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
Rough Edges
Fred Eaglesmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and you're tryin' to get home, before it gets light,
and your old five ton truck don't run good no more,
barely gets up those hills with your foot to the floor,
and your horses are tired, your excuses are weak,
and you ain't won a race since '73,
but all through the night, the trailer just sways,
'cause an east wind, y'know always brings rain.
Out on the highway, the big rigs still roll,
out past your life and through your front door,
lights on the skyline, signs on the road,
you don't pick up your mail, you don't answer your phone,
and your old friends are dead or they've all moved away,
wild flowers grow over their graves,
and the paper they throw at the end of the lane,
'cause an east wind y'know always brings rain.
Down by the river the ole boys still ride,
and the edges are rough as suicide,
and the whiskey's got color and the cows feed on grass,
where the windmills pump water and your checks don't go bad,
your blankets are dirty, your eternity frayed,
but all through the night, that trailer just sways,
so round up those cattle and load up that train,
'cause an east wind y'know always brings rain
The lyrics to Fred Eaglesmith's song Rough Edges paint a picture of someone who is struggling to make their way back home through the obstacles and difficulties life has thrown their way. The cracks in their windshield and holes in their life symbolize the struggles and hardships that they have been through, while the reference to the old five-ton truck that barely gets up the hills with the foot to the floor shows how tough the journey home is going to be. The reference to horses being tired and excuses being weak also shows the weariness and disillusionment with life in general.
As the song progresses, the lyrics talk about how the singer's life has changed over time. Their old friends have either died or moved away, and the wildflowers grow over their graves. The reference to not picking up the mail and not answering the phone shows their isolation from the world outside, while the reference to the whiskey's color, the cows feeding on grass, and the windmills pumping water symbolizes the enduring, timeless ways of life that still exist in some pockets of the world. The singer's blankets are dirty, their eternity frayed, but through it all, the trailer just sways in the wind, symbolizing the resilience and tenacity with which they face life.
Line by Line Meaning
Cracks in your windshield, holes in your life,
Your life is full of cracks and holes, just like the windshield of your truck.
and you're tryin' to get home, before it gets light,
You're in a hurry to get home before the sun comes up.
and your old five ton truck don't run good no more,
Your truck is old and doesn't run well anymore.
barely gets up those hills with your foot to the floor,
You struggle to make it up hills even with the gas pedal pressed all the way down.
and your horses are tired, your excuses are weak,
Your horses are exhausted and your reasons for not succeeding are inadequate.
and you ain't won a race since '73,
You haven't won a competition since 1973.
but all through the night, the trailer just sways,
Despite the hardships and failures, your trailer continues to rock through the night.
'cause an east wind, y'know always brings rain.
You blame your struggles on the east wind, which you believe always brings bad weather.
Out on the highway, the big rigs still roll,
Despite your struggles, the big trucks continue to drive on the highway.
out past your life and through your front door,
The trucks pass by your life and keep going, not stopping at your front door.
lights on the skyline, signs on the road,
The skyline is lit up and there are signs along the road.
you don't pick up your mail, you don't answer your phone,
You ignore your mail and phone calls.
and your old friends are dead or they've all moved away,
Your old friends have either died or left town.
wild flowers grow over their graves,
Wildflowers are now growing on the graves of your deceased friends.
and the paper they throw at the end of the lane,
The paper that's thrown at the end of the driveway goes unread.
'cause an east wind y'know always brings rain.
You continue to blame your struggles on the east wind and its ability to bring rain.
Down by the river the ole boys still ride,
Old men still ride horses by the river.
and the edges are rough as suicide,
The environment is harsh and unforgiving.
and the whiskey's got color and the cows feed on grass,
The whiskey has aged and the cows thrive on the grass in the area.
where the windmills pump water and your checks don't go bad,
The windmills provide water and your checks don't bounce.
your blankets are dirty, your eternity frayed,
Your blankets are dirty and your future is uncertain.
but all through the night, that trailer just sways,
Despite the rough circumstances, your trailer keeps rocking through the night.
so round up those cattle and load up that train,
You need to gather your cattle and load them onto a train.
'cause an east wind y'know always brings rain.
You continue to blame the east wind for your troubles.
Contributed by Benjamin O. 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"