Cooder, Ry - How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live? Lyrics






I remember a time when every thing was cheap
Now prices nearly puts a man to sleep
Well, when we get our grocery bill
We feel like making our will
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live

Well, the doctor comes around with his face all bright
And he says, "In a little while you'll be all right!"
Well, all he gives is a humbug pill
Dose of dope and a great big bill
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live

Most preachers, well, they preach for gold and not for soul
Well, that's what keeps us poor folks always in a hole
Now, we can hardly get our breath
Taxed and schooled and preached to death
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live





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Cooder, Ry How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live? Comments
  1. G.... A....

    The best version ever.

  2. B.... T....

    No need to play 15 notes per second. Ry just lets his heart speak!

  3. S.... ....

    Beautiful! ... It doesn't hurt that I was at this very concert in 1987 ... Ry Cooder, a guitar player's guitar player, with a keen ear for a great song.

  4. K.... J....

    yrah boys

  5. K.... J....

    i m not poor i have innrer valomn who is uncaparable

  6. �.... �....

    როგორ შეიძლება ასეთ პირობებს გაუძლონ ღარიბებმა... ჩემი ნაზი სამშობლო, ლაჟვარდები ცისფერი

  7. S.... L....

    Ma main guitar man of all time, ever since the spring of '73. I love this man's life's work so much I named my dog after him.Cooder sure was a good ol' dawg. Lived up to his namesake.But that slide. That slide is just some piece of heaven living right here on earth.

  8. U.... F....

    Written by Blind Alfrd Reed and recorded for Ralph Peer in ca. 1928 in Bristol, Va.

  9. R.... S....

    very well

  10. K.... D....

    Man! He was slidin' right up against the pickup on that one. THANKS for sharing. 👍

  11. B.... ....

    My friend turned me onto this guy in 1978

  12. p.... ....

    OMG Perfection!

  13. S.... C....

    To my ears, the sound of the accordion has a magical touch...

  14. R.... R....

    Ryland Cooder esquire ..the beauty in this mans mind & fingers is quiet extra ordinary ....if the one they call is god .....this guy is BUDDHA .

  15. J.... M....

    What can I say. Amazing

  16. G.... M....

    PLEASE check out 1st508th Airborne site, thanks.

  17. G.... O....

    making love to that accordion and guitar. My eyes are tearing up just listening. Thank you Ry, Flaco and the rest of the band, Thank you!

  18. O.... M....

    I saw this in a movie theater! Knocked me out! TNX!

  19. M.... A....

    timeless and beautiful sounds..

  20. B.... ....

    103 people want to see the poor die, I guess.

  21. g.... h....

    Obviously, this song is Pre-Trump!

  22. M.... O....

    I SAW RY DO THIS SONG IN THE NINETEEN SEVENTIES . IT REMAINS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CONCERT GOING EXPERIENCES .
    IT WAS A MUSICAL EDUCATION & HISTORY LESSON . IT GAVE ME A MORAL COMPASS THROUGH THE LYRICS OF ALFRED REED .
    SPECIAL MENTION FOR FLACO JIMENEZ ' S PLAYING ON THE ACCORDION .
    WHAT HAVE WE LOST ?

  23. F.... P....

    Excelencia.

  24. f.... f....

    les blank was a monster filmmaker often working with chris strachwitz and arhoolie records.

  25. d.... n....

    What can I say. The most brilliant slide guitarist of all time. And what an emotional message. Just love the look on the guy's face playing the accordion. He knew as we do that he was playing with the master. Thank you Ry Cooder for being you.

  26. N.... ....

    Quite possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. The control and phrasing in his playing is quite astonishing.

  27. d.... n....

    Eat your heart out Bob Dylan. Love you too but this is soul. The best of the best.

  28. U.... M....

    Hey, I think he plays in the key of G on a guitar tuned in open D....am I right?

  29. j.... H....

    Still as true as the day it was written in 1929

  30. A.... F....

    ... *** GREAT PERFORMANCE *** ... ! ...

  31. k.... ....

    Beautiful and timeless. As relevant today as it ever was.

  32. b.... ....

    Surely on top of emotional slide playing!

  33. r.... t....

    as good as music gets

  34. M.... D....

    Magnifique!

  35. M.... M....

    One of the greatest guitar solos ever.... pure emotion and expression.

  36. M.... T....

    yes, just amazing!

  37. b.... f....

    that guitar is wet with tears

  38. H.... S....

    this is for the repungent nuts

  39. N.... C....

    Up the fretboard and beyond, the slide king.

  40. W.... D....

    Amazing slide

  41. M.... M....

    This song couldn’t be more timely for many of us. Magical ensemble, every one

  42. m.... ....

    I like how he slightly rotates him bottleneck at about 0:30. Musta been on the seam. I have read his screed about not being able to find seamless bottles these days.

  43. C.... L....

    I wish I knew what he was looking at in the crowd that scared him. His facial reactions were hilarious!

  44. u.... ....

    https://www.npr.org/2017/10/23/559525728/nowhere-to-sleep-los-angeles-sees-increase-in-young-homeless

    Down & Out in L.A. and Santa Monica (singin' Woody Guthrie's "Ain't Got the Do Re Mi" in Malibu) with musical multi-millionaires

    About time NPublicR could squeeze about 4 minutes on homeless emergency being a national security threat and acknowledging this is not just a drugs and lifestyle choice issue! Every week on NPR\PBS and the corporate-captured news media is THIS WEEK ON WALL STREET, PLANET MONEY, BUSINESS INSIDER, PEPPY KAI RYSDAL & MARKETPLACE from SUNNY CULVER CITY NPR Studios!

    Public Broadcasting (underwritten by corporate America and trans national price fixers and monopolist carteliers) has been set aside from commercial broadcasting's WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION since 1967 and unlike Canada's CBC we have not 1 PUBLIC INTEREST broadcaster or educational broadcaster. Not one broadcast from a WAGE SLAVE's or the Stag-Nation's perspective and daily POV! Not even a union demand for EQUAL BROADCAST TIME!

    For rest of U.S. HOMELESSNESS and RENTERS\TENTERS CRISES declared in major and minor U.S. cities has been a NATIONAL ISSUE WITHOUT ANY NATIONAL DISCUSSION OR LEADERSHIP EVEN DURING 2+ YEARS OF PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MARATHON & TELEVISED DEBATES. WITHOUT 1 QUESTION ON what the Duopoly Primary or Presidential candidates WOULD DO TO ADDRESS BURGEONING U.S. PEASANTRY!

    How can a poor man (and debt overhung student, even those that graduated with specialized degrees in STEM) stand such times in Crony Capitalism and live without shelter? In A World without any Commie or Socialist threat to cause Washington to at least try and make it look like we don't have homeless peasants in FREE MARKET UTOPIA? We only have Levittown White suburbs and tract homes on sensible 30 year mortgages blooming on the prairie without 45 years of Wage StagNation! Whole world Neo-Con'd into surrendering to the OFF-SHORE OLIGARCHS, FEUDAL LORDS OF FINANCE and the CORPORATE CALIPHATE with their ALEC Enablers...

    Had homelessness been caused by Islamist Terrorist Cell instead of unregulated MARKET FORCES you can bet Daddy Warbucks would've mobilized palettes of freshly minted cash to drop in the streets and maxxed out family shelters of HOMELESS U.S. like we did in 2003 invasion of Iraq (or 1990 invasion of Kuwait and Iraq) or invasion of Afghanistan or the decades trying to push the Soviets out of the bog they got into when they invaded Afghanistan before U.S. priming that Afghani Global Heroin distribution network!

    Mitch Ritter\Paradigm Shifters
    Lay-Low Studios, Ore-Wa
    Media Discussion List

  45. S.... M....

    I just don't have the words I can feel the love

  46. N.... L....

    A  very good question in this day and age.He can't for much longer!

  47. �.... ....

    რაი
    ოქრო კაცი

  48. J.... M....

    Fantastic!!

  49. �.... �....

    he is BLUESMAN, he is MR BLUES

  50. S.... t....

    mbroders - Thanks for posting these!!!

  51. L.... J....

    "I remeber a time when everything was cheap" Lol played in 1987, Cooder would not be stoked to live in 2017

  52. N.... B....

    Ryland  deserves  his own flag .. I'd apply for citizenship  !!

  53. M.... M....

    Super !!!!!!

  54. B.... S....

    How can a poor man stand such a slide guitar solo and live?

  55. A.... F....

    it does not get much better than this, does it.

  56. J.... A....

    20 years ago I was in Spain. On the radio was some spanish folk music. I remarked to my interpreter " That's Ry Cooder accompanying". Pretty unique sound

  57. R.... N....

    Maestro !!?

  58. E.... V....

    What a treat.

  59. A.... C....

    Just plain beautiful.... and Flaco too.... XX

  60. R.... T....

    Ry is a maestro and guitar player of outstanding ability , thanks Ry for bringing your music to the world and long may you continue to do so.

  61. t.... ....

    I've got the entire concert on an old VHS tape. A treasured possession. Superb is not a big enough word. Just watch and wonder at the brilliance of Ry Cooder and the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces. Too fucking much, man.

    t.... ....

    I am a long time Ry fan.

    Again and again I come to this concert.

    The spirit in it is overwhelming.

  62. c.... ....

    I've been playing this song for 40+ years and this first time I've heard it (played by some else). I learned it from other guys. I guess that maybe that's what they mean by "the folk tradition).

  63. F.... S....

    i am a big fan from him and his music, love it

  64. l.... t....

    people who dislike this song must be preachers !!

    l.... t....

    Gold preachers certainly !

  65. G.... B....

    Рей ! Неповторим !

  66. s.... ....

    What intro ! Coodo and band 30 years later ! What a song !Peace

  67. G.... G....

    Luv it, one of my most favourite musicians

  68. P.... M....

    I make no apologies for repeating my (edited) comment. Let's keep this going. Don't just 'like'. Make your comments be known.

    Thanks for sharing this mbroders.
    I have only seen Ry Cooder play live once. That was in Manchester, England back in 1995 when he played with David Lindley. I saw David Lindley again in 2003 when he played a concert with Wally Ingram in Bielefeld, Germany. I even went for a beer with Wally after the concert.
    Even though this was recorded in 1987, the lyrics in this particular song still reflect what is wrong with the greed and corruption in the world today.

    P.... M....

    I agree wholeheartedly.

  69. j.... ....

    Ry Cooder en esta canción consigue transmitir los más profundos senrimientos.

  70. A.... C....

    Twas a Yogi Bear and Boo Boo moment ~~Wandering around Liverpool ~~ and up crept the sound from a basement musicshop~~~ 1971 ish ~~ Boomer Story ~~ That musician has helped me down the highway ~~~thxalot

    A.... C....

    ALAN CLARKSON



    .

  71. R.... T....

    wonderful

  72. C.... R....

    That guitar is more human than some people I know. Thanks, Mr. Cooder.

    C.... R....

    Interesting comment. I agree with it.

    C.... R....

    Beethoven called the guitar "the little orchestra."

  73. W.... S....

    it is brilliant and I use it as background for my prayers..

  74. N.... A....

    BELLISIMOOOOOOO! GRACIAS

  75. G.... M....

    Hello, Jackson Hole, lub yaz

  76. B.... j....

    very touching song

  77. E.... T....

    The world is a better place because Ry Cooder lives.

    E.... T....

    Indeed! If you are on Facebook, come join our group where we celebrate that fact daily! https://www.facebook.com/groups/312225228948256/

    E.... T....

    not anymore :(

    E.... T....

    im sayin check the news

    E.... T....

    He's alive and well actually.

    E.... T....

    hip hip hoooray!!!

  78. F.... T....

    Señor Cooder simplemente magnífica su interpretación!

  79. M.... S....

    Beautiful!

  80. J.... W....

    love peace .

  81. M.... L....

    Blind Alfred Reed song... a West Virginia treasure. Great version Mr. Cooder

    M.... L....

    Michael Lyzenga one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Timeless, written and recorded by Mr. Alfred Reed for Ralph Peer in Bristol, Va.

  82. L.... H....

    I can't figure out what Ry is doing @ .31  I can't tell if he is adjusting the slide on his finger or what he is doing.  Anybody know?

    L.... H....

    I would say that was a deliberate move to stop the sustaining note...my guess...either way Ry is awesomely brilliant at his craft.

    L.... H....

    lightnin passion of the music and non arthritic prestidigitation I saw you do it at Univ, of Houston circa 1972 great show John Egan

    L.... H....

    Lightnin Hopkins he's adjusting his slide, I do it a lot.

    L.... H....

    You're right, looks obvious now.

  83. J.... v....

    een groot muzikant misschien wel de beste,dank je wel ry cooder voor je prachtig gitaarspel ongelooflijk!!!!!

  84. F.... M....

    san antonio's BEST ACCORDING PLAYER FLACO JIMENEZ..

    F.... M....

    world's best

    F.... M....

    What's an "according"? Never heard of that musical instrument...Flaco plays an accordion...

    F.... M....

    I expect its a spell-check correction@Buckhorn Cortez

    F.... M....

    Nah his older brother Santiago is just as good, they both studied under their dad Santiago Sr. who was legendary in Tejas. these guus are legends & super cool, will drink a few beers with you!

  85. S.... v....

    Masterpiece

  86. D.... C....

    Incomparable and brilliant, I salute you Mr. Cooder!!

  87. P.... M....

    Thanks for sharing this. I have only seen Ry Cooder play live once. That was in Manchester, England back in 1995 when he played with David Lindley. I saw David Lindley again in 2003 when he played a concert with Wally Ingram in Bielefeld, Germany. Ry's music is brilliant. Even though this was recorded in 1987, the lyrics in this particular song still reflect what is wrong with the greed and corruption in the world today.

  88. S.... E....

    Absolutely spellbinding mate!!

  89. A.... ....

    Soulful and sweet.

  90. N.... B....

    People WHO say   The Best  guitarist ..WHO ever played  are  stupid  ! ..cause there have been so many ...why bother comparing ..cause there ain't such a person ...  !  there are many !!

  91. J.... B....

    jjust a thak you jb

  92. J.... H....

    The man, the myth...

  93. J.... B....

    WOW
    What a brilliant clip of Ry & a bunch of superb musicians & the wonderful vocal quartet.
    Ry just makes that guitar sing so pretty.
    From a 72yo Aussie fan.

  94. R.... L....

    50 people were never poor!

  95. S.... v....

    This song is so so beautiful!

  96. K.... A....

    Ry played the Hollywood Bowl at age 5!!!

    K.... A....

    +k.sass123 hence, the Chavez Ravine album...

  97. A.... V....

    all the
    gypies plays, with we poor folks