Townes Van Zandt - Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel Lyrics

SALUDOS ESCUCHÁNDOLOS DESDE BARRANCA PERU ENERO DEL 2020

Masterpiece

Nacho Vegas

Bravo 👏

1969 was a good year in the music history for sure...

What is this? Country folk?

Ever hear of Tom Waits? Another song-writer impossible to fit into standard slots!

Reminds me of a joke, Q. Can you define a genre? A. Seems like a woman's breasts, like did you see the genres on that chick? LMFAO👿👍😎

My brother just passed in our home at age 32..almost made it to his birthday..on March 11. He loved townes..and this song is really hitting me hard

I'm sorry about your brother. Mine died from a heroin overdose, he was 24. Listen to his music, it's a good way to remember him. As long as he is in your heart and mind, a part of him lives on. He would want you to remember the good times, and he wouldn't want you to feel sad. I hope you feel better, in time.

No body will care when I die!! Good Riddance to me! Ha ha, I was born on March 15th and I hate my family for the guilt they impose on me. I can't have a decent conversation with any of them.

An absolute masterpiece. Rest In Peace sweet prince.

It would be great that "dislikers" say why..

Took me 32 years to discover Townes. Thankful I did. The mans a genius

This is my friends is a goddam masterpiece of a song ...

Great song. Seems to be critical of the Vietnam war; particularly the parts about fighting and not being caught and the blind man with the knife.

Pretty sure it's just a dudes relationship with a woman bro.

Quien llegó por Nacho Vegas?

Rodulfo RosBurg Yo!

The drunken clown's still hanging round
But it plain the laughter's all died down
The tears you tried so hard to hide
Are flowin'
A blind man with his knife in hand
Has convinced himself that he understands
I wish him well, Miss Carousel
But I gotta be a-goin'

Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I stand outside your window
And proudly call your name

The ladies been told that all of gold
Is worth so much it can't be sold
No time to weep she'll need her sleep
Tomorrow
When she carries her face to the market place
And bets it on the opening race
She can ring her bells, Miss Carousel,
But her singing brings me sorrow

It's always done every mother's son
Is shown that grown men never run
And so they fight with all the might
Inside them
When the battle's been fought and they all been taught
That the trick is just not being caught
Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel,
When they're begging you to hide them

When the need arose your eyes fell closed
You clamped your fingers round your nose
Would you say that's any way
To judge him
You haven't got the authority
To kill him in the first degree
But would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel,
If you have something to begrudge him

On a velvet beach far beneath the reach
Of those that come to pray and preach
The natural man who tries to stand
Is fallin
How long will it be before he sees
You own his legs but his mind is free
Only you can tell, Miss Carousel,
How long will he be crawling?

The castle walls has grown so tall
Seem there ain't no hope at all
To reach the top even though you stop
For breathin'
But I ain't gonna try to make you cry
The tear drops couldn't find your eye
It's all been swell, Miss Carousel,
But the time has come for leavin'

Amazing - simply amazing

The drunken clown's still hanging round
But it plain the laughter's all died down
The tears you tried so hard to hide
Are flowin'
A blind man with his knife in hand
Has convinced himself that he understands
I wish him well, Miss Carousel
But I gotta be a-goin'

Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I stand outside your window
And proudly call your name

The ladies been told that all of gold
Is worth so much it can't be sold
No time to weep she'll need her sleep
Tomorrow
When she carries her face to the market place
And bets it on the opening race
She can ring her bells, Miss Carousel,
But her singing brings me sorrow

It's always done every mother's son
Is shown that grown men never run
And so they fight with all the might
Inside them
When the battle's been fought and they all been taught
That the trick is just not being caught
Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel,
When they're begging you to hide them

When the need arose your eyes fell closed
You clamped your fingers round your nose
Would you say that's any way
To judge him
You haven't got the authority
To kill him in the first degree
But would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel,
If you have something to begrudge him

On a velvet beach far beneath the reach
Of those that come to pry and preach
The natural man who tries to stand
Is fallin
How long will it be before he sees
You own his legs but his mind is free
Only you can tell, Miss Carousel,
How long will he be crawling?

The castle walls has grown so tall
Seem there ain't no hope at all
To reach the top even though you stop
For breathin'
But I ain't gonna try to make you cry
The tear drops couldn't find your eye
It's all been swell, Miss Carousel,
But the time has come for leavin'

I'm not a native speaker so I gotta ask, what or who is Ms Carousel? If it's not a common saying from Texas or something, I'd guess she something like Lady Luck... the strange ways of life.

@gnaagren I don't think it means anything.

A carousel revolves around and around, just like the man in the song revolves around his Miss. She is his Miss Carousel.

He revolves around her even though she abuses him.

gnaagren Even as a native speaker, I can listen to one of his songs 100 times and still not understand it.

Simply Brilliant

There are 2 confirmed idiots who listened to this

Give em hell miss carousel

Just an amazing talent. He weaves words like a complex tapestry.

I've become completely addicted to this song...

I adore this song. I cry to this song. His voice is emoting something strong in this one. You can feel it so much. Bless this man.

I've destroyed people's world view with this song. "Think you know music? Think you know yourself? Check this out..."

me too.

You are an idiot. I guess you get a lot of pussy then? And they laugh at you after you have fucked them....

this is his only song in my opinion, which sounds a little happy. I get always good mood from it. It is a complex text and i guess it is about the death (mrs. carousel) , but the refrain especially makes me happy when i am driving in may car and smoke cigaretts. My wife left me 6 month ago. I am driving in my car and listen to this and i feel better and look forward. Life is beautiful, man! More beautiful than any woman!

zoola foola music is a great place to find solace when life (or women) let you down. Life is beautiful. Women are a part of life, and so is heartbreak, it's all a grand tapestry and the good times wouldn't seem as good if there weren't any bad times. Townes understood that better than anyone, just listen to "to live is to fly " "well to live is to fly, all low and high, so shake the dust off of your wings and the tears out of your eyes...."

Adam - I agree. To me it's about the Wheel of the World or the Tarot card Fortune (you could say karma) . It's not about an individual person. Each verse shows the struggles of people with what they've been taught. Those who mock are first to cry. The ladies are taught to hoard yet gamble on the future. The men taught to fight and lie. The natural man, untaught by tradition is forced to crawl in the world because he doesn't know yet that freedom and slavery are both in his mind . Finally the top of the wheel , the castle on the hill is unreachable by climbing. So you just leave the whole thing alone.
When Karma has no use for the singer, then the singer will praise karma and it's rightness.
Townes was a genuine poet.

@Alex Reindl Thanks for this. This comment put a lot of things in perspective for me.

Who was the freak who disliked it?
Greetings from Brazil :^)

Ladies and Gentleman, in terms of Country Music, this is the gold standard where '60's Country Music is concerned. This should be required listening in our Nation's Schools.

Christian Bagley I don't know if I'd call this country, or any of his work country for that matter. I'd say overall it's folk music. But I couldn't agree with you more, everybody should know this song and know who Townes was.

@Gary Waits This song is 'smoking', whatever 'genre' you put it in. (Define genre? Sounds like an expletive for boobs, like man did you see the genres on that chick? 😷👍😎

@Gary Waits Well it's kinda country. Alt-country/Folk/Americana

I am sure I saw some warped old footage of a not too drunk Townes laugh how he was a country folk blues singer.

I think the name of this album should have been "French Bread."

Is this a reference that I'm missing out on, or...?

+roller325 There's a crate of french bread in lower left of the cover.

Townes doin his Tennetexlahoman best Bob Dylan....and how I adore.

@Helit Broza That particular term (it's my own) represents the history of places Townes lived and always called home whilst representing each one in the form songs that incorporated different country styles between Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma....

ok got it!

+Kyle Hire Townes sure got around. I always think of Colorado and New Mexico as well. I listen to him constantly as I drive across the west. Townes songs make so much sense on the highway.

He didn't have to "do" Dylan. They were separate in their musical styles but equals all the way.

Dont forget Colorado. He is a quintessential part of CO music. I absolutely love bob Dylan but there is no need to compare townes to him. Two geniuses in their own right

such a pretty tune ...so sorry you had to leave us too soon, Townes ! You had a rough life but i hope you can now rest in peace & thank you for such beautiful music