Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl Lyrics






Me and my best friend Lillian
And her blue tick hound dog Gideon
Sittin on the front porch cooling in the shade
Singin every song the radio played
Waitin for the Alabama sun to go down
Two red dirt girls in a red dirt town
Me and Lillian
Just across the line and a little southeast of Meridian

She loved her brother I remember back when
He was fixin up a '49 Indian
He told her "Little sister, gonna ride the wind
Up around the moon and back again"
He never got farther than Vietnam
I was standin there with her when the telegram come
For Lillian
Now he's lyin somewhere about a million miles from Meridian

She said there's not much hope for a red dirt girl
Somewhere out there is a great big world
Thats where I'm bound
And the stars might fall on Alabama
But one of these days I'm gonna swing
My hammer down
Away from this red dirt town
I'm gonna make a joyful sound

She grew up tall and she grew up thin
Buried that old dog Gideon
By a crepe myrtle bush in the back of the yard
Her daddy turned mean and her mama leaned hard
Got in trouble with a boy from town
Figured that she might as well settle down
So she dug right in
Across a red dirt line just a little south east from Meridian

She tried hard to love him but it never did take
It was just another way for the heart to break
So she learned to bend
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 know end
At least not for Lillian

Nobody knows when she started her skid
She was only 27 and she had five kids
Coulda' been the whiskey
Coulda been the pills
Coulda 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
Names Lillian
Who never got any farther across the line than Meridian

Now the stars still fall on Alabama
Tonight she finally laid
That hammer down
Without a sound
In the red dirt ground





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Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl Comments
  1. W.... J....

    Perfection

  2. C.... 4....

    The best song of Emmylou? Possible... From France.

  3. S.... ....

    Stunning vocals as always but also that outfit is on point 👌🏽

  4. S.... B....

    Beautiful like her guitars 😂🥃

  5. M.... T....

    Damn Ipad is all wet again.

  6. d.... ....

    so beautiful,,,,,,,,

  7. E.... x....

    She’s damn near 50 here and stunning.

    E.... x....

    *60 cause now she's 73

    E.... x....

    Leotique yeah my bad. Even better though. She aged but aged extremely well. Her 72 looks like most women’s 52.

  8. G.... H....

    She's had an awesome collection of songs over the last 50 years, but this is probably her best...

  9. P.... P....

    see? you can play the guitar and have nice nails!

  10. R.... S....

    When she toured Australia for this wonderful elbum I brought tickets as a birthday present for my partner. On the way home she said she didn't realize how great Emmy Lou was as she sounded exactly as she did on the CD. She said many years ago she was a big Neil Diamond far so she went to his concert, she was so let down and disappointed as his voice live was so inferior to the albums

  11. P.... K....

    Some love for her guitar player there too. Never takes the spotlight but adds so much to the atmosphere with subtle playing and singing. Awesome!

  12. N.... j....

    She has so much class

  13. m.... S....

    Yeah. That's her...

  14. P.... D....

    BEAUTIFUL

  15. H.... t....

    I love her music
    But why doesn't she smile on stage?

    H.... t....

    Not really a song that has much to smile about!

  16. d.... ....

    loved her when I was young, love her now I'm old - when will I ever stop loving her?

  17. j.... m....

    the best !!

  18. G.... G....

    McGuire AFB 1981, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Meet her and got autograph. Amazing Grace
    Happy Trails
    ELH

  19. D.... ....

    A queen

  20. j.... m....

    first time i have seen this. i have been a fan my whole life !

  21. p.... r....

    Didn't Willie Nelson say that there are two kinds of men, those who love Emmylou Harris and those who have not met Emmylou Harris. She's absolutely one of the most beautiful women in the world and she's still gorgeous but it is her voice and the music that really make her such an amazing woman.

  22. P.... v....

    Beautiful haunting song sung by a more than beautiful woman!

  23. g.... ....

    All she has to do is start "Me and my best friend Lillian..." and I'm a puddle of tears.

    g.... ....

    Yep, it is one of the saddest and most beautiful songs I have ever heard.

    g.... ....

    gilliangirl1

    😂 lol

    She’s that good

    g.... ....

    tbe legend lives on,

  24. B.... B....

    Ms. Harris may never escape her beauty or the compulsion of the rest of us to comment on it. Between God and her gene pool, she’s been gifted that blessing and curse. What is more subtle and far more impactful and so much more powerful are her values, talent, dedication to beautiful causes. This song easily is one of my favorites by any artist and she sings the story so well that her voice echoes the melody and lyric between my ears long after she’s done singing.

  25. M.... T....

    Her best song ? It 's possible ...from France !

  26. d.... ....

    Brilliant performance at the Ordway on 10/17/18. At 71 she is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers and pro-show women of our time!

  27. �.... ....

    so cool(○_○)!!😭

  28. A.... ....

    Why do I start cutting onions every time this song comes on?

  29. A.... c....

    KING OF THE WORLD

    If i ever have a daughter, her name is gonna be Emmylou

  30. R.... P....

    did my basic training at ft jackson,1969,all red dirt. no problem

  31. J.... F....

    A true goddess !!!!!

  32. d.... ....

    Belated Happy 71st Emmylou! 71?!?! Still sounds and looks amazing.

  33. T.... W....

    Love the line ‘One thing they don't tell you about the blues When you got em
    You keep on falling cause there ain't no bottom’

    T.... W....

    and there ain't no end.

  34. M.... H....

    Beautiful.

  35. R.... H....

    57 years young here and still one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen...and the voice of an angel

  36. C.... D....

    Take it as it is commimg to you. Still love you

  37. C.... D....

    I am from South arfica and are in love

  38. D.... A....

    why do i have more lines on my face at 26 than emmylou harris at almost 60 lol- hmm- nice song though!

    D.... A....

    nice song? are you kidding me? do you have a soul?

  39. J.... G....

    La mejor de todas indiscutible le te llena el alma de cosas lindas gracias a mi amigo por enseñarme a escuchar esta delicia para los oídos gracias Marcelo mafia Gómez aguante la mafia del rock andas roll

  40. T.... W....

    Such a beautiful song....Emmylou is so great. God love her. Everyone gives Merle, Willie, Waylon and so many others their props which they certainly deserve but Emmylou has been at it since the early seventies. She paid her dues just like all the rest.

  41. g.... s....

    It's been told that Emmy Lou once said that Gram Parsons taught her how to sing country. If true...thank you Gram! (RIP)

  42. G.... P....

    May be the 1 person in the world who never needs a backup singer. ever !

  43. l.... ....

    what a fecking goddess

  44. 8.... S....

    How so many people can be walking around in the aisles while she sings is beyond me.

  45. a.... b....

    I love to spend a day with Emmylou Harris

  46. S.... O....

    much appreciation and love for Ms Emmy Lou and Ms Lillian

  47. m.... a....

    country music artist for some seems to be a gift that is born ..

  48. f.... ....

    I fell in love with her when I heard her sing with Gram Parsons...the voice of a true angel!

  49. d.... ....

    She just sounds and looks so amazing. Such a treasure.

  50. T.... M....

    who is the guy playing beside her?

    T.... M....

    Buddy Miller.

    T.... M....

    His guitar playing is so beautiful spherical. He is a little bit lost next to her but his sound is awesome.

    T.... M....

    all my friends

    T.... M....

    I thought that was Buddy. Wow!

  51. T.... W....

    Emmylou -ageless beauty. Sadly I've never had the opportunity to see her perform in person.

    T.... W....

    Tony Willis she’s touring the country right now.

    T.... W....

    I've seen her once after many years of waiting for the opportunity. Baltimore probably 2010. Fantastic is the only word for it. Sang well over 2 hours song after song. Just way past my expectations which were high.

  52. m.... b....

    Beautiful. Catch First Aid Kit cover of this

    m.... b....

    mike boardman sr they like Emmylou so much, they made a song about her.

  53. b.... r....

    Sally Rose.....true to her soul.

  54. j.... ....

    That is brilliant songwriting, as good as it gets.

  55. G.... G....

    Folk spirit humming along on strings straight from the soul.

  56. l.... ....

    Terrific

  57. M.... ....

    Damn, she is amazing.

  58. s.... ....

    gives me chills

  59. M.... ....

    It's almost impossible to realize it will be 30 Farm Aids coming up this year! Still if they produce Emmylou and performances with this much soul, I could stand about that many more! I've no doubt she will still sound as good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  60. R.... B....

    ...some people age like a McDonald's Big Mac...Emmylou's aged like a fine bottle of scotch...

    R.... B....

    Robert Bartelmes I get what your saying, but Big Macs are so full of preservatives that they'll look the same in 10 years as they do now. I actually have a friend who's a nutritionist that did that research!

    R.... B....

    Thanks to botox ;o) Her upper lip is frooze.

    R.... B....

    well...big macs still looks the same after years..

  61. s.... ....

    EmmyLou is a musical Meridian.

  62. a.... g....

    geniaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  63. b.... C....

    I can, I can hear her and 'here' her anytime she wants to come over!!  lol

  64. O.... ....

    Pure storytelling music.

  65. B.... P....

    She is a vastly under-rated song writer - she is pretty easy on the eyes too!!

    B.... P....

    +Bert Peterson So true.

  66. s.... ....

    killer voice

  67. s.... ....

    Love,  love this song

    s.... ....

    samthedandiedinmont this is in my top ten favorite songs by emmylou, hard list to comprise I’ll tell ya.

  68. B.... ....

    Like all these singers

  69. P.... ....

    "could have been the whyskey, could have been the pills, could have been the dreams she was trying to kill"

  70. M.... P....

    drooling one what a nice guitar then man like that hat shes wearing then when you hear the song her voice sure makes my heart melt and she still good looking so just the full package 

  71. E.... M....

    beautiful song

  72. s.... ....

    I literally gave my computer a standing ovation after listening to this. The album version gives me goose bumps all over, this brought a tear to my eye and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Incredible.

  73. P.... T....

    Aj ja sa pripájam ku gratuláciám..všetko najlepšie Emmylou a nech Vám to ešte dlho spieva tak krásne..

  74. a.... ....

    Today is your birthday Emmylou; 67th. 
    Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. For everything you stand for and what you do. Listening to you is like listening to angels. Congratulations, Emmylou.

  75. C.... C....

    she has always been so beatiful

  76. C.... T....

    Beautiful!!!

  77. E.... Y....

    She was 58 years young when she sang this...What a beautiful woman, what a beautiful voice!

    E.... Y....

    Fadeless

    E.... Y....

    Love to hear you sing and play

    E.... Y....

    Am 60 and would love to find a 58 year old in my world like her

    E.... Y....

    OHHHHH, YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!

  78. L.... F....

    I´m Christian from Syria and I just love country music and I hope to someday get to discover Nashville and the American South.

    L.... F....

    @La Froy Are you and your family safe, with the civil war going on in Syria ?

    L.... F....

    Praying for you and yours! Get to us safely brother!

    L.... F....

    I hope you can La Froy. Do you have an address I can send you CD of mine?

    L.... F....

    Nashville is not all you hope for. I live here Downtown and all it is, is Bar after Bar after Bar. and shitty cover non country music. no one has any! talent, Nashville is for those who like to waist there life on Beer, Sex, and shitty cover music. If I could, I'd move down to San Diego, Much better for country there. that's where all the old good country singers live like Emmylou here.

    L.... F....

    Nashville is not what it used to be. now it's a drinking town with a country problem. New York has got a better live country music scene. same goes with just about any major stop between Dallas and California

  79. 3.... ....

    HOW does the audience move so fast !?

  80. k.... ....

    zum heulen schön

  81. r.... s....

    musik für immer (german), music for ever

  82. P.... S....

    Emmylou - singt wie eine Göttin, sieht aus wie eine Göttin. Man kann sie nur lieben.

  83. B.... ....

    Great personality

  84. D.... N....

    Saw Emmylou & Rodney last night and they played this song in the set. Emmylou is ONE OF THE FEW troubadours who can sing directly to my soul. I've been going through a lot of stuff, and when I met her after the show, I thanked her for her music has helped me through my troubled times. She was gracious an beautiful as always (:

  85. M.... T....

    really amazing!

  86. y.... ....

    My God, I'm sorry, but I just wrote this Emmylou story that involved a van, weed, and a piece of Birch bark, but I couldn't post it because it was too long. Son of a....... By the way Emmylou is one of the hottest women on the planet.

  87. J.... Z....

    My favorite Emmylou song. <3 It's even more breathtaking sung live.

    J.... Z....

    I bet it would be more breathtaking live

  88. A.... S....

    Seeing Emmylou in concert with Rodney Crowell in a couple of weeks time, so looking forward to hearing the songbird's beautiful music again.

  89. Z.... ....

    She always manages to get into my soul...

  90. c.... l....

    HERMOSA CANCIÓN!!!

  91. G.... W....

    cannot get of enough of her or this song

  92. P.... D....

    Great performance. Buddy Miller's guitar and vocal harmony adds a lot.

  93. t.... p....

    great track well sung

  94. J.... ....

    Terrific song, the idea of using Meridian as a reference point, really good and moving.

  95. S.... C....

    Love you Emmylou

  96. E.... J....

    This lady has no equal! Voice and the looks of an Angel!

  97. G.... F....

    Great song, as always from Emmylou, beautifully sung. Have admired her from afar for close on 40 years and still wonder how she weaves such magic !

  98. E.... M....

    super Song