(i) Thirsty Boots

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You've long been on the open road and sleeping in the rain From dirty words and muddy cells your clothes are soiled and stained But the dirty words and muddy cells will soon be judged insane So only stop and rest yourself and you'll be off again

Oh, take off your thirsty boots and stay for awhile Your feet are hot and weary from the dusty miles And maybe I can make you laugh and maybe I can try I'm just looking for the evening and the morning in your eyes

Then tell me of the ones you saw as far as you could see Across the plains from field to town, marching to be free. And of the rusted prison gates that tumble by debris Like laughing children, one by one, they look like you and me

I know you are no stranger, now, to crooked rainbow trails From dancing cliffheads to shattered sills to slander shackled jails Where the voices drift up from below, his walls are being scaled Yes all of this, and more my friend, your song shall not be failed ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So I've been racking my brains the past few days over which prolific and most mainstream folk singer or group to introduce to you but I decided to act on impulse and introduce a song by a not-so-known singer instead.

"Thirsty Boots" was written by a man called Eric Andersen and subsequently covered and recorded by other people like Judy Collins and John Denver. Great are the graphic and sometimes over-dramatic pictures that Andersen paints of a slightly abnormal life. But what is really incredible is that you will find it very hard to laugh the song off as being melodramatic or 'cheesy'.

In many ways, each and every one of us, regardless of social or financial status can relate to the lyrics of this song. None of us live completely normal and mundane lives because we all travel down an open road and sleep in the rain at some point. Metaphors like 'prison' describe the trouble we get into along the way; 'laughing children.. look like you and me' describe the insecurities we all face because of our innocence' etc.

But personally, the most powerful emotion that this song is capable of evoking is that of being wronged. With "From dirty words and muddy cells your clothes are smeared and stained," Andersen draws you in and keeps you waiting for the final resolution when justice is done and though you don't know for sure that it is done, "Yes, all of this and more my friend, your song shall not be failed," certainly sets your heart at ease for at least you know that someone believes in you.

As a final note (and a small one as well because it potentially affects the outlook of this song), Andersen was good friends with proetst singer Phil Ochs who, after years of fighting not only injustice and writer's block but also bipolar disorder, hanged himself in his sister's house. If not for Ochs, for whom Andersen sang a part of "Thirsty Boots" for in the subway on the way to the Village (I'll talk about that in another post), Andersen may never have finished what is an amazing song that will probably never be forgetten. After Ochs' unfortunate death, Andersen often did "Thirsty Boots" as a tribute to Ochs.

*One such tribute can be found on youtube without much effort.*