Many of the songs on Blind, Crippled, and Crazy explicitly deal with the topic of age as the two men energetically refute the notion of being too old to rock and roll and too young to die. This is not Dad rock, it is mad country rock Texas style with the blues and honky tonk thrown in. The men are not bragging about being old, nor do they think that aging gives them any special insights into life, love, and the human condition. “If I live to be 110 I‘ll probably never know what it’s all about”, they sing. Alternatively “Same situation, I didn’t learn a thing”, they croon elsewhere. They have been around the block a bunch of times and made many mistakes, and even though they should know better, they still behave the way they should not.
While the lyrics are important here, and both McClinton and Clark are accomplished songwriters who wrote or co-wrote all of the material here, it is the moxie in which they perform the songs that matters most. When McClinton takes the lead on the animated “More and More, Less and Less”, the ache in his voice suggests he has had his fill of life experiences even as his strong intonations reveal he has not defeated. McClinton is not bragging or complaining, just telling it like it is. “Nothing worth standing in line for anymore / And dangerous things don’t thrill me like before”, McClinton throatily sings with conviction. In other words, he has been there, done that, moved on.
When the reedier-voiced Clark takes the lead on the romantic “Just When I Need You the Most”, he expresses the strength love has given him without being schmaltzy about it. He testifies to the power of secular devotion in warm tones and clearly conveys the passion underneath his feelings. In addition, when both singers join together, such as on the chorus to “Sure Feels Good” that affirms it “sure feels good being me”, the two maintain their individuality and commonality as their voices weave together more than strictly harmonize. They play off each other in the way old partners can when they instinctively know where the other person’s voice is going.
The two Texans also have lots of fun, especially on the rowdy “Tell My Mama” and the rollicking “Peace in the Valley” that implicitly mocks the famous staid old country gospel song of the same name. As a whole, the album can be defined as barroom music where good times are promised in the sound and rhythms and the whole lot of shaking going on. That’s especially true in terms of the backing band, particularly in the hot piano playing of Bruce Katz and Kevin McKendree. However, McClinton and Clark are the stars here, and they take their accompanists to a place where even old men can rock out without seeming dated or worn. The two may not be blind or crippled, but they are crazy good!
http://www.popmatters.com/review/173016-delbert-mcclinton-and-glen-clark-blind-crippled-and-crazy/
Peace In The Valley
Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honey since you been gone
Nobody wants to party, stay up all night long
Now I don't mind talking to myself
But I can′t stand drinking alone
Nothin' but peace in the valley
When you gonna come back home?
And rock it all around the clock
But now I'm up with the chickens in the morning
Even thinkin′ bout getting′ a job
We all read your postcard honey
Everybody wishes you well
But all them good times we used to have
That's all gone to hell
The bartender down at the Gold Rush
She′s sellin' Amway door to door
And all those boys who made all that noise
They don′t come around no more
The police are drinkin' coffee
And stayin′ at the one red light
Before the sun goes all the way down
The whole town is closed up tight
The song "Peace in the Valley" by Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark talks about the aftermath of a breakup between two lovers. The song suggests that since his partner left, there has been calmness and a sense of peace around the town. However, this peace is not welcome as the singer confesses that he has grown tired of talking to himself and drinking alone. He misses the good times they had before the break-up and longs for her to come back home. The lyric "We used to get it going in the afternoon, And rock it all around the clock" conjures up images of wild parties and late nights before the break-up ended everything.
The chorus of the song "Peace in the Valley" repeats the notion of peace that's blanketing the town since his lover left. The song further describes how the community has changed, people no longer party up all night, and the barmaid is now a door-to-door salesperson. The whole town is now quiet, and even the police officers only drink coffee while sitting at the only stoplight regardless of the time of day. The song masterfully paints a picture of how one breakup can change an entire community, how the memories of the good times they shared haunt the singer, leaving him longing for his true love.
Line by Line Meaning
There's been peace in the valley
Things have been calm and quiet since you left
Honey since you been gone
Since you left, my life has changed for the worse
Nobody wants to party, stay up all night long
People don't feel like having fun anymore, they just want to go to bed early
Now I don't mind talking to myself
I am okay with being alone
But I can't stand drinking alone
I don't like to drink by myself
Nothin' but peace in the valley
It's too quiet here without you
When you gonna come back home?
I miss you and I want you to come home
Well we used to get it going in the afternoon
We used to have fun in the afternoon
And rock it all around the clock
We used to party all night long
But now I'm up with the chickens in the morning
I wake up early now
Even thinkin'bout getting' a job
I am considering getting a job because there's nothing else to do
We all read your postcard honey
Everyone received your postcard and we're happy to hear from you
Everybody wishes you well
We all hope you're doing well
But all them good times we used to have
The fun times we had together in the past
That's all gone to hell
Those memories don't matter anymore
The bartender down at the Gold Rush
The bartender who works at the Gold Rush bar
She's sellin' Amway door to door
The bartender is now working as an Amway salesperson
And all those boys who made all that noise
The group of guys who used to make a lot of noise
They don't come around no more
Those guys are no longer around
The police are drinkin' coffee
The police officers are drinking coffee
And stayin' at the one red light
They're staying at the only traffic light in town
Before the sun goes all the way down
Before it gets too late
The whole town is closed up tight
The town is quiet and everything is closed down
Writer(s): Thomas A. Dorsey
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johndawson479
Delbert is one of a kind. He needs his own station on the radio.
@JackTheSkunk
Delbert sidekickin' with Glen. Seriously folks, does it get any better than this?
@BOOMNERD51
Love him, and Delbert & Glen reunited: cool!!
@MrLJV123
Outstanding!
@zodiartsstarro
MrLJV123 Yup!