Townes Van Zandt(1944-1997) was a singer-songwriter, born in Texasto a life on the road. Van Zandt was master of the small, intimate folkperformance, such as the July 1973 show that became Live At The Old Quarter Houston, Texas, the double album on Tomato Records. As the Austin Chroniclewrites of the re-released CD, "Alone with a guitar, he hushes the crowd with his visionary tunes that are by turns haunting and eccentric, yet filled with beauty and dark shadows." Despite chronic battles with alcoholism and depression, his songwriting displayed a sense of humour and introspection, truth and beauty. Many artists cite Townes' influence on their music, with covers of his songs recorded by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Jeffrey Foucault, Cowboy Junkies, The Be Good Tanyasand others. His son John T.
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No Deal Lyrics
Townes Van Zandt
By townes van zandt
Now this man down at the used car lot
Tried to sell me four wheels and a trunk.
I said, man, there is no engine!,
He said, the engines just a bunch of junk.
You dont need no engine to go downhill
And I could plainly see, that thats the direction
Youre headed in, and he handed me the keyes.
(I said) no deal; you cant sell this stuff to me
No deal, Im going back to tennesee
Well, I went to a doctor of the highest order,
He said I couldnt have a drink for a year.
One glass of wine on my birthday
If my birthday wasnt too very near.
Lord, he must have put me in a state of shock
cause I made it for about two weeks;
Then he sent me a bill
That knocked me flat off the wagon
And back down on my feet.
When true love knocked upon my door
Shed just barely turned fifteen
And I was a little bit nervous
If you know just what I mean.
But Ive heard somewhere
That true love conquers all
And I figured that was that
Then I started having dreams bout
Being chased out of town
Wearing nothing but my cowboy hat.
Well, I come through this life a stumbler, my friends
I expect to die that way
It could be twenty years from now
It could be most any day.
But if there is no whiskey and women, lord,
Behind them heavenly doors
Im gonna take my chances down below,
And of that you can be sure.