Townes Van Zandt -- "It's Only Him or Me"
You get the sense that Townes Van Zandt was the kind of person who left a lot. Lovers, family, friends--he abandoned them all. Despite his claim in this song that he "never got close enough to stay," you imagine that some people, despite their own better judgment, must have gotten attached to the bastard.
If Gram Parsons' voice is characterized by wistful melancholy, Townes' voice is that of the ragged and weary depths. His more upbeat songs still sound pretty damn low. Though some of his albums were so overproduced that I can barely listen to them, Delta Momma Blues is one of the best, and this song is one of its best tracks. He's the one doing the leaving -- and yet somehow he's the one you end up feeling sorry for.
No comments:
Post a Comment