Guy Clark -- Desperados Waiting For A Train [REVIEW] 

Do yourself a favor, go get Guy's live album, Keepers. He plays with a nice band, including another monster song writer, Darell Scott. So many great songs... Stuff that Works, Let Him Roll, Dublin Blues, Last Gunfighter Ballad, Texas 1947, L.A. Freeway, Heartbroke.

Guy Clark is the greatest songwriter ever. You shouldn’t do just a song you should be doing his whole albums.

Guy could be fun and humorous too. Check out his song "Homegrown Tomatoes". He definitely knew how to turn a phrase.

THE HIGHWAYMEN !!!

Don, my take on Guy Clark songs is that sometimes you have to just let the story develop, it's not always clear until all the pieces fall in place. The title and chorus "Desperados waiting..." Is a metaphor that compared the anxiety of desperate outlaws waiting for a train to make their getaway, killing time, with him and Jack waiting on Jack's impending death. And my take on the line you examined about Jack "pushing 80..." Is that it's when you first realize that someone you love, who has been a hero to you, is not long for this world. Also of note is how Guy, who was "just a kid" in the beginning, handles the fact that he feels guilty for not coming to see Jack more as he got older, "last time I went to see him..." This aspect rings true to me because, of my experiences as a medical professional, when the kids come home to visit their aging parents, and are shocked by the decline since the last time they saw them. There's denial, and usually some casting of blame, which is more often an emotional response to their own guilt. Thanks again for your interest in the songwriting craft, and my apologies for the long winded, complicated interpretation, but Guy was a complicated writer. In my opinion, if a listener isn't willing to take the time to understand the writer, they'll never understand the song.

This song always rips my heart out

"Boats to Build" is my favorite Guy Clark song out of all his amazing songs. It's always in my playlist.

Great song and reaction. David Alan Coe did a great cover of this back in late 70's early 80's.

Love Guy Clark! Heartworn Highway is a movie you may want to watch that featured Guy Clack a young Steve Earle an epic Townes Van Zandt section but also featured Charlie Daniel and David Allen Coe.

Guy said the character in this story was his grandmother's boyfriend who took him under his wing.

Great song, I really like David Allan Coe’s cover of it the best myself though. I highly recommend checking out his version of it if you haven’t before. Great videos though man 👍.

He did another one called Immigrant Eyes.

First time I heard this song was a cover by The Highwaymen. A genuine super group featuring Johnny Cash, willie Nelson, waylon Jennings, and kris Kristofferson. Loved that version. Then i heard this version and fell in love with it. His delivery of the lyrics make it really hit you in the soul even deeper.

Check out Leavin' Texas by Jerry Jeff Walker if you like this one. Great story and great singer songwriter

I'm as big a Bob Dylan fan as the next man but IMHO Guy Clark was on a whole 'nother level because of the emotional depth that his songs have. Dylan has a great way of putting words together but I don't connect with his songs at a gut level the way I do with Guy's songs. This is a song to sip whisky to and cry over as you remember your dearly departed loved ones.

Guy Clark was a brilliant song writer and I know his stuff quite well - he just sits there with his gruff guitar and his gruff voice and captures what he is trying to say - and succeeds with all his feelings of his grand dad (think he is speaking about his Grand Dad too) - he puts the song over so well with the lyrics about when he hero worshipped his Grandad and then all of a sudden reality hits - brilliant Don xxx

Guy might be the greatest song craftsman in country music. Townes Van Zandt ran with him and was more of a natural, or unnatural song writer. The type of guy who wakes up at 3am, writes Pancho and Lefty, then falls back asleep.

this was one of my favorite songs growing up, though knew more the highway man version :>

I mention Guy Clark in one of my post also. The Guitar is one of my favorites. But yea he wrote tons of great songs. Also check out Robert Earl Keen

he paints a picture of a midwestern pool room i've been there now 'i'm one of them

Awesome song...never heard that one. I was watching a Stapleton/Sturgill live performance on SNL when I saw your notification pop up. Song was called midnight train to Memphis..kinda funny how they were both about trains. You should give that live performance a listen!

It was about a family friend that taught him about the world. Southerners had old men that took fatherly roles.

Where do they find all these people that don’t know much about Guy Clark?

Chris Knight - down the river

Desperadoes robbed the train. It was their pretend game. Me and you against the world. My dad and I had this kind of relationship. He’s pretending one last time with Jack. The train is death. He’s letting him know his sidekick is there with him, like Jack was for him as a kid.