I had part of an old John Denver tune try to surface from the cobwebs today; wouldn’t leave me alone as I tried to find a copy of it on one of the CD’s in my collection unsuccessfully. I could hear his clear voice singing the chorus, “Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery, make me a poster of an old rodeo, just give me one thing…” and the words to the tune eluded my memory at that point. I looked it up and found several versions on YouTube, none of them by John Denver; but some were quite well done.
I guess I was mistaken about John Denver having written the tune; looks like a fellow named John Prine deserves the credit. That having been said; I still hear John Denver’s voice echoing in the corridors of my mind. The YouTube video down below has the sound which best fits with my recollection of how the song should be heard; thought it was John Denver when I stumbled upon this one.
Angel From Montgomery
John Prine
I am an old woman
Named after my mother,
My old man is another
Child that's grown old
If dreams were lightning
And thunder were desire
This old house would have burnt down
A long time ago
Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery,
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to,
To believe in this livin' is just a hard way to go
When I was a young girl
I had me a cowboy
He weren't much to look at,
Just a free ramblin' man.
But that was a long time
And no matter how I try,
The years just flow by
Like a broken down dam.
Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery,
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to,
To believe in this livin' is just a hard way to go
There's flies in the kitchen
I can hear 'em in there buzzin'
And I ain't done nothin'
Since I woke up today.
How the hell can a person
Go to work in the mornin'
Come home in the evenin'
And have nothin' to say?
Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery,
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to,
To believe in this livin' is just a hard way to go
(Repeat Chorus)
2 comments:
Just read this post and saw that it is over a year old. I hope you did some research on John Prine. He is indeed the author. Prine is regarded by many to be one of the very best American songwriters. His lyrics are amazing. His fans are devout. Please check him out if you haven't already. I don't know anyone who has listened to him without becoming a follower.
I just now noticed your comment on an article I'd written over a year ago. That tune rests easy in the back of my mind and comes to the surface now and again. Thanks for reminding me of it.
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