Crowell was born in Houston, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby. A contemporary of Steve Earle and, like Earle, influenced by the (songwriting) greats Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Crowell played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".
He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of famous singer/guitarist Johnny Cash) from 1979 to 1992 and had a great influence on her career, producing most of her albums during that period. They collaborated on a number of duets, including 1988's "It's Such a Small World." Though Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Six years after the breakdown of his marriage to Rosanne he married Claudia Church.
Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album, 1988's Diamonds and Dirt, produced five No. 1 hits during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leaving," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond." His follow-up album, 1989's "Keys to the Highway," produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."
As Crowell's popularity in mainstream country faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. In 2001 he released The Houston Kid on Sugar Hill Records. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". Initially, Cash was annoyed at Crowell changing the tune to his song, but he came to like the finished product. Crowell followed up this effort with Fate's Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005. Crowell considers these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.
2004 saw the release of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a group that existed briefly in the 1970s with Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, and others. The future Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc.
In 2005, Crowell served as producer for established Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Goss on the album Blue Sky Sunrise.
East Houston Blues
Rodney Crowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took the streets and alleys for my own backyard
I've got a break and enter on my list of crimes
Been before the judge one too many times
East Houston blues, scale of one to ten
Bout a nine and a half is where it's always been
It's in the drinking water and in the bar ditch mud
East Houston blues, gets in a poor boy's blood
I learned to drink and drive when I was 12 years old
My uncle Fireball Stoddard rest his rugged soul
He ran a 54' Ford up and down the drag
Sippin' early times straight from a paper bag
East Houston blues, picture Dowling Street
And Navigation Blvd where the crossroads meet
Three sheets in the wind brick shy of a load
East Houston blues, down a nowhere road
40 dollar boots, big bangora hat
Stolen money from an inside job, maybe think about that
I'm a third ward child, my mother's only son
Which means exactly nothing without a loaded gun
I don't believe in love, this I guarantee
If there's a god above, he's got it in for me
East Houston blues, what you want me to say
I need to find me a woman to keep the wolves at bay
Keep my head on straight, make me toe the line
East Houston blues, ain't no friend of mine
Just so you understand that of which I speak
I'm a worried man on a losing streak
The lyrics to Rodney Crowell’s “East Houston Blues” paint a vivid picture of a tough upbringing in a rough neighborhood. The singer grew up hungry and hard, taking to the streets and alleys as his own backyard. He’s been in trouble with the law, with a break-and-enter and too many visits to the judge. The East Houston blues are a part of his life, infiltrating the drinking water and bar ditch mud and getting into a poor boy’s blood. It rates a nine and a half on a scale of one to ten, and it’s clear that the blues are going to be a part of his life forever.
Line by Line Meaning
So I grew up hungry and I grew up hard
I had a tough upbringing where I often went without food.
Took the streets and alleys for my own backyard
As a result of growing up in impoverished conditions, I had to make use of the surrounding streets and alleys as my playground.
I've got a break and enter on my list of crimes
At some point, I had resorted to breaking and entering, which has become part of my criminal record.
Been before the judge one too many times
I have been in court too many times than I care to admit.
East Houston blues, scale of one to ten
When it comes to suffering, the East Houston blues rates about a nine and a half.
Bout a nine and a half is where it's always been
This level of suffering has been going on for as long as I can remember.
It's in the drinking water and in the bar ditch mud
The source of my misery is all around me- it's as though it's in the very air I breathe.
East Houston blues, gets in a poor boy's blood
Growing up in East Houston has been so challenging that it has become a part of me- a permanent feature of my life.
I learned to drink and drive when I was 12 years old
I was introduced to driving whilst under the influence at an extremely young age of 12 years by my late Fireball Stoddard.
My uncle Fireball Stoddard rest his rugged soul
It is noteworthy that Fireball Stoddard, who taught me how to drink and drive when I was 12 years old, is no more.
He ran a 54' Ford up and down the drag
Fireball Stoddard owned a 54' Ford and used to race along the streets in the neighbourhood as though it was a drag race.
Sippin' early times straight from a paper bag
He used to enjoy early times whisky that he removed straight from a paper bag.
East Houston blues, picture Dowling Street
When I think of the East Houston blues, the image that first comes to mind is that of Dowling Street.
And Navigation Blvd where the crossroads meet
Another image associated with the East Houston blues is that of Navigation Blvd where it intersects with Dowling Street.
Three sheets in the wind brick shy of a load
When I am really drunk, I become practically incoherent and can barely walk.
East Houston blues, down a nowhere road
Living in East Houston often feels like being stuck in a dingy, dark alley that leads nowhere.
40 dollar boots, big bangora hat
I don on a big bangora hat and wear $40 boots, signaling my participation in cowboy culture, but with a dangerous twist.
Stolen money from an inside job, maybe think about that
I have had to resort to stealing money from my job, a reflection of the depths of desperation that one can sink to under the East Houston blues.
I'm a third ward child, my mother's only son
I grew up in the third ward of East Houston and I'm the only son of my mother.
Which means exactly nothing without a loaded gun
Being from the third ward area of East Houston means nothing unless you have a weapon to protect yourself with.
I don't believe in love, this I guarantee
Up to this point in my life, my experiences have left me feeling disillusioned to the point that I no longer believe in love.
If there's a god above, he's got it in for me
When life constantly deals you a bad hand, it's tough not to feel agitated and question why God seems to be against you.
East Houston blues, what you want me to say
When someone asks me to describe the East Houston blues, I struggle to find the words that can accurately convey the painful nature of the experience.
I need to find me a woman to keep the wolves at bay
Finding a woman who can help me navigate through my challenging circumstances is the only hope I have of avoiding a life of continued strife.
Keep my head on straight, make me toe the line
I need someone who can keep me focused and ensure that I stay within the bounds of the law.
East Houston blues, ain't no friend of mine
In reality, the East Houston blues is merely a foe with the potential to suck any hope and optimism from one's life.
Just so you understand that of which I speak
What I'm sharing with you requires an intimate understanding of my experiences and their effects on my life.
I'm a worried man on a losing streak
Despite my many attempts to find success, it seems that I am perpetually on the brink of something great that never quite materializes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Rodney Crowell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind