John, Elton - One Horse Town Lyrics






Saw a Cadillac for the first time yesterday
I'd always seen horses, buggies, bales of hay
'Cause progress here don't move with modern times
There's nothing to steal
So there's not a great deal of crime

It sure is hell living in a one horse town
There's half a mile of Alabama mud bed ground
Nothing much doing of an afternoon
Unless you're sitting in a rocking chair just picking a tune

And they ain't too well acquainted with the stars and stripes
But if you want to hear Susanna then they'll pick all night
They'll pick all night

'Cause it's no dice living in a one horse town
Laid back, as my old coon hound
And I just can't wait to get out of this one horse town
There's nothing to steal `cause there's simply nothing much around

Sure is hell living in this one horse town
There's half a mile of Alabama mud bed ground
And I just can't wait to get out of this one horse town
There's nothing to steal `cause there's nothing much around





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John, Elton One Horse Town Comments
  1. C.... W....

    I've been an Elton and Bernie fan since 1969 and this is one of his most underrated albums. They are both geniuses.

  2. S.... T....

    Elton John was lucky to have Bernie Taupin as a great lyricist but Elton's music was superb

  3. b.... ....

    One of My favorite Albums by Elton,,Genius

  4. M.... P....

    His song is good for ours Time

  5. R.... K....

    Imagine this superb record and Stevie Wonder's classic Songs In The Key Of Life came out in the same year. 1976!

  6. R.... K....

    Roger Popes drums just burst in- RIP Roger.

  7. G.... P....

    Amazing song - I’ve got goose bumps.

  8. S.... T....

    A very complex song in terms of chord progressions and rhythm changes.

  9. J.... V....

    progressive rock by elton :)

  10. g.... a....

    C'è un sacco di musica . Mi ricorda alcuni artisti. Vannelli , Beatles ect etc.

  11. M.... P....

    Little crazy but super

  12. S.... T....

    'Blue Moves' was a bit of a letdown album when it came out. At the time, I thought the record was spotty, and felt that it was mostly very downtempo. And I didn't care for that because I was a teenager. All these years later, I love the record, and hear it as part of the period in the 70s when Elton and Bernie really did consistent top-notch genius work. Texturally, it's different than the records that had come before it, but it's no less outstanding.

  13. A.... E....

    the mixing sound of the drums is....incredible! rip Roger Pope

  14. M.... P....

    Amazing

  15. P.... P....

    IM ELTONS GREATEST FAN AND BIGGEST CRTICS EVER. I am a broad after and actor and vocal teacher.(the reason why this album bombed commer silly here in the states,,,,,,was....because.....50 percent of this album.....MYSTERIOUSLY....WAIT FOR IT....HAS NO MELODY. Shocking.....SHOULDER HOLSTER SUCKS WITH NO MELODY......BETWEEN SEVENTEEN AND 20 HAS NO MELODY........GOD IN HEAVEN HAS NO MELODY..........CHAMELEON HAS NO MELODY........BOOGIE PILGRIM...BARELY HAS A MELODY........some ones final song......where's the SHEROAH.......both have NO melody.(what the fuck happened to this album?......ALL THE OTHER SONGS HAVE MELODY.......and the street word on this album got around fast...that 50 percent of the songs...had...no melody,,,,,,that's why it flopped.(NOW did Elton and company do this on purpose ?.......was Elton being controlled by the new world order into putting out HALF AWFUL MUSIC?......I D9NT KNOW FOR SURE.....WHAT I DO KNOW IS........ON ELTONS SECOND ALBUM....ENTITLED...ELTON JOHN,,,,,HALF OF ELTONS FACE IS,,,INTENTI9NALLY DARKNED....THE ILLUMANATI DID THAT TO SEND A SIGNAL TO ALL OF US.....ABOUT SOMETHING.......I MEAN...L8STEN TO....CAPTAIN FANTASTIC.....ALL SONGS HAVE FANTASTIC RYTHMS....EXCEPT......SOME9NE SAVED MY LIFE......ITS A HORRIBLE,,,NON EXHILERATING SONG....AND WHY?.....ELTON WAS L9SING THE TOUCH AT THAT POINT??.....OR THE ILLUMANATI WAS SENDING 7S ALL A SIGNAL THRU ELTON?.....YOU TELL ME ?????

  16. T.... R....

    Dammit this is dope man 😎

  17. C.... C....

    Canciones buenas de cuando Elton John era joven ! , año '71-'72 ...guardo cuidadosamente ésos discos !

  18. R.... P....

    I wanted to sample this majestic intro and I realise nobody did it for the moment :)

  19. D.... D....

    Bought this LP when it came out. Didnt get much press, but masterful. As always

    D.... D....

    I never had heard it till recently, but I agree, it's a fine album. Lots of good stuff on it.

  20. S.... A....

    No slight on Nigel Olssson(Did not play on this album) at all but the drums and percussion on this album are first rate.

    S.... A....

    I agree....and also I think this album wouldn't have sounded anywhere near as good with dear Nige on drums. Different groove and the slinky laid back yet bang on feel and all the little fills Roger put in on this song and the rest of BM are superb.

  21. M.... ....

    It has a perfect intro for the unexpected blast of synthesized rock to come. It is one of John's hidden gems and a marvel of 1970s engineering considering the techniques available at the time. I'm glad it remained an obscure track for audiophiles to look cool. Let's face it, it rocks.

  22. T.... A....

    Fantastic!

  23. c.... s....

    One of my all time favourite Elton tracks.....shame he didn't open more concerts with it...

  24. J.... J....

    one of their best albums, thank you Elton and Bernie for this blessing!! THANK YOU all you true musos that contributed to the master piece!!

  25. H.... O....

    One of My top 5 Elton songs. It has everything, acrobatic vocals, great string arrangement, duelling guitars, great solo by Caleb, top notch slide playing by Davey, a perfect - and I mean perfect - driving rhythm anchored by Roger Pope with Kenny keeping it completely steady and not overplaying - just what was required.

  26. R.... S....

    Great song..one horse town

  27. f.... f....

    THE BEST HANDS DOWN

  28. T.... H....

    I'm doing my Elton tribute show again after ten years. I lost my voice as his rock range is so high , singing high and hard ruins the voice so I lost it for one year then could not sing good for 3 years after now I'm at it again paying tribute to one of the most talented people who ever lived on this planet and a hard worker too

  29. c.... J....

    Merveilleux

  30. C.... W....

    A much underrated album. I also bought this when it first came out. I still love Elton.

  31. J.... D....

    The term "tour de force" comes to mind. Wow.

  32. j.... w....

    its not prog its good a good elton song if this is prog so is toto or john miles or joe jackson jazzy yes but prog no

  33. D.... ....

    ELTON.... that's all I have to say :)

  34. G.... R....

    Another awesome song. Elton John is the best EVER. No one could ever touch this miracle of a man. Song after song for 40-50 years....Just remarkable!

  35. J.... ....

    I was so gratified to read the complimentary posts regarding Mr. Pope's drum work on this great song. The way he makes that galloping sound is so perfect for the song. Of course his drumming style throughout the whole song is brilliant. I think Roger Pope's drumming was especially stellar on Elton's Billy Bones and the White Bird... a vastly underrated but magnificent song, and as the song states, "Check It Out!!". I to was saddened to learn only recently of his passing. RIP Mr. Roger Pope. Thank you for all your great work and talent.

    J.... ....

    Thank you for your compliments on Roger's drumming. Obviously I agree with you 100% (Mrs. Sue Pope)

  36. D.... L....

    incredible album, incredible song.

  37. T.... ....

    Love this song - just such a great performance from all and especially Roger- I bought it on vinyl again mmm.

  38. A.... ....

    I performed a dance I choreographed myself to this song for my 5th grade talent show in Coral Gables, FL in 1978. Nobody clapped when I was done, but I didn't care! I showed everybody that I was a dynamic performer!

    A.... ....

    MP 👋

    A.... ....

    It's a great song for an athaletic dance routine. There's only 2 reasons they would not clap. The first is that it was so horrible that they felt embarrassed beyond measure. That's not plausible. The other possibility is what actually happened -- you blew them all away and they didn't clap because they were both stymied and overwhelmed with your talent, which made them feel as though it was pointless to have any amateurs perform after you did. You ended the competitions so to speak. It eliminated the potential awe they could have watching the rest of the performers. They didn't clap because they refused to give the win to someone who was a step above all other competitors in that competition because of their stubborn human pride and jealousy. It's sad when people act that way. It's just like the guy who shows up to a motorcycle race on the fastest 1,000cc superbike and all the rest have bikes with 600cc bikes and they get utterly destroyed in the race, and people don't want to show appreciation because their jealousy and pride is thick. You know you won. I do too. In fact, they knew it too. It should have been a standing ovation. The choreography must have been awesome, and you must be a fantastic dancer. I'd love to have seen it.

    A.... ....

    Hey that's brill wish I could have seen your dance ,Its an awesome song.

  39. R.... B....

    All the comments are spot on.  I love that Elton also says this is one of his favorite albums he made.  Everyone involved was working at the height of their powers.

  40. M.... F....

    another great arrangement from our best Friend Paul Buckmaster. Pure Genius, a real privilege to work with you!

    M.... F....

    Max& Friends I thought it was James Newton Howard...could be wrong.

    M.... F....

    Paul Buckmaster and my Orchestra - thank you!

    M.... F....

    Martyn Ford I remember laying on the floor opening the double album and reading all the credits to each song and I distinctly remember yours Martyn; it's very cool that you commented (and corrected me). Great job on the song...one of my favorites, since 1976.

    M.... F....

    James Newton Howard cowrote the song.

  41. G.... N....

    Elton John doing progressive rock... Awesome!

    G.... N....

    Well, he had a history of doing symphonic or progressive-ish pieces now and then. This vein of his was there already on "Empty Sky", in 1969.

    G.... N....

    i didn't think he could pull it off at first, but he'd be an awesome prog musician

    G.... N....

    You can find some prog in goodbye yellow and madmann in my opinion

    G.... N....

    Don't know whether there's any connection, but Elton did a brief tour (as a substitute keyboardist) playing with Simon Dupree and the Big Sound - the band that later became Gentle Giant. And who does that opening Fender Rhodes line sound like? Gentle Giant. Although: Elton apparently collaborated with James Newton Howard on the music. JNH played that Rhodes part, and so it's possible that the proggish parts were Howard's contribution, while Elton wrote the more straightforward song parts.

  42. J.... L....

    From one former drummer to another RIP Roger Pope -- between "Crazy Water" and this -- you were untouchable on this record. Absolutely incredible. The accuracy, drum sound, the fills, the groove. You left behind quite an impression...quite an impression.

    J.... L....

    Sorry to bother you Sue, but I am sitting here on a Saturday night in NJ and I'm listening to one of my favorite songs "Mystic Lady" by Hookfoot and suddenly realized it was Roger playing drums on this album along with some other Elton John alumni. That was another project Roger was involved with that he shined on. I just wanted to share that with you. As a drummer myself, I always enjoyed listening to his work and it was so good on that side-project as well. I am not even certain you were ever aware of his days with Hookfoot.

    J.... L....

    Ha! ha! John. Hookfoot is my favourite band .....EVER!! I met Rog through a Hookfoot reunion in 1995 (with Bruce Roberts standing in for Caleb Quaye). At the time I didn't know of his association with Elton John, Kiki Dee or Hall and Oates. Hookfoot was also Roger's favourite band that he played in and they all stayed friends. I agree Mystic Lady is great. Have you listened to "Live In Memphis"? - the full album is on Youtube. Find me on facebook. The Sue Pope that I am has myself and Roger on my profile pic.

    J.... L....

    I added a reply to this John - it seems to have disappeared but next to your name it says "Highlighted reply" .....I've no idea what that means.

    J.... L....

    Listen to "Live In Memphis" by Hookfoot - it's a whole album on Youtube.

    J.... L....

    Of course - I know his whole history!........Hookfoot is my favourite band that he played in. It was his favourite too....for the musicianship and the camaraderie of the band!

  43. G.... d....

    DESCUBRI ESTE ALBUM POR MERA CASUALIDAD YA QUE ESTABA BUSCANDO PUNTUALMENTE LA CANCION QUE DA INICIO AL ALBUM YOUR STARTER FOR UN GRAN ALBUM DESDE AHORA UNOS DE MIS FAVORITOS.

  44. M.... P....

    My older Brother bought this record when I was 12 . I heard it a Million times those days .
    Today I heard it first time for maybe 35 years still remembering all that songs and singing loud to .
    But I´m surprised, how much jazz-rock the early Elton was .
    I guess, he had a crazy time in those days trying this and that....

    M.... P....

    +Max Power I played this album and Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" endlessly when they cam out.  Two double-albums that were so different, but gave me so much pleasure.  I can honestly say that through the years I have played Blue Moves often, along with Captain Fantastic and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

    M.... P....

    MrSpunky2935 OMG, I got them the same time...two double albums.

  45. K.... H....

    Listen to this album and you know why Elton john was the top selling artist of the 70s. From 70-77 just an amazing string of albums, part of the soundtrack of my youth, ooh how I miss the 70s

    K.... H....

    Kiwanis Hinton it's amazing how he adapted to the 80's too. i understand if people only like the 70s albums but his 80s material was perfectly poppy and precise for the time. he always kept up.

    K.... H....

    oh although he still had some fine songs, the 80s was Elton's weakest time. He should have condensed his songs into fewer albums instead of chasing hits on a commercial treadmill of an album a year.

  46. D.... Y....

    I happened upon this album at a thrift store for 2$. If you want the Best of Elton John, this is it baby! One Horse Town, and Crazy Water!

    D.... Y....

    I'd give you twice that and pay for shipping

  47. i.... T....

    Had the absolute privilege of working on this album when I was trainee engineer. Gus Dudgeon was a genius producer and the band Elton pulled together for this album was nothing short of sensational. The drum sound on this track in particular was sensational and Roger Pope was on fire when it was recorded. No digital tech then all on magnetic tapes and an MCI Desk.. wow I can tell you when we mixed this track the studio monitors were rocking there socks off....

    i.... T....

    I know this was certainly a privilege!

    i.... T....

    I would love to communicate with you! It's exciting to be aware of someone working in a recording studio while putting together a recording for Elton John!!! And, I googled around a bit, and see that you sing opera and most likely live in London (?). Best of luck to you. Have a wonderful day! Robert in Los Angeles.

    i.... T....

    Awesome Tenore. Did you work on Blue Moves in Toronto when they layed down most of the tracks? I know they were off to LA before they mixed it down in London.

    i.... T....

    Wow!! This is one of my favourite albums and in my opinion one of Elton's best!!

  48. D.... M....

    roger pope...killer drum track...RIP rog

  49. D.... M....

    man listen to how they recorded and mixes the drums...madsick...man this is when they knew what they were doing....fuck protools....today they dont know how to record, mix , master,,,,now this recording is the shit

  50. T.... S....

    Always thought this was the best track on the lp....

    T.... S....

    +Teri Stephenson
    Agreed. 
    "Haunting" feeling to its sound..... like LOVES LIES BLEEDING.
    Both classics.

    T.... S....

    Me too!

  51. M.... E....

    Caleb Quaye mofos!

  52. d.... ....

    Bought this when it first came out. Still love it. Cheers for posting.

  53. D.... M....

    number 38 of my elton top 100

  54. s.... e....

    One of my favorite songs of his. Great orchestration and vocals.

  55. M.... D....

    This album is fantastic

    M.... D....

    +Michele Dain Fascinating but also flawed, I'd say. and Captain Fantastic is more fantastic.

    M.... D....

    No
    Thanks again for all

  56. t.... ....

    Early Elton John is the best of the best. Nobody can touch him. And Bernie Taupin's lyrics - man those are the greatest.

    t.... ....

    This is not early Elton.

    t.... ....

    @Swedish American ...the81kid ( I think ) ...is refering to his early 70's stuff....

  57. M.... T....

    I think this is one of his better albums, really cool.

  58. T.... ....

    wore out a tape after high school, driving from michigan to fla. I agree with Elton, i like it.

  59. M.... L....

    Everyone likes to focus on Taupin's lyrics, as it should be, but Elton wrote some kickass music.  It was a group effort, and the results are fantastic.

    M.... L....

    Thank you for recognizing that it was a group effort.........the musicians and everyone who worked on the album to make it what it was.

  60. M.... ....

    Probably Elton's  finest album !

    M.... ....

    Good album but nothing will compare to Captain Fantastic.

    M.... ....

    I completely agree. It's my second favorite Elton album after "Madman Across the Water". Every song is brilliant.

  61. w.... ....

    Elton can rock then make you cry with a ballad.
    He is  a musical genious.

  62. C.... M....

    One of my favorite Elton John songs on one of my favorite Elton John albums. Thanks for uploading!

  63. G.... S....

    @furakkueroru I'm inbetween then I suppose.

  64. G.... S....

    @furakkueroru So Iron Maiden are either Toff's or Chav's?

  65. G.... S....

    @furakkueroru Whats being English got to do with anything?

  66. H.... M....

    prophetic genius

  67. P.... B....

    I just rediscovered this song recently. Decided to listen to all of Blue Moves for the heck of it...I forgot how many gems there are on that album. I've become particularly obsessed with this son....such an amazing sound. This really was Elton John at the height of his talent.

    P.... B....

    Maybe that's because of the band he had at the time!!!

  68. N.... ....

    One reason it flopped might have been the crappy vinyl that it was pressed on (at least here in the States). I bought this album right when it came out, and straight out of the package both discs had lumps scratches and pops. I took it back, and the second one was still crackly, but it wasn't lumpy. Since I couldn't drive yet, I ended up keeping it. I didn't play it much. Now that I've heard it with better fidelity, I appreciate it more.

  69. m.... ....

    This album was a brave and fascinating mix, and should have been given much more credit. At least the French liked it a lot. If it had been more successful (sales not helped by Elton's coming out as bisexual) who knows what direction Elton's career would have taken, but he took a wrong turn next. His new album The Union with Leon Russell is superb.

  70. J.... N....

    This album was perceived as a letdown after the #1 debuts of his two previous LPs,but I've always admired it. Elton too says it's one of his favorites amongst his own work,and why not? This song is a two-ton mover,Davey Johnstone's guitar, from rhythm parts to solo can knock out a steer from 50 yards away,the jazzy electric piano is not of this earth,and Elton's tough,impassioned vocals really makes you believe he's a guy in a dead-end town with no real life in its landscape who wants out of it.

    J.... N....

    After "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" everyone anxiously awaited his next album, and this was it and it did not disappoint true Elton fans.

  71. a.... ....

    I remember when "Blue Moves" came out.
    I bought it immediately. Wasn't disappointed.
    "One Horse Town" is one of my favs from
    this excellent double album.

  72. j.... ....

    Amazing song !
    Love it !

  73. d.... m....

    A great track from my favorite Elton John album!

  74. J.... R....

    One of the best songs EJ penned in this very turbulent era. Thanx EJ & BT