Album: Mule VariationsAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 2818
Length: 6:49
Plays (last 30 days): 3
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With a horrid little pistol and a lariat
She's goin to the bottom
And she's goin down the drain
Said she wasn't big enough to carry it
She got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
She got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
She got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
She got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
Choppity chop goes the axe in the woods
You gotta meet me by the fall down tree
Shovel of dirt upon a coffin lid
And I know they'll come lookin for me boys
And I know they'll come a-lookin for me
(Chorus)
Got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
Got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
Got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
Got to get behind the Mule
In the morning and plow
Big Jack Earl was 8'1
He stood in the road and he cried
He couldn't make her love him
Couldn't make her stay
But tell the good Lord that he tried
(Chorus)
Dusty trail from Atchison to Placerville
On the wreck of the Weaverville stage
Beaula fired on Beatty for a lemonade
I was stirring my brandy with a nail boys
Stirring my brandy with a nail
(Chorus)
Well the rampaging sons of the widow James
Jack the cutter and the pock marked kid
Had to stand naked at the bottom
Of the cross
And tell the good lord what they did
Tell the good lord what they did
(Chorus)
Punctuated birds on the power line
In a Studebaker with the Birdie Joe Joaks
I'm diggin all the way to China
With a silver spoon
While the hangman fumbles with the noose, boys
The hangman fumbles with the noose
(Chorus)
Pin your ear to the wisdom post
Pin your eye to the line
Never let the weeds get higher
Than the garden
Always keep a sapphire in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
(Chorus)
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
RP Comments needs a Hall of Fame. I nominate AndyJ's.
always interesting...first saw Tom Waits on "America Tonight" or "Fernwood Tonite" with Martin Mull and Fred Willard - perfect place to find a piano playing, cigarette smoking T.W. with a flashing caption underneath..."A REAL STAR" I think. LONG time ago and I've enjoyed his long and interesting career.
Fernwood Tonite - classic. Spinoff from Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, another one of a kind.
Gotta find those vids on the interwebs and watch em again. Been too long since.
Thanks for reminding me.
Dat ass!
I was asked to conduct a funeral for a cousin once. I am not a preacher, but know how to do things like speak and conduct a service. So I did. While waiting outside the funeral home for the casket to be loaded into the hearse, I was standing with the older men, and some subject came up about keeping on. I thought of this song and said, "every morning, you got to get behind the mule and plow." They all nodded solemnly as if I had something really profound.
You did! Sure somebody else said it first, but hey.
c.
Tom reinvents himself yet again.
22 years ago
I love this. And actually, it feels more like he's slowly digging a hole though my heart with a rusty spoon...
Yeah, it's awesome, isn't it?
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
Had to comment... beautifully written! I remember visiting my great Uncles farm as a kid... very small farm. I just remember it looked like a tough life... nothing I was used too. My dad joined the Army after I was born, due to me, did 2 tours in Vietnam at the tail end.
Kinda scary, wars from the beginning were very up close and brutal. The more we progress as a people of Earth we find ways to destroy from a distance... and now?
we don't have to look in their eyes... and learn... is this the direction we want to go? A song comes to mind I learned from here...The War Was in Color.. by Carbon Leaf.
When my mom used to ask, didn't you learn from the last time you did that? I can reply learn from my mistakes since my existence when society can't do the same over the centuries?
Hope you are well
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
"...to an unknown artist..."
Oh my... you have some catching up to do. It will be a long and convoluted trip. Not for the faint of heart or shallow of taste. But if you've given this a 10 I think you'll enjoy the ride.
Check out his acting career as well - there's no-one else on the planet quite like Mr Waits.
My grandfather and I were driving around Talassee, AL, in 1975, where he grew up. His family was in town for a reunion. I was 13 years old. He was trying to find old landmarks, not having much luck. We passed a man working a mule-driven plow. My grandfather stopped the car, got out, walked across the field, borrowed the plow and did a couple of turns back and forth across the field.
The ancient Greeks wrote a line and instead of returning to the left side, wrote from
right to left, repeating down the papyrus...This type of writing was called boustrophedon..."As the ox turns" when plowing...
Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.
Think I may have given this fine singer a 10 on a couple of his songs
Says you dumbass
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
I thought they were road apples!
I know. Further evidence that the world is going to hell.
"It's the big one, I'm coming to join you Elizabeth!"
A horse is a horse,
Of course, of course.
God speed, Mr. Ed.
You nailed it. The Democrats lost touch. In the end, the Democrats understood very little.
You and cely turned a Tom Waits song into political fodder. You have missed the point of this song and RP. SAD.
Ugh.
You nailed it. The Democrats lost touch. In the end, the Democrats understood very little.
Whatever that comment means. In the end, either Trump goes (to be replaced by a REALLY rightwing religious Republican nut) or he stays thru Jan 2021 and God knows what he does during that stretch. Maybe you like another war - nuclear this time.
You nailed it. The Democrats lost touch. In the end, the Democrats understood very little.
If the haters actually bothered to score the song, I bet we would end up with a U-shaped distribution of numerical ratings.
I like Tom Waits just enough to pay attention. If I did not enjoy Waits, I would still expect RP to play him often.
Ugh.
Tom is an American treasure.
Sending a gator your way.
First time I noticed the (whip cracks) toward the end. Nice
Don't overrate RP-listeners ...
An acquired taste, to be sure. But worth the investment.
My first listen... his voice makes me uncomfortable, yet I can instantly tell that his sound is an acquired taste. I'm looking forward to acquiring it!
He has individuality and character, something that the manufactured efforts of Rihanna, Swift and the like could never dream of.
Tom Waits is an artist. Rihanna is a product.
Succinct and spot on.
Pin your ear to the wisdom post
Pin your eye to the line
Never let the weeds get higher
Than the garden
Always keep a sapphire in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
It's an allegory. Some have jobs that are drugery, like getting behind the mule and plowing.
Like when the dwarves sing, "I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I go" you don't have to be going down into a mine to get the idea of being shafted.
Speaking of getting the point, could the point be more missed?
How could someone not get the message of the line, "get behind the mule in the morning and plow"? It's called metaphor. I just can't relate to "putting my nose to the grindstone". No one grinds down their nose anymore!!
I know we're becoming a country of anti-intellectuals, but some of the drivel I read here makes me question my own sanity.
He has individuality and character, something that the manufactured efforts of Rihanna, Swift and the like could never dream of.
Tom Waits is an artist. Rihanna is a product.
An acquired taste, to be sure. But worth the investment.
And plow.
All this song has going for it are great musicianship, powerful lyrics, excellent production and Tom's unique way of telling a story. Other than that you're right.
Mr. Waits is not everyone's cup of whisky. I like it neat...with a cigarette... but some of the covers, like the last one, show how skilled this man is.
All this song has going for it are great musicianship, powerful lyrics, excellent production and Tom's unique way of telling a story. Other than that you're right.
This cannot be bumped enough. Well said!
All this song has going for it are great musicianship, powerful lyrics, excellent production and Tom's unique way of telling a story. Other than that you're right.
BA-BOOOM!!! you nailed it garyalex, cheers!
It is tripe. Tom Waits writing and performing it doesn't make it good.
All this song has going for it are great musicianship, powerful lyrics, excellent production and Tom's unique way of telling a story. Other than that you're right.
It is tripe. Tom Waits writing and performing it doesn't make it good.
No, Tom Waits writing it doesn't make it good.
Still, it is pretty good.
It is tripe. Tom Waits writing and performing it doesn't make it good.
On the wreck of the Weaverville stage
Beaula fired on Beatty for a lemonade
I was stirring my brandy with a nail boys
Stirring my brandy with a nail
Got to get behind the mule
In the morning and plow...
You're an Idiot!
Finally RP plays a song with depth.
Go listen to your girly music fool.
Easy there dude... I think superweh actually likes it too. Even if he didn't I don't think he would deserve your lashing. I love this tune, lets just enjoy.
How can someone fail to understand shy almost everybody likes this song
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
great story, one of the best I have read on RP - sadly(?) I have never plowed a mule
AndyJ wrote:
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
I feel sorry (almost) for anyone who has never plowed with a mule...
My Grandfather had 5 acres in the backyard. He had a mule and manual plow...Not very different from those used in the 19th century... When WWII broke out my Dad had a farmer exemption from the draft. One morning shortly after graduating high school, he had a hangover and was plowing the "garden"... Mid-morning he told his father he was going to get some cigarettes and went to the recruiters office.... He always said that he thought that -anything- the Germans threw at him had to be better than watching that mule's rear end all day...
I came along shortly after he came home. We lived with my Grandparents for a few years. I loved getting out and following him in the freshly cut furrows... He also had a buggy that his mule and later horse pulled... very 19th century... watching an equine produce road muffins is an educational experience that stays with one.... My Grandfather also had chickens who laid eggs everywhere... fun for kids to seek... he also would kill and clean them in the back yard for Sunday meals...
Sadly my kids never had that experience... But that was a world "Gone with the Wind"... like fog on a warming morning...
If you doubt my tales, remember "The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed." You can see wisps of the past almost everywhere, if you look around...
8>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>9dito ^^
8 >>>>>>> 9My grandfather and I were driving around Talassee, AL, in 1975, where he grew up. His family was in town for a reunion. I was 13 years old. He was trying to find old landmarks, not having much luck. We passed a man working a mule-driven plow. My grandfather stopped the car, got out, walked across the field, borrowed the plow and did a couple of turns back and forth across the field.
Cool!!!! Thank you for sharing this!
My grandfather and I were driving around Talassee, AL, in 1975, where he grew up. His family was in town for a reunion. I was 13 years old. He was trying to find old landmarks, not having much luck. We passed a man working a mule-driven plow. My grandfather stopped the car, got out, walked across the field, borrowed the plow and did a couple of turns back and forth across the field.
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?
Huh?He wrote this song brother. It's an original, not a "rendition".
u said it best. Bridieboo wrote:marvelous... love it...
Everybody in my church loves this song...
Sting! that would be "get UNDER the mule or get IN FRONT of the mule", depending upon how sick and twisted your disgusting, filthy, depraved, perverted mind, most likely already degraded with the onset of the Final Stages of Syphilis and years of acts of sex which even J. Edgar Hoover would not have performed!!!
I am going to pray for you and your soul.
A statement of a Catholic man - certainly no southern dude!
PS
Regarding your technical advice I admit that you obviously know better!
Was just asking.
A dirty bar, perhaps in New Orleans, with ugly stripers and aged Bourbon.
I prefer strippers, but to each his own. Then again noncoms in NOLA can be fun.
Get behind the mule...?
TITLE OF A PORN FLICK?
Sting! that would be "get UNDER the mule or get IN FRONT of the mule", depending upon how sick and twisted your disgusting, filthy, depraved, perverted mind, most likely already degraded with the onset of the Final Stages of Syphilis and years of acts of sex which even J. Edgar Hoover would not have performed!!!
I am going to pray for you and your soul.
Get behind the mule...?
TITLE OF A SOUTHERN PORN FLICK?
i guess I am one of those people who don't get tom Waits . . . .
Im with you. It may be poetry but my ears just don't appreciate being sand-papered in the process.