Willie once said: “There’s only 2 types of men in the world …. Those that love Emmylou and those that never met her.” I love this woman. Always have. Always will. 🌹🤍
I was blessed to meet her a few years ago as I was honored to cater her backstage before a concert. So humble and sweet. We discussed the MLB play off as she’s a big baseball fan and other events of the day. I was born in Alabama in 1957 so we had things in common. A precious soul.
Thank you for your special words and insight regarding ELH. This song was played at my cat Bandit’s funeral April 14, 2017. Utterly breaks my heart. I would give anything to meet her. Probably couldn’t say a word. Blessings. 🙏🏻✝️🤍
Emmy is simply exquisite in this version. Just her voice Carries this song. Mark steps back and let’s her voice do the rest. Emmy voice is so emotive that she gives this song life of its own. Just surreal.
For those not from the area, Meridian is a town in Eastern Tennessee close to the border with Alabama. She is "a little South-East of Meridian", thus the references to "across the line", and why the "stars still fall in Alabama", also that's a reference to a historic meteor shower in 1833.
"One thing they don't tell ya 'bout the blues when you got 'em, you keep on fallin' 'cause there ain't no bottom, there ain't no end." -- One of the best descriptions of depression imaginable.
Emmylou Harris! Beautiful lady with a beautiful voice! My grandmother loved her music! RIP grandma! Mark Knopfler one of the true masters of the guitar!
"But one thing they don't tell you about the blues When you got em You keep on falling cause there ain't no bottom There ain't no end. At least not for Lillian" - This line just kind of slips up on you and then hits mighty hard... Bless you, Emmy. You are a treasure.
Buster 928, "What a ... sad song ..." Sometimes I wonder if I had to pick the saddest song ever, which would it be? Lots of contenders. like: Marty Robbins' "El Paso", Johnny Cash's "Don't Take Your Guns To Town", Mick Hanly's "Past the Point of Rescue" sung by Hal Ketchum, Bruce Robison's "Travelin' Soldier", also performed by The Dixie Chicks, Pam Tillis' "Tequila Mockingbird", ... But whenever I listen to this song by Emmylou, I believe this just has to be it.
There are so many red dirt girls in the world... this is powerful music, speaking across languages and cultures... Thank you Emmylou, you are beautiful.
I’m not a female but I do come from a red dirt town in north west region of Western Australia. And I 💯 agree with you about how this song reaches out to all the red dirt girls across the world with diverse languages and cultures. Every time I hear ELH sing this song, I think about all my female relatives living in my red dirt hometown.
Nobody knows when she started her skid She was only 27 and she had five kids Could've been the whiskey, could've been the pills Could've been the dream she was trying to kill But there won't be a mention in the news of the world About the life and the death of a red dirt girl Named Lillian Who never got any farther Across the line than Meridian
I think it was in the Ken Burns Country Music series where someone said "at some point it all comes back to Emmylou Harris........"---that's quite insightful. She's pretty amazing---along with Mark and this band its just almost too much to imagine!
I have never ever experienced a concert like this must have been like. I can feel every word physicly in my boddy. This is something special performed by a very special group of people. Thank you for the wonderful music.
Best version I've found of this beautiful song. I'm living in Austria these days and this gives me a sweet and sad little taste of home. Thanks, Emmylou.
I have absolutely loved Emmylou’s interpretations of other people’s songs since I first heard her in the seventies. The album Red Dirt Girl showed her ability as a writer. I think that this is the best song on the album but there are many others that are almost as good.
Alabama. Red dirt, forests, rivers, lakes and streams, wonderful summers and chilly winters, and music such as hers. My Alabama. My forever lost childhood. Forever mine. And hers.
Emmylou is a wonderful person. I got to know her when she performed at a coffee house in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria, VA in the 70's. In those days the performers circulated in the audience between sets. My wife and I got to know her a bit. She was totally "undiscovered" at that point but obviously a talent. She used to greet me by name ... probably has forgotten by now.
Thank you for this video ,I Thank you God for everything and this video ,Thank you for sending Jesus who taught people ,who taught us to teach others how to be a human being truly in Christ Love and God, May we all be bless ,Amen.
I think of Emmylou Harris’ talents first as a powerfully evocative interpreter of other songwriters’ work, as soloist as well as (perhaps the best) harmonist. Well, I think of Emmylou Harris singing a lot: one of the joys of living in SF is having here come here, annually, a gift to us as the closer of every Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, free to everyone. But since “Wrecking Ball” wowed me a good decade ago, I’ve been appreciating her as a songwriter in her own right. “Red Dirt Girl” is one of her masterpieces, I think. It’s extra-devastating to think she may have grown up in Alabama with a Lillian. I knew good people from my childhood whose lives crumpled because of hard luck and hard times: I think we all know a “Lillian.” Emmylou’s natural grace and empathy comes through so clear here...she’s a “Red Dirt Girl” who flourishes and soars, and she’s got heart enough to look back and remember and put things in perspective. How lucky we are to have her in our music, still singing and inspiring.
Used to pass her in the dorm at UNC-G, Moore Hall - she dressed funky like most drama majors. We spoke but she was shy back then. I was made housekeeping chairman - inspected her room only to find her sitting on the bed playing her guitar - cleaning her room not important! I did not ground her.
2020, December...EMMYLOU HARRIS AND MARK KNOPFLER AMAZING MUSIC. EMMYLOU CREATE THE SONG RED DIRT...SONG ABOUT A WOMAN THAT HAD FIVE KIDS....SHE WAS ABLE TO CROSS THE LINE WITHOUT A SON IN THE REDDER DOWN.
Saw Emmy-lou in Renfro valley so long ago. only wood bench seat for a few many brought blankets for the ground. Show started with WIlie Nelson the led act, Emmy-lou came on the crowd wasnt settled but not for long, Emmy began too sing! people sat stone still listened to the magic that came after. Wllie came out asked for Emmy-lou to join him on stage. A magical night!! for sure.. not ever seen anything like it. Those were the days.. I was 32 and lov-in life!
So many beautiful comments I can see here, I feel all of this, too. In the wild days, her voice came across the sky from everywhere. Just the sound, the resonance, guiding the soul into the heart of courageous truth. You cannot but love her...
I have loved her since I was a young girl. When I started listening to her she only sang backup vocals! I used to say she needs to be out front with her own band. She's definitely my favorite singer, hands down!
i wrote her this poem. Hope you get it Emmylou. Her Voice is heard around the world, the cosmos & celestial planets dance & play in a merry go round her beautiful singing of songs. Reflecting upon a time I’m sure in her arms her family’s love & friends embraced with a request O please sings us a song. In a wishing well I put in a dream mixed with prayers & tears of hope’s her angelic voice she would sing a joyful song to my special child at the time he was turning one. Her Angelic voice reflecting beauty of radiant tones she is Heavens own. May Love and Happiness long life of Health combined with the spinning of time her beautiful voice she shares, her Graceful voice is like sun shine stretching out on mountains around the world reflecting sparking diamonds on warm aqua seas & oceans of blue, her footsteps trails a path gracefully at the entrance way inside Heavens Sanctuary where she takes her rest a special place that welcomes her Lovely name. Every flower as they start to bloom joyful colors sings her songs, her joyful laughter as soft as velvet roses equal her unforgettable name, her presents as comforting as white gardenias, and her voice is more sweeter than ice cream. GOD’ garden called paradise, the Garden of Eden, as for myself a time frame generation behind it remains her Lovely sweet voice Emmylou We Love You.
I've been listening to her since 1971 when she was an unknown folk music singer in DC and Bethesda, Md bars. I knew she would hit it big some day because her voice...even back then before she met Gram Parsons was like gold. It was Gram who taught her how to use her voice as she explained in an interview. He taught her Country Rock and they perfected in the duets she sang with him. I have the only two albums they cut together. Had he lived longer they would have made much more beautiful songs together. I just adore her all these years. Love ya Emmy.
Never be tired of listening to amazing and beautiful Emmlou Harris. And along with Mark Knopfler, music can not be better. To see them together in Norway, happiness will be accomplished.
Emmylou was my first girl singer crush...years and years back in the 70's. I still love her. Come the 80's' I became enamoured with Maria Muldaur and her awesome blues. Today I'm all about Brandi Carlile. I'm excited about what music tomorrow brings.
I’m going to see her in Chicago in a little less than a year. If and when she sings this song and I’m looking at her in front of me with my own eyes in all her beauty and light, I’ll be an absolutely shameless sobbing mess thinking about her life and all that she’s lived leading up until the moment and my life as well up until the moment. That thought has always fascinated me at all the shows I’ve been to, especially when the performer is older. You see videos and images and hear stories of them from long long ago sometimes long before you were even born (I’m only 16) and it’s like they are this huge history book but then when you’re there and you are both breathing at the same times on the edge of the earth’s time, you are both just two sleepy nervous girls with bitten hangnails and buzzing minds.
![Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler "Red dirt girl" 2006 Verona [FM audio]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
