One of the greatest songs in all of country music history. Those opening lines as are good as songwriting can get, something Townes Van Zandt did a lot more than most mortals
Townes cover of Dead Flowers is better than the Stones. The Stones original has its appeal for sure. Townes can cover other artists songs beautifully as well.
Townes was a cowboy in the truest sense....he was a hard living, hard drinking drifter that lived on the road. He was a tragic figure to some and a country hero and legend to others. He epitomized the idea of the lone wolf and will be missed by all those that loved his that loved his talent and his music.
When Townes Van Zandt first wrote this song, friends said things like, "Oh, you wrote a song about Pancho Villa." Townes claimed that it never occurred to him how it matched Villa's life. The match is so close that it's hard to believe that he didn't think of it while writing this, yet the mind is a mystery. On some level he may have had Pancho Villa's life filed away in his mind and tapped into it without realizing where the inspiration came from. Either way it's a great and moving song. "The poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty's living in a cheap hotel. The dessert's wide and clear and it's cold, and so the story ends we're told. Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too. He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old." You're right. It's about betrayal. You always seem able to zoom in on the heart of the matter.
While not a big fan of either, I enjoyed it. When I think of Pancho and Lefty, I always think of what a big hit it was for Willie and Merle Haggard back in the 80s.
There are many good versions you should see the version with Willie and Merle Harrard they did a video that explains the story. The versions by the writer Townes Van Zandt is also excellent, my favorite is the version by Emmylou Haris.
There's an Irish group called the Ruggles. Female singer, bridge of accordion and harp. Exquisite. This may be Mexican border story, but it works as an Irish story, too.
Love your reactions. Forgive me for this long post but I want to be sure you everyone gets the song! "Living on the Road my friend was going to keep you free and clean, and now you wear your skin like iron and your breath is hard as Kerosene" --- He went out to be free and live the good life, but instead its been a hard life that has worn him down. "Weren't your mama's only son, but her favorite one it seems. She began to cry when you said goodbye, and sank into your dreams ---- He had a good life and loving mother that he left behind when he followed his dreams to go live free and clean "Poncho was a bandit boy, his horse as fast as polished steel. He wore his gun outside his pants, for all the honest world to feel" --- His hard life on the road eventually led him to committing crimes on the road and getting a fast horse to help get away. Once he became an outlaw, he liked to show his courage and bravado and intimidate "regular people" by showing his gun and letting them know he was a rebel "Pancho met his match you know, on the deserts down in Mexico. No one heard his dying words, but that's the way it goes" --- Like almost all outlaws in history, he was eventually killed by law enforcement. Sadly, almost no one really knew or care about the end of his hard life because of the way he choose to live it" "All the federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose. ----The Mexican police acted like he would have been easy to catch and they could have done so any time, But the lyrics are the writer being sarcastic when he says "they let him slip away out of kindness" and that in truth, Pancho became a pretty good criminal that they couldn't catch for a long time. "Lefty he can't sing the Blues all night long like he used to. The dust than Pancho bit down south, ended up in Leftys mouth"" ----Here we are introduced to Lefty, who had at some point become friendly or perhaps partners with Pancho. But Lefty was getting old and was afraid he would end up being hunted and maybe killed life Pancho eventually was. So when things were getting to the end for Pancho, Lefty knew he didn't want his life to end up the same way. "The day they laid poor Pancho Low, lefty split for Ohio. Where he got the bread to go, don't nobody know" --- Lefty turned Pancho in for reward money. He took that money and went home to live a quiet life in USA and die peacefully, while Pancho was found and killed thanks to Lefty ratting him out. "The Poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty's living in cheap hotels. The deserts quiet, clevelands cold and so the story ends we're told" ---Pancho died at the hands of the law, and lefty went back and led a very meager existence and lived with guilt knowing Pancho's reign was over and he now lived in a cold place in poor conditions with little to live for "Pancho needs your prayers its true, but save a few for Lefty too, he only did what he had to do" ---Pancho needs some prayers for the hereafter, but Lefty now lives poorly and with guilt for what he thought was the only way to get out and survive.
Bob and Willie toured together back in the early 2000s. They played at minor league baseball stadiums all over the US. John Mellancamp toured with them. They played in my hometown of Wichita KS, unfortunately I wasn't able to go though I saw Bob two other times here in Wichita. 🤔🥴✌️
Lance - You chose a great song classic, and Bob and Willie don't disappoint with this collaboration. This is a delightful version of Pancho and Leftie that I will be adding to my collection. Splendid Lance and Harri!
Dylan knows a great song when he hears it, and this is one of the greatest. The first four lines of the last verse are a matchless example of compressed storytelling. It's an autobiographical song in some ways, but Townes was never that straightforward, so it's also an examination of the dualities that human beings have to deal with: light and shade, warmth and cold, friendship and betrayal, success and failure, etc - a kind of three minute version of Othello, almost. For me Dylan is the greatest songwriter of our time, but I suspect that even he bows before the genius of Pancho and Lefty.
As much as I love Dylan singing with Willie, I truly miss the moment, in the original song, when Merle Haggard's whiskey soaked voice kicks in. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Nice to see Willie and Bob on the stage together. the song was written by Townes Van Zandt. The best version, in my opinion, is in a video with Willie Nelsen and Merle Haggard doing the singing and acting in it. Townes also appears in the video. A great song and i never get tired of watching that video, its that good. Lefty obviously turns Pancho in (where he got the bread to go ain't nobody knows...) Check out Townes Van Zandt's solo version, also, a beautiful cat, too bad he left us so soon.
It's a simple song but a complicated story. I've listened to the song dozens of times. I think there are several ways you could take this story which is one thing that makes it such a great song.
Great song choice Harri 😊. I stumbled onto this one about a year ago and can't get enough of it. Bob and Willy's voice mesh so beautifully. The only problem I have is that it's too short. 😐 Keep up the great reactions my friend. ✌️💜😊👍
It's very interesting that what Dylan says at the beginning ("he's a philosopher poet") goes along with the title of his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song. I saw critics of the tittle because "it doesn't have anything about philosophy" and are just "opinions and ramblings about the songs he likes" in a prosaic way. It is clear that Dylan doesn't adhere to the modern conception of philosophy, and with the cathegory of philosopher-poet he refers to something else, that is to say, there is philosophy in poetry and poetry, symbolism, is also a way of thought.
You need to watch the video of Willie and Hag made to this song. I've enjoyed this song since I was in high school, never shed a tear to it though till I watched the video. "The day they lay poor Pancho low Lefty split for Ohio Where he got the bread to go Ain't nobody knows." "Pancho needs your prayers it's true But save s few for Lefty too He only did what he had to do."
Cool version. You should dig in more to Townes Van Zandt. He has some more great songs. There are a lot of legends on this stage. Willie, Bob, Marty Stuart , and Reggie Young to name a few.
The federales say they could have had him any day, is just bravado from the federales. They have been trying to get him and they always come up short. I have been handcuffed in Mexico and made to pay $20 to get released in one of many times I have had to deal with the cops there. I would not trade my experiences there for anything, it is a great place.
Maybe the Greatest North American General besides Gen. Patton. When he left El Paso - 4 months later he amassed an Army of 40,000 Troops and Calvary and Artillerymen. The Mexican Army respected him so much, that they own and staff with Mexican Army personnel his main Museum at the 6000 sq. ft. Villa he built for his "main wife Luz", in Chihuahua, CHI. That's respect.
There's a quote by Hunter Thompson that describes Townes perfectly: “There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
I always suspected Lefty gave Pancho up to the law for the reward. "The day they laid poor Pancho low Lefty split for Ohio Where he got the bread to go There ain't nobody knows"
Just my brief interpretation: the song starts off with a kind of “so you want to be a loner, a tough guy?” thing. Then we hear that things didn’t work out for Pancho. The Federales (Mexican Federal Police) still talk about him. Then we hear about Lefty. What’s his relationship to Pancho? We don’t know. But it’s implied that he took money from the police to help them kill Pancho. Then he quickly runs away to Cleveland, Ohio, where he leads a less than fulfilling life. Neither one gets a happy ending. Is there a moral to the story? Maybe. But really, it’s just a somewhat poetic (if incomplete) cowboy/western story put into song.
the most common interpretation is that Pancho and Lefty were outlaws. Eventually, Lefty turned in Pancho for some reward money, and then moved to the USA (Akron, Ohio). But not everyone agrees with this interpretation.
I love Bob Dylan, and this was a really good performance. Still, this is Willie and Merle Haggard's song. Listen to that one. It's a good duet for singers though. Lefty turned his friend in crime into the Mexican federales for the reward money.
I love Willie, Merle & Bob, but I have to admit - I don't think their covers can touch the original. The Late Great Townes Van Zandt wrote this tune, and many, many other great ones. He was a top tier songwriter, that, for my money, can go against any other heavyweight out there. Try his live version of this song off either the "Rearview Mirror" or "Live at the Old Quarter" albums. Other jaw dropping tunes include "To LIve is To Fly", "Rex's Blues", "Rake", "Lungs", "Mr. Gold & Mr, Mudd, and I believe you've already done "Waiting Around to Die". Start with these live albums; some of his earlier studio stuff was overproduced with "The Nashville Sound", which apparently even legendary Nashville producer Cowboy Jack Clement later regretted.
I like Willies voice for this song. I confess I'm having difficulty with Bobs' voice with this song. That said, I love Dylans voice better than Nelsons' in other songs. Maybe Dylan had a cold. I'd like to have heard L. Cohen sing this song -- too late i guess.
One of the greatest songs in all of country music history. Those opening lines as are good as songwriting can get, something Townes Van Zandt did a lot more than most mortals
True enough.
Townes cover of Dead Flowers is better than the Stones. The Stones original has its appeal for sure. Townes can cover other artists songs beautifully as well.
@@alphajava761 can’t argue with that
Townes was a cowboy in the truest sense....he was a hard living, hard drinking drifter that lived on the road. He was a tragic figure to some and a country hero and legend to others. He epitomized the idea of the lone wolf and will be missed by all those that loved his that loved his talent and his music.
GREAT GREAT SONG HARRI, DONE BY: MERLE HAGGARD & WILLIE 😊 R.I.PARADISE TO THE HAG!
Townz Van Zan wrote it, and it's about an outlaw who turns in his friend for the bounty
When Townes Van Zandt first wrote this song, friends said things like, "Oh, you wrote a song about Pancho Villa." Townes claimed that it never occurred to him how it matched Villa's life. The match is so close that it's hard to believe that he didn't think of it while writing this, yet the mind is a mystery. On some level he may have had Pancho Villa's life filed away in his mind and tapped into it without realizing where the inspiration came from. Either way it's a great and moving song. "The poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty's living in a cheap hotel. The dessert's wide and clear and it's cold, and so the story ends we're told. Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too. He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old." You're right. It's about betrayal. You always seem able to zoom in on the heart of the matter.
While not a big fan of either, I enjoyed it.
When I think of Pancho and Lefty, I always think of what a big hit it was for Willie and Merle Haggard back in the 80s.
There are many good versions you should see the version with Willie and Merle Harrard they did a video that explains the story. The versions by the writer Townes Van Zandt is also excellent, my favorite is the version by Emmylou Haris.
Emmylou!!
There's an Irish group called the Ruggles. Female singer, bridge of accordion and harp. Exquisite. This may be Mexican border story, but it works as an Irish story, too.
Whoever you are my brother, thanks for doing this show. God bless you.
Love your reactions. Forgive me for this long post but I want to be sure you everyone gets the song!
"Living on the Road my friend was going to keep you free and clean, and now you wear your skin like iron and your breath is hard as Kerosene"
--- He went out to be free and live the good life, but instead its been a hard life that has worn him down.
"Weren't your mama's only son, but her favorite one it seems. She began to cry when you said goodbye, and sank into your dreams
---- He had a good life and loving mother that he left behind when he followed his dreams to go live free and clean
"Poncho was a bandit boy, his horse as fast as polished steel. He wore his gun outside his pants, for all the honest world to feel"
--- His hard life on the road eventually led him to committing crimes on the road and getting a fast horse to help get away. Once he became an outlaw, he liked to show his courage and bravado and intimidate "regular people" by showing his gun and letting them know he was a rebel
"Pancho met his match you know, on the deserts down in Mexico. No one heard his dying words, but that's the way it goes"
--- Like almost all outlaws in history, he was eventually killed by law enforcement. Sadly, almost no one really knew or care about the end of his hard life because of the way he choose to live it"
"All the federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose.
----The Mexican police acted like he would have been easy to catch and they could have done so any time, But the lyrics are the writer being sarcastic when he says "they let him slip away out of kindness" and that in truth, Pancho became a pretty good criminal that they couldn't catch for a long time.
"Lefty he can't sing the Blues all night long like he used to. The dust than Pancho bit down south, ended up in Leftys mouth""
----Here we are introduced to Lefty, who had at some point become friendly or perhaps partners with Pancho. But Lefty was getting old and was afraid he would end up being hunted and maybe killed life Pancho eventually was. So when things were getting to the end for Pancho, Lefty knew he didn't want his life to end up the same way.
"The day they laid poor Pancho Low, lefty split for Ohio. Where he got the bread to go, don't nobody know"
--- Lefty turned Pancho in for reward money. He took that money and went home to live a quiet life in USA and die peacefully, while Pancho was found and killed thanks to Lefty ratting him out.
"The Poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty's living in cheap hotels. The deserts quiet, clevelands cold and so the story ends we're told"
---Pancho died at the hands of the law, and lefty went back and led a very meager existence and lived with guilt knowing Pancho's reign was over and he now lived in a cold place in poor conditions with little to live for
"Pancho needs your prayers its true, but save a few for Lefty too, he only did what he had to do"
---Pancho needs some prayers for the hereafter, but Lefty now lives poorly and with guilt for what he thought was the only way to get out and survive.
One of my songs. A song some friends of mine and me loved for many many years since when we were young. Nostalgia hits.
Love the comfortable harmonies.
One of my favourite duets ever....two of the few troubadours around....
Bob Dylan! The King of Folk Music! wth the Legend Willie!
Bob and Willie toured together back in the early 2000s. They played at minor league baseball stadiums all over the US. John Mellancamp toured with them. They played in my hometown of Wichita KS, unfortunately I wasn't able to go though I saw Bob two other times here in Wichita. 🤔🥴✌️
Lance - You chose a great song classic, and Bob and Willie don't disappoint with this collaboration. This is a delightful version of Pancho and Leftie that I will be adding to my collection. Splendid Lance and Harri!
I hadn't heard them sing together before. Nice😊
2 of music's greatest storytellers💚
Two great writers and both sing terribly! lol...
Dylan knows a great song when he hears it, and this is one of the greatest. The first four lines of the last verse are a matchless example of compressed storytelling. It's an autobiographical song in some ways, but Townes was never that straightforward, so it's also an examination of the dualities that human beings have to deal with: light and shade, warmth and cold, friendship and betrayal, success and failure, etc - a kind of three minute version of Othello, almost. For me Dylan is the greatest songwriter of our time, but I suspect that even he bows before the genius of Pancho and Lefty.
As much as I love Dylan singing with Willie, I truly miss the moment, in the original song, when Merle Haggard's whiskey soaked voice kicks in. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Never heard this cover before. Thanks, Harri! My favorite version of this song is by Emmylou Harris. ✌🏻💀
LOL...I just posted the same! Emmylou is so good. I don't like the voices of these two.
Amazing song
I love this song. The original Townes Van Zandt is my favorite.
My vote emmylou hands down
Ah, that accordion is so good in this tune....
This is such a beloved song. It’s been covered by EVERYBODY. My favorite version is the one by Steve Earle.
I love the Emmy Lou Harris version best.
I call it a country standard. ( Just as there jazz standards). That’s how good this song is.
Nice to see Willie and Bob on the stage together. the song was written by Townes Van Zandt. The best version, in my opinion, is in a video with Willie Nelsen and Merle Haggard doing the singing and acting in it. Townes also appears in the video. A great song and i never get tired of watching that video, its that good. Lefty obviously turns Pancho in (where he got the bread to go ain't nobody knows...) Check out Townes Van Zandt's solo version, also, a beautiful cat, too bad he left us so soon.
It's a simple song but a complicated story. I've listened to the song dozens of times. I think there are several ways you could take this story which is one thing that makes it such a great song.
Great song choice Harri 😊. I stumbled onto this one about a year ago and can't get enough of it. Bob and Willy's voice mesh so beautifully. The only problem I have is that it's too short. 😐
Keep up the great reactions my friend. ✌️💜😊👍
This is a great song. I love both of these guys. Thanks Lance and Harri.
The background is probably the legend of Pancho Villa
Magnifique 🥰🥰🥰
Townes Van Zandt. Famously covered by Emmylou Harris. Her cover inspired Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson to name their album together.
I prefer the version with Willie and Merle Haggard. It’s wonderful. Please give it a listen!! You won’t regret it.
It's very interesting that what Dylan says at the beginning ("he's a philosopher poet") goes along with the title of his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song. I saw critics of the tittle because "it doesn't have anything about philosophy" and are just "opinions and ramblings about the songs he likes" in a prosaic way. It is clear that Dylan doesn't adhere to the modern conception of philosophy, and with the cathegory of philosopher-poet he refers to something else, that is to say, there is philosophy in poetry and poetry, symbolism, is also a way of thought.
You need to watch the video of Willie and Hag made to this song. I've enjoyed this song since I was in high school, never shed a tear to it though till I watched the video.
"The day they lay poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
Ain't nobody knows."
"Pancho needs your prayers it's true
But save s few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do."
Never heard thus version. Great! Yes it is about betrayal.
Forgiveness. Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few a few for Lefty, too
@@landenchantment Agreed.
Cool version. You should dig in more to Townes Van Zandt. He has some more great songs. There are a lot of legends on this stage. Willie, Bob, Marty Stuart , and Reggie Young to name a few.
My favorite Willie song, and I did not even know this collaboration existed!!!!
the song is very cryptic and open to interpretation
the video version with willie and merle haggard really helps explain the story...
The federales say they could have had him any day, is just bravado from the federales. They have been trying to get him and they always come up short. I have been handcuffed in Mexico and made to pay $20 to get released in one of many times I have had to deal with the cops there. I would not trade my experiences there for anything, it is a great place.
Lovely song. I first came across it as a cover by Frank Turner.
Pancho was a leader in a Mexican revolution.
Maybe the Greatest North American General besides Gen. Patton. When he left El Paso - 4 months later he amassed an Army of 40,000 Troops and Calvary and Artillerymen. The Mexican Army respected him so much, that they own and staff with Mexican Army personnel his main Museum at the 6000 sq. ft. Villa he built for his "main wife Luz", in Chihuahua, CHI. That's respect.
Pancho Villa.
Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founding member, guitarist, Gary Rossington has passed away.
Can you imagine these two smokin' weed together?
Check out the Willie and Merle Haggard video, the story will all come together
Great pick, Harri, although I prefer the version w Merle.
Since your doing Townes van Zandt song try a challenge he wrote highway kind play his version then play cowboy junkies I vote for cowboys
There's a quote by Hunter Thompson that describes Townes perfectly:
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
He sure could write a tune one of the best
the song was written by Townes Van Zandt
You should have done the merle haggard version......
Marty in the back ground
I think Lefty might had turned Pancho in for the reward. But "Where he got the bread, nobody knows".
If you liked this, you should check out --
Townes Van Zandt ~ Waitin' Around To Die
.
I always suspected Lefty gave Pancho up to the law for the reward.
"The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows"
The original music video IS a western!
Just my brief interpretation: the song starts off with a kind of “so you want to be a loner, a tough guy?” thing. Then we hear that things didn’t work out for Pancho. The Federales (Mexican Federal Police) still talk about him. Then we hear about Lefty. What’s his relationship to Pancho? We don’t know. But it’s implied that he took money from the police to help them kill Pancho. Then he quickly runs away to Cleveland, Ohio, where he leads a less than fulfilling life. Neither one gets a happy ending. Is there a moral to the story? Maybe. But really, it’s just a somewhat poetic (if incomplete) cowboy/western story put into song.
Since your doing towns van Zant
the most common interpretation is that Pancho and Lefty were outlaws. Eventually, Lefty turned in Pancho for some reward money, and then moved to the USA (Akron, Ohio). But not everyone agrees with this interpretation.
🫡
I love Bob Dylan, and this was a really good performance. Still, this is Willie and Merle Haggard's song. Listen to that one. It's a good duet for singers though. Lefty turned his friend in crime into the Mexican federales for the reward money.
Emmy Lou Harris’s version is probably the best ……by a short head
agree
I love Willie, Merle & Bob, but I have to admit - I don't think their covers can touch the original. The Late Great Townes Van Zandt wrote this tune, and many, many other great ones. He was a top tier songwriter, that, for my money, can go against any other heavyweight out there. Try his live version of this song off either the "Rearview Mirror" or "Live at the Old Quarter" albums. Other jaw dropping tunes include "To LIve is To Fly", "Rex's Blues", "Rake", "Lungs", "Mr. Gold & Mr, Mudd, and I believe you've already done "Waiting Around to Die". Start with these live albums; some of his earlier studio stuff was overproduced with "The Nashville Sound", which apparently even legendary Nashville producer Cowboy Jack Clement later regretted.
Lefty betrayed Pancho, & used to money to move to Ohio. “Save a few for Lefty, too.” Wow!
The original version with Merle Haggard is much better in the video.
I strongly recommend the version sung by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. The best of all.
This was originally done by Willie and the great Merle Haggard.
I like Willies voice for this song. I confess I'm having difficulty with Bobs' voice with this song. That said, I love Dylans voice better than Nelsons' in other songs. Maybe Dylan had a cold. I'd like to have heard L. Cohen sing this song -- too late i guess.
As much as I love Bob Dylan, this version is inferior to the ones done with Merle Haggard.
Lefty sold out Poncho. That is where he got the money.
It's a nope for me. Prefer it with Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson.
Dylan ain’t built for THIS song
This is not very good. Hopefully Towns was still alive and got a check out of the deal
Have to listen to EmmyLou's version immediately. Otherwise one of my all time favorites will remain butchered by Dylan's performance.
I like Willie's and Merle Haggard's better.
I hate Dylan's singing voice, but Willie can make anyone sound good.
Wow! You need to read all that Wikipedia says about it!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_and_Lefty