Steve Forbert — Born Too Late
Album: The American In MeAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 226
Length: 3:56
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Saddle up that old grey mare for me
I wanna ride until these eyes of mine can't see
I never really feel like looking very much anymore
And nothing really matters till it's closer than the house next door...
People talk a lot, but they can never find the heart and the soul
To put a lot of time into more than just a search for gold
The river's flowing dirty and it's moving down to Pass Christian
There used to be a time when it's water was a healing hand...
CHORUS
Born too late and everything you know is gone, gone
Born too late and everything you know is wrong
I've got a wife in Cleveland and she hates my guts
And everything about her's a reflection of what drove me nuts
I stopped to buy a beer inside the trading post and lost my keys
that somber wooden indian by the door began to laugh at me...
CHORUS
My silver Catalina's busy rusting in the cool night air
he's only got a few more miles beneath his hood out there
I stood a while beside him and I thought about his thirst for oil
I thought about his greed for speed and how we've all got spoiled
CHORUS/CHORUS
I wanna ride until these eyes of mine can't see
I never really feel like looking very much anymore
And nothing really matters till it's closer than the house next door...
People talk a lot, but they can never find the heart and the soul
To put a lot of time into more than just a search for gold
The river's flowing dirty and it's moving down to Pass Christian
There used to be a time when it's water was a healing hand...
CHORUS
Born too late and everything you know is gone, gone
Born too late and everything you know is wrong
I've got a wife in Cleveland and she hates my guts
And everything about her's a reflection of what drove me nuts
I stopped to buy a beer inside the trading post and lost my keys
that somber wooden indian by the door began to laugh at me...
CHORUS
My silver Catalina's busy rusting in the cool night air
he's only got a few more miles beneath his hood out there
I stood a while beside him and I thought about his thirst for oil
I thought about his greed for speed and how we've all got spoiled
CHORUS/CHORUS
Comments (31)add comment
Can’t say it any better my fine friend! 10/10.
Randomax wrote:
I just hate to say this...but seems true to me.....video killed the 'radio' star........Steve was not classicly handsome......so many musicians found themselves going nowhere once LOOKS took over. If you weren't pretty MTV didn't want you.
Actually the irony is much deeper. When MTV started they had a serious lack of videos to fill 24/7/365 and took whatever they could get which is why so many young quirky bands jumped right into as it was a way to get airplay when radio wouldn't play them. It wasn't until MTV got wildly successful that looks and existing popularity drove the content. Forbert didn't fit well into MTV's scheduling but not because of his looks. alexandersmcmillan wrote:
I like the Tom Cochrane correlation...
I think in these two cases it's more a reflection of how frickin' big the countryside is. Getting out of the hometown is a major challenge, so a lot of people (myself included, most likely) fall back on the idea that it's fine, just fine. Safe. These "road songs" always have a little bit of capitulation in them.
Serious question here: do you have to be an American in order to enjoy music that waxes poetic about beer, cigar shop Indians, your ol' gal you left behind, and the ol' road your driving down? Is there some kind of nostalgia tied up with these ordinary sentiments that defines what I, a Canadian, understands to be "Americana"? The only comparison I can make north of the border is to Tom Cochrane, whose lyrics reflect a similar yearning for the open road, chasing boyhood dreams that forever recede into the distance. These kind of songs never work for me because nostalgia is really the same feeling as homesickness. In the end, perhaps the open road is the problem all along?
I like the Tom Cochrane correlation...
I think in these two cases it's more a reflection of how frickin' big the countryside is. Getting out of the hometown is a major challenge, so a lot of people (myself included, most likely) fall back on the idea that it's fine, just fine. Safe. These "road songs" always have a little bit of capitulation in them.
Born too late?
Not late enough.
Not late enough.
Serious question here: do you have to be an American in order to enjoy music that waxes poetic about beer, cigar shop Indians, your ol' gal you left behind, and the ol' road your driving down? Is there some kind of nostalgia tied up with these ordinary sentiments that defines what I, a Canadian, understands to be "Americana"? The only comparison I can make north of the border is to Tom Cochrane, whose lyrics reflect a similar yearning for the open road, chasing boyhood dreams that forever recede into the distance. These kind of songs never work for me because nostalgia is really the same feeling as homesickness. In the end, perhaps the open road is the problem all along?
I'd really like to see Forbert live; been a long time fan. But he hasn't done dates nearby for well over 2 years (seems like he's mostly playing Europe and Eastern US). Maybe, some day...
rednred wrote:
rednred wrote:
Saw Steve perform live in a great little club in San Francisco, the Old Waldorf, in 1979. He put on a great show. Then saw him for a second time, at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, around 2015, 36 years later. He didn't have that fresh, young, seeing him for the first time excitement of 1979, but he still had the talent, and unique voice and style that makes him enjoyable to see live and to listen to here on RP.
Saw Steve perform live in a great little club in San Francisco, the Old Waldorf, in 1979. He put on a great show. Then saw him for a second time, at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, around 2015, 36 years later. He didn't have that fresh, young, seeing him for the first time excitement of 1979, but he still had the talent, and unique voice and style that makes him enjoyable to see live and to listen to here on RP.
You were born too late
I was born too soon
But every time I look at that ugly moon
It reminds me of you
I was born too soon
But every time I look at that ugly moon
It reminds me of you
Randomax wrote:
Back when mtv played music instead of jersey shore and teen mom
I just hate to say this...but seems true to me.....video killed the 'radio' star........Steve was not classicly handsome......so many musicians found themselves going nowhere once LOOKS took over. If you weren't pretty MTV didn't want you.
Back when mtv played music instead of jersey shore and teen mom
I just hate to say this...but seems true to me.....video killed the 'radio' star........Steve was not classicly handsome......so many musicians found themselves going nowhere once LOOKS took over. If you weren't pretty MTV didn't want you.
My first car was a Catalina! Never thought I'd hear that model in a song.
LPCity wrote:
Both were probably at their peak right around 1979 - 1980.
WHFS' megalonaniac monday and the weasel are sorely missed.
Both were probably at their peak right around 1979 - 1980.
WHFS' megalonaniac monday and the weasel are sorely missed.
Ouachita wrote:
Both were probably at their peak right around 1979 - 1980.
I miss Steve Forbert and WHFS
Both were probably at their peak right around 1979 - 1980.
hayduke2 wrote:
great reading the analysis' but I just think Steve's one long running cool dude
totesHe's got kind of a Bruce Straits thing going in this song. Pretty good, though his vocal style makes me a little uncomfortable.
kinnear3 wrote:
He did make it big, relatively, in the late 70's/early 80's. Obvious talent but tough to sustain. Thanks RP for mining this gem.
This guy is such a talent. How come he has never made it big?
He did make it big, relatively, in the late 70's/early 80's. Obvious talent but tough to sustain. Thanks RP for mining this gem.
Somewhere I heard he perhaps he went down the tubes with alcohol; that this was why he did not succeed further.
great reading the analysis' but I just think Steve's one long running cool dude
Don't believe that I've heard this one, but like it plenty. My former husband and I started listening to SF back in the late 70s. Glad to hear more of him.
Oh, and Weasel as well.
I miss Steve Forbert and WHFS
Originally Posted by kinnear3:
This guy is such a talent. How come he has never made it big?
Jackrabbit Slim was his peak I am afraid. And a good one at that. Romeo's Tune sounded like nothing else in 1979 and it is a song I really love. Has some other good stuff too, especially from the few years around this period.
The reason he isn't that big is because he isn't that "great" in the pantheon of musicians also releasing music. He haad his moment and that is more than most. But he just didn't go any further in a compelling way after his burst of newness and creative heights of 20 or so years ago.
this song sounds born too late. just a formulaic feel that doesn\'t do anything that new or interesting. so is this old and ordinary? If so just replace with something actually old and interesting - having stood the test of time. this sounds like where Tom Petty never went, but could have.
That was DAN Hicks. A novelty act, better off forgotten, just like Mr. Forbert.
Originally Posted by achase:
I've never heard this before, but I like it. Some of the lyrics remind me a lot of "Bill Hicks and His Hot Licks".
This guy is such a talent. How come he has never made it big?
I like it. I still remember Jack Rabbit Slim. Tune is a nice addition to the list.
Wow. I hear that voice about once a decade. This sounds great.