I’m a cowboy hippie from Texas and all of a sudden I’m playing these songs and I was just showing ‘em how they went and just playing. A lot of my best songs are where every single word is where it's supposed to be...'For the Sake of the Song' was written by the word. _g1.setAttribute('src', _g1.getAttribute('data-src') ); 1 Hit as a Songwriter, Industry Contact Database (Pro/Master Only), Lyric Critique Walkthroughs (Pro/Master Only), Songwriting Spouses Raine Maida And Chantal Kreviazuk Dig Deep Into The Heart Of Marriage On New Album And Documentary, Siiickbrain, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Charge Up Female-Empowered “Power”, Myles Kennedy Gets Back to His Guitar Roots for Second Album ‘The Ides of March’, Shea Diamond Honors Transgender Icon Gloria Allen With “Presence Of A Legend”, In Memory of `The Lord of Excess,’ Jim Steinman, November 1, 1947 — April 19, 2021, Shay Martin Lovette Unravels Mysterious Story Song, “For Rose Marie”, Bringin’ it Backwards: Interview with Horace Bray, VHS Collection Travels Through “The Dark” on Cathartic New Single, Behind The Song: “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo, Dan Nigro, Twin Sister Duo Lavendine Says Hello To A New Day On “Open Up A Window”. In "Waiting Around To Die," Townes Van Zandt is a lost soul bouncing around through life seeking distraction from the awareness of his own mortality. This version of the song is from his first album; For The Sake Of The Song.Beautiful song.Hope you enjoy :) With the passing of time, however, a clear distinction has been made between the production and Van Zandt's poetic, often brilliant songwriting, with Mark Deming of AllMusic enthusing, "Townes Van Zandt wrote songs with an uncommon grace and poetic clarity, and he sang them with a voice that was at once straightforward, eloquent, and mindful of the arid beauty of his images...the album's production and arrangements occasionally suggest that Jack Clement and Jim Malloy didn't always know what to make of what he brought them." The majority of the songs, including the title track, "Tecumseh Valley", "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria", "Waitin' Around to Die", and "Sad Cinderella", were re-recorded in more stripped-down versions for subsequent studio albums. In some ways the song echoes Van Zandt's struggles with substance abuse, but the character he portrays in the song is fictional. Seemed easier than just waitin around to die. Some notable examples include "For the Sake of the Song", which was recorded by Azure Ray on their EP November and William Boyd Chisum on his 2006 album Chasing The Wind. He just wanted to have some action going." He didn't fit the country profile. His first wife Fran Petters detailed how Van Zandt wrote the haunting tune inside their walk-in closet of their Houston, Texas home. He seeks that distraction first in gambling and drinking, then in codeine. Van Zandt, who had gained a small but devout following among the folk "purists" who attended his shows in coffeehouses and dive bars, agreed to travel to Nashville for the recording sessions. Lauded as one of America’s great songwriters, Townes Van Zandt was also one of the most tortured. _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-inverted-img'); Townes Van Zandt Lyrics. Jason Scott Boy, and I’m a hick from Texas, you know? For the Sake of the Song would be the flagship release on Poppy Records, a label operated by Keven Eggers, with whom Van Zandt would have a long and complex professional relationship. That’s not how it was written, so on the next record I had veto power and listened and took equal charge." He was a unique songwriter, very poetical. , last edit on Jan 26, 2017. We just made everything work around him. Well it's easier than just a-waitin' around to die. I love the record because it was my first." Cole Swindell Lands His 11th No. Sometimes I don't even know the reason why. John Kruth notes in To Live's To Fly that "the overproduction of Van Zandt's music ultimately had a boomerang effect, alienating Townes's small but devoted following...who believed he was the genuine article, 'the Real Deal,' the last link in the long line of troubadours that stretched back to Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers." I was sitting at the bar of the Jester Lounge one afternoon drinking beer, thinking about him, and just wrote it down,” he said. The title track has also garnered much praise, with John Kruth writing that the song "reveals the complexity of an unrequited relationship burdened by the pitfall of desire. According to John Kruth's book To Live's To Fly: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt, Eggers first heard Van Zandt's song "Tecumseh Valley" when producer Jack Clement played a demo of it recorded at a Houston recording studio in 1966, with Eggers marveling, "I thought it was an absolute classic song. Many of the compositions on For the Sake of The Song have been covered by other artists. Van Zandt's voice - already unconventional for mainstream country fans - is drenched in echo and surrounded with ethereal organs, medieval recorders and harpsichords, and the overproduction would lead the singer to rerecord many of the songs on his subsequent albums. "Waiting 'Round To Die". For the Sake of the Song includes all Van Zandt originals and several of his best known works, including "Waiting Around To Die", a song the singer performs in the film Heartworn Highways. Waitin Around To Die tab. But it didn’t seem that complex when I was writing it." I once sat down and wrote out the rhyme scheme for that song, and it was amazing. _g1.classList.remove('lazyload'); SONG: WAITIN' AROUND TO DIE ARTIST: TOWNES VAN ZANDT NOTE: HAMMER ON LOW E STRING WITH PINKY WHILE FINGER PICKING THE Am IN THE INTRO. Townes Van Zandt was recorded at Bradley's Barn in Nashville. if ( localStorage.getItem(skinItemId ) ) { } catch(e) {}, try { Behind The Song: “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish and Finneas, Part 1. _g1.setAttribute('src', _g1.getAttribute('data-src') ); Behind the Song: Townes Van Zandt, “Waitin’ Around To Die”. His performance is resoundingly eerie, particularly in context of Van Zandt’s own fate. When I heard it I said, 'This is a brilliant songwriter.' “You said [this] was your first serious song. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=For_the_Sake_of_the_Song&oldid=1007099256, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 February 2021, at 13:24. James Szalapski's documentary Heartworn Highways. AND BETWEEN VERSES. [Verse 1] Sometimes I don't know where this dirty road is taking me. _g1.classList.remove('lazyload'); "I'll Be There In The Morning" was recorded by George Hamilton IV on his 1980 album Forever Young and by Mark Dvorak on his 1992 album Use It Up, Wear It Out. But I … _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-mobile-inverted-source'); I like it, but I had to re-record about four of the songs, because I was just totally taken — not on purpose — but totally taken off guard. Artist: Townes Van Zandt Song: Waiting Around to Die Transcribed by: Vegard Gilja (12th of april, 2007) Comment: There are at least 4 quite different versions of this song, but I believe this qualifies as a BASIC version of how Townes plays it in the legendary clip from the movie "Heartworn Highways". by A.D. March 7, 2014 March 6, 2021. Townes was brilliant from day one." The brooding ballad was his “first serious song I ever wrote,” he claims in a live recording (found on 1977’s Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas). Recording and reception. A duet of "Waiting Around to Die" featuring Van Zandt and Calvin Russell can be heard on The Best of Townes Van Zandt. The album consists of ten originals and showcases Van Zandt's poetic lyrics and trademark, uncluttered fingerpicking. For the Sake of The Song was released shortly before Christmas, 1968 to an indifferent public and a confused fan base. Enter the American Songwriter Lyric Contest! Pretty complex. } From the album "Sonic Ranch." } catch(e) {}, by A friend said he knew Where some easy money was We robbed a man, and brother did we fly The posse caught up with me And drug me back to muskogee Its two long years Ive been waitin around to die. This dirty road is taking me. Townes wasn't too flappable. As opposed to writing by the word. Throughout his career, Van Zandt would maintain a flippant attitude towards recording, always more interested in songwriting itself, and was likely overawed by the charismatic Clement, who had produced Jerry Lee Lewis's smash hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and written "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" for Johnny Cash. It includes re-recordings of four songs from his 1968 debut album, including the first serious song he ever wrote, "Waitin' Around To Die". 'The Silver Ships of Andilar' was more like a movie than a song...That first album was experimental. You can’t get much more serious than that one,” said Zollo. It's just how it fell into place at the time. A young Texas folk singer suddenly surrounded by the best players, producers and engineers in the world. One time, friends, I had a ma. The song was later featured in the 1981 documentary film, Heartworn Highways, helmed by James Szalapski and which also included such other Outlaw artists as Guy Clark, Steve Earle, David Alan Coe and Rodney Crowell, among many more. You’d have to remind him it was dinnertime to get him to come out,” she said. His song “Waitin’ Around to Die” is a harrowing fictional tale of a wayward soul who travels from a dysfunctional upbringing down into throes of addiction. Tonebridge. For listeners who had seen and heard Van Zandt perform his poetic songs solo with just an acoustic guitar, For the Sake of the Song came as somewhat of a shock, with John Kruth observing, "Instead of being the focal point of the album, Townes and his songs were lost in a Phil Spector-like 'Wall of Sound.'" [citation needed] ... and performing the songs "Waitin' Around to Die" and "Pancho and Lefty." 15 of the now-shuttered Omaha Rainbow Magazine, through an interview with Richard Wootten, Van Zandt spoke briefly on the song. _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-inverted-source'); "That's where my poetic background comes in," Van Zandt is quoted in Songwriters on Songwriting. “I talked to this old man for a while, and he kinda put out these vibrations. I sat in a chair and sang when they told me to. In the 1993 Rhino Records reissue of the album, Van Zandt is quoted, "I was awe stricken when I first went to Nashville. I told Jack right then and there that I would sign Townes and make a record with him. Author Lavandio [a] 135. March 7: TOWNES VAN ZANDT – Waitin’ Around To Die. Watch the video for Waitin' Around to Die from Townes Van Zandt's Rear View Mirror for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. try { In issue No. But I guess I keep a-gamblin'. To which the musician replied: “I have a few others like that that I don’t play all the time. 'Sometimes I think there all just waitin' for me to die and then something is gonna happen.' Waitin' Around To Die ~ A place where Americana (we're talking alt-country, folk, bluegrass, rock n roll, country...) music fans and musicians can share new (and old) music they've discovered, their own releases, photos, gigs, recruit new band members, source information and continue to build the Americana music community, primarily in Australia and New Zealand. In his biography on the singer, Kruth quotes producer Clement, who later recalled, "Townes was so different. Fat Possum Records released the album in 2007 under its original title. Watch the official music video for Whitey Morgan and the 78's "Waitin' Round to Die." Are you a songwriter? “Waitin’ Around to Die” was re-recorded for Van Zandt’s self-titled album (1969). On "Tecumseh Valley", a tragic song about a miner's daughter named Caroline, Van Zandt agreed to change the line "whoring out on the streets" to "walking in the streets" for the album at Clement's suggestion, who feared the lyric might be too offensive. Sometimes I don't know where this dirty road is taking me Sometimes I can't even see the reason why I guess I keep a-gamblin', lots of booze and lots of ramblin' It's easier than just a-waitin' around to die One time, friends, I had a ma, I even had a pa He beat her with a belt once cause she cried She told him to take care of me, headed down to Tennessee Well it's easier than just waitin' around to die I came of age … At the moment the Group is … Complete your Townes Van Zandt collection. 1 contributor total. Kruth also quotes other friends and contemporaries of Van Zandt who expressed their disdain for the album's gaudiness, including Guy Clark and Mickey Newbury (who wrote the original album's liner notes). For the Sake of the Song is the debut album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1968. Sometimes I don't know where. His soon-to-be second wife Cindy and dog Geraldine (a large, "keenly intelligent" half-wolf, half-husky) are featured in the film. C#m Sometimes I don't know where F#m this dirty road is taking me C#m G#7 sometimes I can't even see the reason why C#m I guess I keep a-gamblin' F#m lots of booze and lots of ramblin' C#m G#7 C#m it's easier than just waitin' around to die C#m F#m One-time friends I had a ma, I even had a pa C#m G#7 He beat her with a belt once cause she cried C#m She told him to take care of me F#m She headed down to Tennessee C#m G#7 C#m It's easier than just a-waitin' 'round to die … A video for Waitin' Around To Die. Discover releases, reviews, track listings, recommendations, and more about Townes Van Zandt - Waitin’ Around To Die / Talking Karate Blues at Discogs. if ( localStorage.getItem(skinItemId ) ) { Lyrics and music by Townes Van Zandt. "Tecumseh Valley" has been recorded by Bobby Bare, Nancy Griffith, Matthew Cook and Van Zandt disciple Steve Earle. View official tab. “Waitin’ Around to Die” was first recorded for Van Zandt’s 1968 studio debut called For the Sake of the Song. I dunno...Maybe I overproduced it a little bit." We have an official Waitin Around To Die … Recorded 1975, released in 1981. } Waitin' Around To Die Based on Heartworn Highways Version Townes Van Zandt 1/2 Moderate= 87 1 23 Am 1 2 3 Dm 23 Em Standard tuning 1 Capo. In the foreword to I'll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt, Clement wrote, "Townes was fun to work with, but he didn't think much of the recording process. _g1.setAttribute('srcset', _g1.getAttribute('data-srcset')); October 28, 2019, 5:20 pm. The song chronicles the life of a fictional drifter as he passes sadly through the experiences of an abusive father, the abandonment of his mother, drug and alcohol abuse, fast women, and even prison. In the spring of 1994, Van Zandt elaborated to Aretha Sills: "Got a publishing company, made a record, For the Sake of the Song, and it’s now been re-released under the title The First Album. var _g1; I was surrounded by ten of the best musicians in the world. Fifteen years ago on Sunday 24th April 1994, in a leafless corner of north London, one thousand people came to see this legendary artist sing a selection of the greatest contemporary folk songs ever written. 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