Chords for Steve Earle: Was Townes Van Zandt Better Than Bob Dylan?
Tempo:
96.5 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
For a TV, the world is thinking.
There was a regime in power in Nashville that realized that to get,
help me make it to the night of the Christopher Stockerson,
they had to leave him alone and let him write The Silver Tongue Devil and I.
[Ab] And they basically, we were a night shift.
They gave us money, not very much money.
My first draw was $75 a week.
And it got up to the end of the deal, $150 a week, I thought it was.
I wouldn't work.
I wouldn't work a day job.
My wife would tell me that I needed to get a job.
I was like, what are you talking about?
I make $150 a week writing songs.
I'm not getting a fucking job.
And it was like, it was a place you could go and people would pay you
just to write songs.
It was like, it was subsidy.
But, you know, they hoped that they could sort of trick us
into writing what they wanted us to write.
And that we'd write it at a higher level than somebody that was just,
you know, trying to do it by rote.
And we thought that we could, you know, fool them
and get a chance to make a record, you know, ourselves.
And they would do that.
They'd throw us that bone.
It took me a long time to get a record deal, but Guy made records.
And, you know, Townes' records were always on independent labels.
That was a little different.
Why did Townes have so little public recognition success?
It was his own fault.
He shot himself in the foot.
He had really good aim.
His foot was right there.
And lots of guns.
Yeah, the idea that Townes was a misunderstood genius.
You know, everybody, I don't know a songwriter that worked during the time
that Townes was on the planet that didn't think he was one of the best songwriters in the world.
You know, I'm famous for, I was asked for a quote for a sticker
for a Townes record that came out in the 80s.
And I said, Townes Van Zandt's the best songwriter in the world
and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
And, you know, Townes heard it and he said, well, that's really nice what you said,
but I met Bob's bodyguards and I don't think you ought to try that.
So, you know, later I met Bob Dylan and he only had one bodyguard
and he didn't look all that tough.
But, you know, it wasn't that I thought that Townes was better than Bob Dylan.
I just knew that Townes really needed the help.
There was a regime in power in Nashville that realized that to get,
help me make it to the night of the Christopher Stockerson,
they had to leave him alone and let him write The Silver Tongue Devil and I.
[Ab] And they basically, we were a night shift.
They gave us money, not very much money.
My first draw was $75 a week.
And it got up to the end of the deal, $150 a week, I thought it was.
I wouldn't work.
I wouldn't work a day job.
My wife would tell me that I needed to get a job.
I was like, what are you talking about?
I make $150 a week writing songs.
I'm not getting a fucking job.
And it was like, it was a place you could go and people would pay you
just to write songs.
It was like, it was subsidy.
But, you know, they hoped that they could sort of trick us
into writing what they wanted us to write.
And that we'd write it at a higher level than somebody that was just,
you know, trying to do it by rote.
And we thought that we could, you know, fool them
and get a chance to make a record, you know, ourselves.
And they would do that.
They'd throw us that bone.
It took me a long time to get a record deal, but Guy made records.
And, you know, Townes' records were always on independent labels.
That was a little different.
Why did Townes have so little public recognition success?
It was his own fault.
He shot himself in the foot.
He had really good aim.
His foot was right there.
And lots of guns.
Yeah, the idea that Townes was a misunderstood genius.
You know, everybody, I don't know a songwriter that worked during the time
that Townes was on the planet that didn't think he was one of the best songwriters in the world.
You know, I'm famous for, I was asked for a quote for a sticker
for a Townes record that came out in the 80s.
And I said, Townes Van Zandt's the best songwriter in the world
and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
And, you know, Townes heard it and he said, well, that's really nice what you said,
but I met Bob's bodyguards and I don't think you ought to try that.
So, you know, later I met Bob Dylan and he only had one bodyguard
and he didn't look all that tough.
But, you know, it wasn't that I thought that Townes was better than Bob Dylan.
I just knew that Townes really needed the help.
Key:
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For a TV, the world is thinking. _ _
_ _ _ _ There was a regime in power in Nashville that realized that to get,
_ help me make it to the night of the Christopher Stockerson,
they had to leave him alone and let him write The Silver Tongue Devil and I.
[Ab] And they basically, we were a night shift.
They gave us money, not very much money.
My first draw was $75 a week.
And it got up to the end of the deal, $150 a week, I thought it was.
I wouldn't work.
I wouldn't work a day job.
My wife would tell me that I needed to get a job.
I was like, what are you talking about?
I make $150 a week writing songs.
I'm not getting a fucking job.
And it was like, it was a place you could go and people would pay you
just to write songs.
It was like, it was subsidy.
But, you know, _ they hoped that they could sort of trick us
_ into writing what they wanted us to write.
And that we'd write it at a higher level than somebody that was just,
you know, trying to do it by rote.
And we thought that we could, you know, fool them
and get a chance to make a record, you know, ourselves.
And they would do that.
They'd throw us that bone.
It took me a long time to get a record deal, but Guy made records.
And, you know, Townes' records were always on independent labels.
That was a little different.
Why did Townes have so little public recognition success?
It was his own fault.
He shot himself in the foot.
He had really good aim.
His foot was right there.
And lots of guns.
Yeah, the idea that Townes was a misunderstood genius.
You know, everybody, I don't know a songwriter that worked during the time
that Townes was on the planet that didn't think he was one of the best songwriters in the world.
You know, I'm famous for, I was asked for a quote for a sticker
for a Townes record that came out in the 80s.
And I said, Townes Van Zandt's the best songwriter in the world
and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
And, you know, Townes heard it and he said, well, that's really nice what you said,
but I met Bob's bodyguards and I don't think you ought to try that.
_ _ So, you know, later I met Bob Dylan and he only had one bodyguard
and he didn't look all that tough.
But, _ _ _ you know, it _ wasn't that I thought that Townes was better than Bob Dylan.
I just knew that Townes really needed the help. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ There was a regime in power in Nashville that realized that to get,
_ help me make it to the night of the Christopher Stockerson,
they had to leave him alone and let him write The Silver Tongue Devil and I.
[Ab] And they basically, we were a night shift.
They gave us money, not very much money.
My first draw was $75 a week.
And it got up to the end of the deal, $150 a week, I thought it was.
I wouldn't work.
I wouldn't work a day job.
My wife would tell me that I needed to get a job.
I was like, what are you talking about?
I make $150 a week writing songs.
I'm not getting a fucking job.
And it was like, it was a place you could go and people would pay you
just to write songs.
It was like, it was subsidy.
But, you know, _ they hoped that they could sort of trick us
_ into writing what they wanted us to write.
And that we'd write it at a higher level than somebody that was just,
you know, trying to do it by rote.
And we thought that we could, you know, fool them
and get a chance to make a record, you know, ourselves.
And they would do that.
They'd throw us that bone.
It took me a long time to get a record deal, but Guy made records.
And, you know, Townes' records were always on independent labels.
That was a little different.
Why did Townes have so little public recognition success?
It was his own fault.
He shot himself in the foot.
He had really good aim.
His foot was right there.
And lots of guns.
Yeah, the idea that Townes was a misunderstood genius.
You know, everybody, I don't know a songwriter that worked during the time
that Townes was on the planet that didn't think he was one of the best songwriters in the world.
You know, I'm famous for, I was asked for a quote for a sticker
for a Townes record that came out in the 80s.
And I said, Townes Van Zandt's the best songwriter in the world
and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
And, you know, Townes heard it and he said, well, that's really nice what you said,
but I met Bob's bodyguards and I don't think you ought to try that.
_ _ So, you know, later I met Bob Dylan and he only had one bodyguard
and he didn't look all that tough.
But, _ _ _ you know, it _ wasn't that I thought that Townes was better than Bob Dylan.
I just knew that Townes really needed the help. _ _ _