Thirsty Boots
You’ve long been on the open road,
You’ve been sleeping in the rain,
From dirty words and muddy cells
Your clothes are smeared and stained,
But the dirty words and muddy cells
Will soon be hid in shame
So only stop to rest yourself
Till you are off again
So take off your thirsty boots
and stay for a while,
Your feet are hot and weary,
from a dusty mile,
And maybe I can make you laugh,
maybe I can try,
I’m just looking for the evening,
the morning in your eye.
So tell me of the ones you saw
As far as you could see
Across the plain from field to town
A-marching to be free
And of the rusted prison gates
That tumbled by degree
Like laughing children, one by one,
They look like you and me
So take off your thirsty boots
and stay for a while,
Your feet are hot and weary,
from a dusty mile,
And maybe I can make you laugh,
maybe I can try,
I’m just looking for the evening,
the morning in your eye.
I know you are no stranger down
The crooked rainbow trails
From dancing cliff-edged shattered sills
Of slandered, shackled jails
For the voices drift up from below
As the walls they’re being scaled
Yes, all of this, and more, my friend,
Your song shall not be failed.
So take off your thirsty boots
and stay for a while,
Your feet are hot and weary,
from a dusty mile,
And maybe I can make you laugh,
maybe I can try,
I’m just looking for the evening,
the morning in your eye.
Yes, you’ve long been on the open road
You’ve been sleeping in the rain
From dirty words and muddy cells
Your clothes are smeared and stained
But the dirty words, the muddy cells,
They’ll soon be judged insane
So only stop to rest yourself
’til you are off again.
So take off your thirsty boots
and stay for a while,
Your feet are hot and weary,
from a dusty mile,
And maybe I can make you laugh,
maybe I can try,
I’m just looking for the evening,
the morning in your eye.
Words (and music) by Eric Andersen
March 8th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
That made me a bit homesick…reminded me of all the boots crossed just like that after we pushed cattle every fall and spring. At the end of the ride we would all sack out on the ground to eat mom’s sandwiches and bars. Great photo!
March 8th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Beautiful apropos lyrics.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:03 am
Girl, you just amaze me. bonnie
March 9th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Hug him and love him and I’m so glad you are home again.
Have good times just being together.
Prayers..
March 10th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Music has such an incredible power to help us heal our hearts no matter what is going on with our physical bodies. Perfect song for you two … and the photo is truly fine, Karen. Nice boots! ;-0)
March 10th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
It rained, my boots leaked, socks must have been thirsty.
Wonderful photo!
March 12th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Lots of Boots around here in AZ got their thirsts quenched Saturday. We got two inches of rain (after going 143 days without so much as a drop), while Carefee and Cave Creek got five inches of snow.
The Four Peaks are covered in snow, the Supertitions got a white crown for the first time in years, and there’s snow on the McDowell Mountains north of Mesa for the first time that I can remember (and I’ve been here nearly 30 years).
While Montanans are used to snow, folks down here aren’t. (When I was at NAU in the mid-80’s, we always knew who the folks were that came up to ski at the SnowBowl: they were the folks going down Santa Fe Avenue–now known as Route 66–sideways.) There were some folks in North Scottsdale who tried to snort the stuff, confusing it with another type of white powder.
Kirk & Sheba (who’s sleeping off her romp through the temporary lake at the bark park–she has plenty of “moxis”)
March 13th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
I remember years ago when I lived in Tucson, thinking how weird it was that people would drive down from a Mt. Lemmon visit after shoveling snow and piling it on their cars. On the rare occasion it did snow in the desert the locals would scrape just a little softball sized hole on their windshield to see out of.
We had a little weather Sunday with 103 tornadoes in Missouri.
March 14th, 2006 at 7:55 am
I just love this. I’ve been over to read it several times.
Thank you for sharing it…..
March 14th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
For Richard: Sunday as I was taking Das Mutt to the Bark Park (she’s repaying me for that by tearing another hole in the wall and making a run for it–three times in the last two days), I passed a guy who was doing 75 on the freeway with a snowman on his hood. Most of the snow has melted, but there’s still a lot on the Four Peaks and a dusting on top of the Superstitions. (No word on the fate of the snowman.) And yes, folks down in Tucson filled up the beds of their pickups on Mt Lemmon to take to their yards (doubt it’d last long down in the valley).
Hope none of those twisters visited your neighborhood.
Kirk
March 15th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Kirk,
Luckily, no flying cows here as the storms missed me.
If I saw a snowman going 75 mph, I’m not sure if I’d laugh or be afraid. I remember one year when the valley got 7 inches and it was beautiful seeing the giant saguaro’s covered with snow. By 1 o’clock in the afternoon it was all gone.
Your Das Mutt reminds me of a lab pup I had. Came home from work one day and the lab must had gotten into a terrible fight with my big stuffed chair. Lost a chair but had the lab for 16 years.
March 18th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
moosekahl - mmmm - sandwiches & bars…
Thanks bitterroot.
You too, Bonnie.
valerie - thank you three. . .
ravengrrl - it has always been one of my favorite songs. It’s amazing how lyrics can have so many meanings.
richard - your blogger link doesn’t work - hmmm - here’s the PDCA . We’re template twins!
Kirk - you know that I used to live west of the Carefree/Cave Creek area in the lovely Black Canyon Shooting Range. In the winter - and I’m trying to imagine the snow. Treats & pats for the house eating dog. I’ve known more than my share, myself. Sigh. . .
Thanks Tammi - and you’re very welcome. I haven’t been up to much visiting lately.
March 31st, 2006 at 3:41 pm
One of the most underated songs, from one of the most underated albums John Denver ever did. Thanks for reminding me. Sympathy and prayers during this time.