In addition to his own albums, Eaglesmith frequently collaborated with the late Willie P. Bennett, a past member of Eaglesmith's band, who had to step down after a heart attack in spring 2007. Eaglesmith's fans are known as Fredheads because of the similarities to deadheads. He has appeared in several movies, including "The Gift" and "50 Odd Dollars." His band is known as The Flying Squirrels or The Flathead Noodlers. Both bands have the same lineup, but play different styles. The Flathead Noodlers play bluegrass, while the Flying Squirrels play more folk and rock. An early incarnation of the band was known as The Smokin' Losers. When Fred does solo appearances he bills himself as Fred J. Eaglesmith. In addition to the songs, a typical Fred Eaglesmith show includes several lengthy between-song comic monologues by Fred. Topics in the past have included stories about crossing the U.S./Canada border, Newfoundlanders, and some friends from an Indian reserve. Eaglesmith is the owner and president of A Major Label, which publishes his records.
Current band members
* Fred J. Eaglesmith - Guitars, Vocals
* Matt Simpson - Acoustic guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
* Kori Heppner - Drums
* Luke Stackhouse - Bass, Vocals
Former members
* Willie P. Bennett - Mandolin, Harmonica, Vocals
* David Essig - Mandolin, Guitar
* Kevin Komatsu - Drums
* Roger Marin Jr. - Pedal Steel, Guitar, Vocals
* Ralph Schipper - Bass
* Jude Waldman - Drums
* Dan Walsh - Dobro, Guitar, Vocals
* Skip Wamsteeker - Drums
* Washboard Hank - Washboard, Dobro
* Darcy Yates - Bass
Discography
* Fred Eaglesmith (1980)
* The Boy That Just Went Wrong (1983)
* Indiana Road (1987)
* There Ain't No Easy Road (1991)
* Things Is Changin' (1993)
* Paradise Motel (1994)
* Drive-In Movie (1995)
* Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline (1997)
* 50 Odd Dollars (1999)
* Live: Ralph's Last Show (2001)
* Falling Stars and Broken Hearts (2002)
* The Official Bootleg Series, Vol. 1' (2002)
* Balin (2003)
* The Official Bootleg Series, Vol. 2' (2004)
* Dusty (2004)
* Milly's Cafe (2006)
* Tinderbox (2008)
www.fredeaglesmith.com
Joe
Fred Eaglesmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's there that I lived
With my husband Joe and a couple of kids
He worked the factory by day
And the fields by night
'Till they closed them both a year ago July
They came to take it all away without a how do you do
The sheriff just walked in one day
Joe just caved in, he took the kids and he went
But he left his gun and they better not come again
Now Joe sends some money
And sometimes he sends his love
With a why don't you, what is done is done
Well, me and Joe weren't much
But we was what we was
And when times got tough you know that seemed enough
They tried to take it all away without a how do you do
The sheriff just walked in one day
Said now Joe, you're through
Joe just caved in, he took the kids and he went
But he left his gun and they better not come again
And sometimes at twilight, I sit with my pipe
Look down the lane as the cars go slowly by
Even people I know, they don't come in to say hello
To the crazy woman living out on the line
But they tried to take it away without a how do you do
The sheriff just walked in one day
Said now Joe, you're through
Joe just gave in, he took the kids and he went
But he left his gun and they better not come again
But he left his gun and they better not come again
The lyrics of Fred Eaglesmith's song "Joe" tell a somber story about a family living on the Newport Ridge. The family faced hard times when both the factory and the fields that provided them with a livelihood were closed down without a warning, leaving them with no source of income. The sheriff came and took everything away, leaving the family with nothing. The singer's husband, Joe, couldn't take it and left with their two children, but he left behind his gun to protect his wife from further harm.
The singer of the song, who is left alone on the Newport Ridge, reminisces about her life with Joe and how they weren't much, but they had each other, which was enough. She sits alone with her pipe, watching the cars pass by, but nobody comes to visit her anymore. The song conveys a sense of isolation and despair in the face of adversity. It's a story about how a family can be torn apart by circumstances beyond their control and how they are forced to make difficult decisions to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Up on the Newport Ridge
The singer is currently located at the Newport Ridge
It's there that I lived
The singer used to live at the Newport Ridge
With my husband Joe and a couple of kids
The singer lived at the Newport Ridge with her husband Joe and their children
He worked the factory by day
Joe worked at the factory during the day
And the fields by night
Joe worked at the fields during the night
'Till they closed them both a year ago July
The factory and fields were both closed last July
They came to take it all away without a how do you do
The authorities came to take away their belongings without any explanation
The sheriff just walked in one day
The sheriff came to their house one day
Said now Joe, you're through
The sheriff told Joe to stop working
Joe just caved in, he took the kids and he went
Joe gave in to the authorities and left with the kids
But he left his gun and they better not come again
Joe left his gun behind to protect their home from future intruders
Now Joe sends some money
Joe sends money to support the family
And sometimes he sends his love
Joe expresses his love to the family through occasional messages
With a why don't you, what is done is done
Joe sometimes questions why things happened the way they did and accepts that it's in the past
Well, me and Joe weren't much
The singer and Joe were just ordinary people
But we was what we was
The artist accepts their humble lifestyle
And when times got tough you know that seemed enough
During difficult times, their simple life together was enough to get them through
And sometimes at twilight, I sit with my pipe
The singer enjoys peaceful moments at twilight with her pipe
Look down the lane as the cars go slowly by
The singer watches as cars pass by on the lane
Even people I know, they don't come in to say hello
Even familiar people don't visit the artist
To the crazy woman living out on the line
The artist is seen as a strange woman living on the edge of society
But they tried to take it away without a how do you do
The authorities tried to take everything away without any warning
The sheriff just walked in one day
The sheriff unexpectedly showed up one day
Said now Joe, you're through
The sheriff ordered Joe to stop working
Joe just gave in, he took the kids and he went
Joe complied with the authorities and left with the kids
But he left his gun and they better not come again
Joe left his gun behind to defend their home from future intruders
Contributed by Lucy V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tim Duffin
on John Deere B
"The original B" s/b "The original paint"
"Then I saw I saw the mirror" s/b "Then I saw them narrow"