nothing else.
I met Townes after he and a few friends drove their car off of the top of Independence Pass in the middle of the night in a snow storm and dropped several hundred feet down off the edge. Some friends of mine discovered them by tracks going off the side of the road. This was way before cell phones, so some of my group hung out with them while others went down the hill for help. It was morning before help arrived, and Townes and his group ended up staying with us for a few weeks - good times.........
I dunno if anyones gonna see this but i just wanna say that im not an american, im all the way from the east side of asia, i really enjoy his songs, i have an old mind and givin my all in this soul of being american, thank you Townes, u inspired and made joy of an 18 year old, i'll visit texas one day, i promise
Finding this man's music probably saved my life when I stumbled upon it several years back. Beautiful pain that sucks you in long enough to remind you that you are not the only person who hurts. Townes was great and is so very underrated and under-appreciated. I'm so happy more people have begun to find him.
Thanks for summarizing my thoughts. I am ASHAMED I have just discovered TVZ; but I'm going through my first real heartbreak @ 54....and this collection I've made of his songs just might have saved my life tonight.
I met Townes In NYC in the late 70's he was there for a meeting with a record company I was instructed not to let the man drink for the two hours he was to stay in my apartment before his meeting. Needless to say that did not fly with Mr Van Zandt I had to go out and get a couple quarts of beer and we had a lovely time together. At the time I knew only his song Poncho and Lefty he was a superb song writer.
I play a lot of vinyl records at our cabin. I experiment, drift, gamble with new artists etc. But at the end of the night when the beer cans are empty, I always return to Townes. He is my north star.
I grew Up sourounded by Townes in Houston Texas…He has been flowing Alll thru my bloodstream Since i was a Child.Townes is The Kind of Guy Ya Never Forget.
This is the song that I played and played and played after my beloved died. Telling myself that I would get through it. By morning I would be through those hills and gone. So four years later.. it was a such a comfort.
I used to have a gf dog in Santa Cruz, I lived in the city sf. And I’d play this when I leave driving up and down the 17 with tears in my eyes. We broke up sometimes I see the dog the love will always be there but I lived this song
Townes was doing this song once and was having trouble and Blaze Foley got up and sang a few verses with him and then sat back down when he had it...classic
"Shall I cast my dreams upon your love, babe? And lie beneath the laughter of your eyes... " - Townes Van Zandt, a helplessly romantic partisan of beauty until the bitter end.
That guy in the audience yelling "Wooo!" after Townes says 'babe' always makes me smile. Something about the whole Texas macho stereotype getting obliterated by a simple, perfectly placed line gets me every time.
We drove our RV over Raton Pass this fall going from Trinidad to the KOA campground in Raton, NM. I was singing along with this song on the drive as it is my fav of Townes along with Poncho and Lefty. Thx for posting this. He looked good in the video.
Love this, really moves me - Towne s had that vulnerability and longing in his voice, a sense of great hurt and loneliness, channelling the spirit of Hank Williams. His words are like poetry too, what he conveys in such simple language.
The Walt Whitman of American songwriting. He always painted a beautiful picture of experiences, or of time & place that not everyone has been but can relate to. Who can't appreciate the Man for what he spent his whole life trying to do?
Years ago, I worked and lived in Trinidad. I traveled between Trinidad and Raton more times than I can count. The pass can get pretty nasty in winter. This song brings back many memories.
Great to hear that younger people are discovering Townes. I am 66 and was there at the beginning. When I first saw him perform, I was so moved by this man's music that the next day I went out and purchased a cheap used guitar and spent all my days learning to play just so I could eventually play his songs. Took some years and days of practice but I reached my goal and now I pick up the ol' guitar and play his songs. An inspiration to many. RIP, my good friend. Yours was a life, however truncated, well lived.
Drove through that pass on my way from Lubbock to Pueblo. A pretty desolate place. Wish I knew of this song back then, I might have looked at the landscape differently. What a great song writer.
Townes was simply the best at this style of singing and picking. Love this old footage of the old Blacksmith and Townes girlfriend. The emotion of this song is so moving and a brilliant way of story telling. I enjoy the lyric's and everytime I hear this tune it choke's me up. RIP Townes ! We love you !❤
Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt are both amazing song writers, the only difference is, Townes did it all while not giving a shit if he was famous or not.....Townes is THE American song writer. Then there is everyone else.
Look at any album from the 70s through the 1980s.... Townes Van Zant is gonna be there...that's how I discovered him years ago and thanks to TH-cam I get to discover the man again ♥️
Wow. That is a bit condescending toward everyone else's taste. I agree Townes was great. I still give John Prine a huge amount of credit for his abilities too. No apologies.
My all-time fave Townes song - like all his music beautifully layered. First time I heard this I dragged out the old atlas and found Raton. Great music is always a discovery.
Truly sublime. “Until quite modern times all teachers and even all men believed the universe to be such that certain emotional reactions on our part could be either congruous or incongruous to it-believed, in fact, that objects did not merely receive, but could merit, our approval or disapproval, our reverence or our contempt.” CS Lewis
Lyrically, Townes had a way that thumbed his nose, threw the finger and laughed in the face of conventional hit makers. You hear it in all of his songs but this is a really good example of it. Deep AND wide.
I ran that road and you can feel that song it is one of the most powerful songs about struggling in life and the beauty of the roads with the weather changing . Robert Earl King does this version too and it’s great .
I used to play alot of Dylan, I haven't learned any more songs of his in a while, I've learned about 15 Townes songs and a couple Blaze Foley songs in the last 6 months. I can't find lyrics I like to sing more than Townes'
I remember meeting the Great Steve Earle in Jacksons Hotel in Co Donegal ROI and he was everything i always thought he was and i asked if he had seen Townes lately and he just said ya i seen him and he is just the same as he always was. I diden't take to much from that. RIP Townes never will you leave me .........
I used to drive from Amarillo, where I grew up, to my Uncle Jigg's house on Colorado street in Trinidad. Many dark nights I got caught in a snowstorm on Raton Pass.
Hi jthinc23, Townes is a relatively recent discovery for me. I fell head over heels for him about a year ago and haven't been able to listen to anything since! I wish I would have had him in my wild, wild hitchhiking days.
Wow. Loved his music, and especially his writing. A man who left wonderful messages, but not heard nor seen by many. Thanks Steven Swinnea for sharing...
Ha that's funny, I hitched across, well, up, that time, listening mostly to Townes some years back and it fit so perfectly with everything in my life, and I'm guessing that's what you mean too.
![Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty (Live in Austin, 1975) [RESTORED FOOTAGE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m9trdd3kFwc/mqdefault.jpg)
I came to Nashville in 1984 to be a songwriter. After failed attempts to write commercial songs I just quit. This past year (2023 )I discovered Townes and he’s inspired me to write again and not worry about commercial boundaries. He moves me, changes me ,challenges me and inspires me ! I listen to him everyday.
Good luck Tim, the world needs soulful heartfelt music that will never make you enough money. Do it anyway, we need it now more then ever. Come to Terlingua if nothing else works out !
When i began writing poetry, I was writing with no aspiration of sharing with a single other soul than my own. When a woman finally convinced me to share at an open mic, the audience was blown away. When I left, I went home and for 3 months I kept trying to write with the audiences's reaction in the front of my mind. The result was writers block. Nothing I wrote felt right. One day, I stopped myself and reminded myself of who I was. I started writing again what I felt. Not what I thought folks wanted to hear. I have since published 4 books. well over 600 poems between them all.
Write as though the darkened room will be your only audience. Let your heart pump the life that courses through your soul, and you can't go wrong.
@@PoetClbrown thanks for sharing this and for the advice! Good luck on your creative journey!
Best of luck
He's such a talent loss way to early
Townes songs never fail to touch those of us who are lonely in a crowd.
The haunting sorrows & misses of yesterday .
Every time and I just love him so much. The road is truly one of my best friends.😭💕
well said
Word
@@mapples007 i cry and ima fairly hard man
You know that Steve Earle said that Townes van Zandt was the best song writer ever and he would stand on Bob Dylans coffe table and say so. When Townes was asked what he thought about what Steve Earl had said, Townes replied, I have met Bob Dylan and have seen his body gaurds and I don't think Steve could get within a mile of his coffe table.
Classic act, just like Phil Ochs.
Priceless anecdote. Thank you.
RIGHT!
Later on Steve Earl said he was misunderstood when he said that. Regarding Townes and Dylan, its known that Dylan asked him a few times to do a song together, but Townes politely refused, not wanting the fame he will get being around Dylan.
Doesn't mean he wasn't better
In May of 2014 I rode my Harley through Raton Pass. It snowed. I can relate to every word in this song.
My husband came across Townes music shortly before my husband passed away. He played his music everyday.
Your Husband had impeccable taste. And now he's at that Big Gig out there. Townes will more than likely be on the Bill.
I stumbled upon Townes shortly after my wife left me. I can’t stress how important it is when you’re deep in heartache to find something out there that resonates. The way this man wrote and performed helped me process my profound grief like nothing else.
look
Wishing you recovery from the heartache ❤
There are times when only Townes will do. Tonight is one of those times.
Amen
I met Townes after he and a few friends drove their car off of the top of Independence Pass in the middle of the night in a snow storm and dropped several hundred feet down off the edge. Some friends of mine discovered them by tracks going off the side of the road. This was way before cell phones, so some of my group hung out with them while others went down the hill for help. It was morning before help arrived, and Townes and his group ended up staying with us for a few weeks - good times.........
Crazy.shit we did in that day.peace, Casey tater Sheehan
I dunno if anyones gonna see this but i just wanna say that im not an american, im all the way from the east side of asia, i really enjoy his songs, i have an old mind and givin my all in this soul of being american, thank you Townes, u inspired and made joy of an 18 year old, i'll visit texas one day, i promise
Come visit Texas, you will be welcome.
You’re a sharp mind with a appreciation of true art. Contact me. I’d love to share some beers.
I hope you’re able to keep that promise; Texas is a wonderful place and should be experienced (especially Hill Country).
Right on
he saved my life many times. wish he could have saved his own.
Awwww
💔
I know what you mean.
Finding this man's music probably saved my life when I stumbled upon it several years back. Beautiful pain that sucks you in long enough to remind you that you are not the only person who hurts. Townes was great and is so very underrated and under-appreciated. I'm so happy more people have begun to find him.
him and Gary Stewart
better songwriter than dylan/anyone
I agree
agree. Sort of like the movie "melancholia", pain/depression often seems beautiful from an outside perspective.
Thanks for summarizing my thoughts. I am ASHAMED I have just discovered TVZ; but I'm going through my first real heartbreak @ 54....and this collection I've made of his songs just might have saved my life tonight.
I met Townes In NYC in the late 70's he was there for a meeting with a record company I was instructed not to let the man drink for the two hours he was to stay in my apartment before his meeting. Needless to say that did not fly with Mr Van Zandt I had to go out and get a couple quarts of beer and we had a lovely time together. At the time I knew only his song Poncho and Lefty he was a superb song writer.
I play a lot of vinyl records at our cabin. I experiment, drift, gamble with new artists etc. But at the end of the night when the beer cans are empty, I always return to Townes. He is my north star.
I grew Up sourounded by Townes in Houston Texas…He has been flowing Alll thru my bloodstream Since i was a Child.Townes is The Kind of Guy Ya Never Forget.
This is the song that I played and played and played after my beloved died. Telling myself that I would get through it. By morning I would be through those hills and gone. So four years later.. it was a such a comfort.
I used to have a gf dog in Santa Cruz, I lived in the city sf. And I’d play this when I leave driving up and down the 17 with tears in my eyes. We broke up sometimes I see the dog the love will always be there but I lived this song
I logged in just to like this comment. I'm also a big Bob Dylan fan, but I also love Townes Van Zandt much, much more. A legend.
❤I came to America recently. and now I listen to country music, I really like it 😊
Townes was doing this song once and was having trouble and Blaze Foley got up and sang a few verses with him and then sat back down when he had it...classic
"Shall I cast my dreams upon your love, babe? And lie beneath the laughter of your eyes... " - Townes Van Zandt, a helplessly romantic partisan of beauty until the bitter end.
That guy in the audience yelling "Wooo!" after Townes says 'babe' always makes me smile. Something about the whole Texas macho stereotype getting obliterated by a simple, perfectly placed line gets me every time.
The line" You cannot hold a lover that has gone.." is one of my favorites of all times.
The two best versions of this song I ever heard were by Towns and my father. Such a sad feeling knowing neither one of them will ever play it again...
Townes van Zandt was a huge talent, absolutely huge.
This song, this melancholy celebration of lost love , life and adventure, just means so much to me.
2024 and still keeping this beautiful song alive
God, this song is something special. I must have listened to this a couple hundred times. I can't get enough.
We drove our RV over Raton Pass this fall going from Trinidad to the KOA campground in Raton, NM. I was singing along with this song on the drive as it is my fav of Townes along with Poncho and Lefty. Thx for posting this. He looked good in the video.
I still miss Townes....what a talent.
Love this, really moves me - Towne s had that vulnerability and longing in his voice, a sense of great hurt and loneliness, channelling the spirit of Hank Williams.
His words are like poetry too, what he conveys in such simple language.
You like the obvious, thanks for sharing your obvious.
The Walt Whitman of American songwriting. He always painted a beautiful picture of experiences, or of time & place that not everyone has been but can relate to. Who can't appreciate the Man for what he spent his whole life trying to do?
Most underrated singer/songwriter. Townes was amazing and deserved much more recognition.
Years ago, I worked and lived in Trinidad. I traveled between Trinidad and Raton more times than I can count. The pass can get pretty nasty in winter. This song brings back many memories.
Man, I love this song. Townes was the greatest of them all.
Been thru Raton a couple of times. Beautiful area and the San De a Cristo mountains are oof the chart.
He died 2 days before the day I was born. Today as a musician and songwriter I think Townes is my best inspirer
Francesco Petrucci, still waiting for you to post a song... Would love to hear what Townes inspired. Play on, hermano!
Great to hear that younger people are discovering Townes. I am 66 and was there at the beginning. When I first saw him perform, I was so moved by this man's music that the next day I went out and purchased a cheap used guitar and spent all my days learning to play just so I could eventually play his songs. Took some years and days of practice but I reached my goal and now I pick up the ol' guitar and play his songs. An inspiration to many. RIP, my good friend. Yours was a life, however truncated, well lived.
He died 16 days before I was born. Kinda feel the same way!
I am grateful for many things in my life... this is one of them...
A true artist. Every song touches your soul. A beautiful person gone way to soon. Thank you.
Roy in Knoxville Tennessee
I relate to this song driving to Trinidad and back from Texas for some green. Peace and Love.
3rdcoastnyucka Me too. I made a lot of trips over Raton Pass Colorado to Texas & New Mexico and back .
Beautiful country. Drove my rig over it in the snow a few times...a mobile MRI unit. Townes is the best.
An infinite combination of words were possible, and Townes chose the perfect combination every time!!! Blows my mind
Pure gold.
"you can not turn the circle of he sun, you can't not count the miles until you feel them and you can not hold a lover that is gone" WTF that is good!
Drove through that pass on my way from Lubbock to Pueblo. A pretty desolate place. Wish I knew of this song back then, I might have looked at the landscape differently. What a great song writer.
Townes is certainly one of the top 10 songwriters ever. I wish we had him here for longer.
Oh he's number 1 my friend
Townes was simply the best at this style of singing and picking. Love this old footage of the old Blacksmith and Townes girlfriend. The emotion of this song is so moving and a brilliant way of story telling. I enjoy the lyric's and everytime I hear this tune it choke's me up. RIP Townes ! We love you !❤
One of America's greatest songwriters. Thanks for the upload.
I drove through Raton Pass just yesterday and this song was ringing in my mind.
I miss this guy.
One of my favorite songs by him right here. Thank you Townes.
Townes brought me his new album when I was a dj at kokefm austin 1974.......so I picked this one to play on the air..poncho and lefty too !!
Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt are both amazing song writers, the only difference is, Townes did it all while not giving a shit if he was famous or not.....Townes is THE American song writer. Then there is everyone else.
Looking down you nose at fame used to be a fixture of Texas culture. Now Texas has become California like the rest of them.
Look at any album from the 70s through the 1980s.... Townes Van Zant is gonna be there...that's how I discovered him years ago and thanks to TH-cam I get to discover the man again ♥️
Spot on!
Wow. That is a bit condescending toward everyone else's taste. I agree Townes was great. I still give John Prine a huge amount of credit for his abilities too. No apologies.
I love Dylan's music when done by someone else. Townes could sing.
Can't hold a lover that is gone. . . Love it, Home!!!
Marvellous. Sad that he found no one to save him. A great loss to this genre of music.
Perfect song. Beautifully constructed. And it's obvious that this song is for Joanna. Undoubtedly the love of his life. And his best friends wife.
Love this song, takes me back home. "Don't want to be through them hills and gone."
My all-time fave Townes song - like all his music beautifully layered. First time I heard this I dragged out the old atlas and found Raton. Great music is always a discovery.
I've driven Raton Pass many times in the snow, coming home at Christmas to see my mom in Pueblo, Colorado
Raton is my Dad’s home town
THE greatest country artist that ever walked this planet, hands down.
So many Sundays driving over Raton Pass. Thanks for reminding me of the memories.
Truly sublime. “Until quite modern times all teachers and even all men believed the universe to be such that certain emotional reactions on our part could be either congruous or incongruous to it-believed, in fact, that objects did not merely receive, but could merit, our approval or disapproval, our reverence or our contempt.” CS Lewis
Lyrically, Townes had a way that thumbed his nose, threw the finger and laughed in the face of conventional hit makers. You hear it in all of his songs but this is a really good example of it. Deep AND wide.
My favourite Townes song for a while now but it changes. The best songwriter ever ❤
I was just out that way last fall. Hoboing. "So thankful that old road's a friend of mine." Townes was brilliant.
Flying shoes and this song are my favorite TVZ songs. those 2 songs have got me through some real dark moments. Thanks and RIP Townes.
tvz is America's best writer and I love to hear him too!!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting this great video one of my favorite songs so thankful for all great Texas singer song writers
Just as I was getting used to Townes being gone- no more Guy and Townes @ funky dives-can't believe Guy's gone!
It shakes me
I thank my son for giving me the chance to get to know and appreciate Townes Van Zandt"s music! What a fabulous singer/songwriter!
This version is definitely the best version
Allways loved Townes,,,,Allways will. A truely beautiful man.
THE ONLY ARTIST THAT BRINGS EMOTION AND HEART RENDING VIBES IN THE HISTORY OF RECORDED MUSIC .
this is a gem that you have shared
I ran that road and you can feel that song it is one of the most powerful songs about struggling in life and the beauty of the roads with the weather changing . Robert Earl King does this version too and it’s great .
Townes will never disappoint you.
Thank you for posting this beautiful song by a brilliant songwriter.
I used to play alot of Dylan, I haven't learned any more songs of his in a while, I've learned about 15 Townes songs and a couple Blaze Foley songs in the last 6 months. I can't find lyrics I like to sing more than Townes'
I agree. I'm learning several TVZ songs, I just wish I could sing when I play. Well I can but no one wants to hear me except the dogs.
@@thegolfnut812 😄
Keep on singing 🙂
I remember meeting the Great Steve Earle in Jacksons Hotel in Co Donegal ROI and he was everything i always thought he was and i asked if he had seen Townes lately and he just said ya i seen him and he is just the same as he always was. I diden't take to much from that. RIP Townes never will you leave me .........
THANK you!! for converting the tapes, Townes is gone but he was a great writer and singer.
A finer poem shall never be written.
Man, I've made that drive a bunch of times.
Me too
A talent for the Ages ... this one & "Loretta" & "Pancho & Leftie" & on & on & on ...
just recently heard the songs of Townes, do not know how have missed him, a great ballads. we lost him way too soon
wado for posting
I used to drive from Amarillo, where I grew up, to my Uncle Jigg's house on Colorado street in Trinidad. Many dark nights I got caught in a snowstorm on Raton Pass.
Small world
@Robert Shorthill Not fun, especially in my Mom's 61 Cadillac.
@@michaelcollins9698 I thought you were in Ireland fighting for Irish independence, sir.
@@wildeyedherman3102 Did you recognize my Corkonian accent? Driving to Trinidad was very much like the rocky road to Dublin.
Justin Townes Earle for life. Pay your respects. Townes is the legend. Justin is one that life cut short. It's a shame. Justin Townes Earle for life.
Hi jthinc23,
Townes is a relatively recent discovery for me. I fell head over heels for him about a year ago and haven't been able to listen to anything since! I wish I would have had him in my wild, wild hitchhiking days.
01 01 1997 to early. Rest in peace Townes.
Love this song and Raton pass is no place to be when it snows
Thank you for sharing this, this man is close to my heart and a long-time favourite.
Thank you so very much for sharing Townes for the world to hear. You are a gem!!
Townes and Raton Pass both national treasures!😻
Thanks for this. Lovely song and nice to hear Townes sing it.
A buddy of mine died a couple months ago for some reason this song helps me think of him being at peace and not in this shit world anymore
When these types of songs are led better, Townes will lead them.
Wow. Loved his music, and especially his writing. A man who left wonderful messages, but not heard nor seen by many. Thanks Steven Swinnea for sharing...
Thanks for posting this. One of my favorite TVZ songs!
Thanks for posting - this is so beautiful.
They both have their place in history. Townes is my drug.
You can feel his soul when he sings or mine either way love this man
Brilliant.just brilliant. What i would have given to have shared a beer with Townes and Blaze. Two of the most honest guys i never got to meet
If you like this you might also like John Prine, Steve Goodman and Michael Hurley!
@@jasminaogrady7470 good morning. Love all those guys too. John Prine,was a poetic Genious,loved the years he did together with Steve Goodman
Ha that's funny, I hitched across, well, up, that time, listening mostly to Townes some years back and it fit so perfectly with everything in my life, and I'm guessing that's what you mean too.
I like to see him live. Thanks.
Amazing what Townes could with three chords, one guitar, and that proud but desolate voice.