Gregson-Williams won a musical scholarship to St John's College School, Cambridge at the age of seven, where he was a child chorister, and later attended Stowe School, a boarding independent school in the civil parish of Stowe in Buckinghamshire, where he was a music scholar, followed by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
El paso
Harry Gregson-Williams Lyrics
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Nighttime would fine me in Rose's Cantina
Music would play and Felina would whirl
Black as the night were the eyes of Felina
Wicked and evil while casting a spell
My love was strong for this Mexican maiden
I was in love, but in vain I could tell
One night a wild young cowboy came in, wild as the west Texas wind
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing
With wicked Felina, the girl that I love
So in anger I challenged his right for the love of this maiden
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore
My challenge was answered, in less than a heartbeat
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor
Just for a moment I stood there in silence
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there
I had but one chance and that was to run
Out through the back door of Rose's I ran, out where the horses were tied
I picked a good onehe looked like he could run
Up on his back and away I did ride
Just as fast as I could from the west Texas town of El Paso
Out thru the badlands of New Mexico
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless
Everything's gone in life nothing is left
But it's been so long since I've seen the young maiden
My love is stronger that my fear of death
I saddled up and away I did go, riding alone in the dark
Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me
Tonight nothing's worse than this pain in my heart
And as last here I am on the hill overlooking El Paso
I can see Rose's Cantina below
My love is strong and it pushes me onward, down off the hill to Felina I go
Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys
Off to my left ride a dozen or more
Shouting and shootingI can't let them catch me
I've got to make it to Rose's back door
Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel a deep burning pain in my
It's getting harder to stay in the saddle
I'm getting weary, unable to ride
But my love for Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen
Though I am weary, I can't stop to rest
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest
From out of nowhere, Felina has found me
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
One little kiss and Felina good-bye
The song 'El Paso' by Harry Gregson-Williams tells the story of a cowboy's ill-fated love for a Mexican girl named Felina. The cowboy falls in love with the girl while he is in the west Texas town of El Paso. He spends his evenings at Rose's Cantina, where Felina would dance to the music. Her black eyes, which were wicked and evil, had a spellbinding effect on him. Although he is in love with Felina, he is in vain because a wild cowboy who entered the cantina has also caught her eye. Enraged, the cowboy challenges the newcomer to a duel for the love of Felina. In seconds, the cowboy shoots and kills the challenger. Realising that he has done something terrible, the singer flees El Paso on a horse.
As the cowboy rides away from El Paso, he thinks about his life and the love he has for Felina, knowing that his love is doomed. He cannot help but think about the pain in his heart and how the thought of seeing Felina again gives him the strength to continue. He even sees mounted cowboys on both sides of him as he rides away, but he does not stop. Eventually, he is shot and falls off his horse, but Felina finds him and cradles him while also offering him one last kiss before he dies.
The song's lyrics showcase the theme of tragic love, where the singer falls in love with someone whom he cannot have, which eventually leads to his death. The song's western and upbeat melody contrasts with its tragic lyrics, making it a powerful ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in the west Texas town of El Paso I fell in love with a Mexican girl
I fell in love with a Mexican girl while living in the west Texas town of El Paso.
Nighttime would fine me in Rose's Cantina
I spent my nights at Rose's Cantina.
Music would play and Felina would whirl
Felina would dance to the music.
Black as the night were the eyes of Felina
Felina had very dark eyes.
Wicked and evil while casting a spell
Felina was bewitching and sinister.
My love was strong for this Mexican maiden
I loved Felina deeply.
I was in love, but in vain I could tell
My love for Felina was unrequited.
One night a wild young cowboy came in, wild as the west Texas wind
A young, reckless cowboy entered the cantina.
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing
He was bold and sharing drinks with Felina.
With wicked Felina, the girl that I love
He was drinking with Felina, the object of my love.
So in anger I challenged his right for the love of this maiden
I challenged his claim to Felina's affection out of anger.
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore
He drew his gun in response to my challenge.
My challenge was answered, in less than a heartbeat
He quickly responded to my challenge.
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor
I shot and killed the young cowboy.
Just for a moment I stood there in silence
I stood there stunned by what I had done, silent for a moment.
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done
I was shocked by the terrible crime I had committed.
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there
I had many thoughts racing through my mind in that moment.
I had but one chance and that was to run
My only option was to flee the scene.
Out through the back door of Rose's I ran, out where the horses were tied
I fled through the back of the cantina where the horses were kept.
I picked a good onehe looked like he could run
I chose a fast horse that appeared to be a good runner.
Just as fast as I could from the west Texas town of El Paso
I rode away as quickly as possible from El Paso.
Out thru the badlands of New Mexico
I rode through the dangerous New Mexico badlands.
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless
If I returned to El Paso, my life would be meaningless or have no worth.
Everything's gone in life nothing is left
I felt that everything I had was gone and there was nothing left for me.
But it's been so long since I've seen the young maiden
I hadn't seen Felina in a long time.
My love is stronger that my fear of death
My love for Felina was greater than my fear of death.
I saddled up and away I did go, riding alone in the dark
I left on horseback, riding alone in the dark.
Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me
I acknowledged the likelihood that I may be killed by a bullet tomorrow.
Tonight nothing's worse than this pain in my heart
I was in great emotional pain, which was worse than anything happening that night.
And as last here I am on the hill overlooking El Paso
I was on a hill overlooking El Paso at last.
I can see Rose's Cantina below
I could see Rose's Cantina from my vantage point on the hill.
My love is strong and it pushes me onward, down off the hill to Felina I go
My love for Felina drove me down the hill towards her.
Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys
I saw five cowboys on horseback to my right.
Off to my left ride a dozen or more
There were a dozen or more cowboys on horseback to my left.
Shouting and shootingI can't let them catch me
The cowboys were shouting and shooting, and I couldn't let them catch me.
I've got to make it to Rose's back door
I had to make it to the back door of Rose's Cantina.
Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel a deep burning pain in my
I felt a deep burning pain in my side and knew something was wrong.
It's getting harder to stay in the saddle
I was finding it difficult to stay on my horse.
I'm getting weary, unable to ride
I was becoming tired and unable to continue riding.
But my love for Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen
My love for Felina gave me strength to stand up despite having fallen.
Though I am weary, I can't stop to rest
I was too determined to stop and rest, despite being tired.
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle
I saw the white smoke from a gun being fired at me.
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest
I was shot and felt the bullet penetrate deep into my chest.
From out of nowhere, Felina has found me
Felina appeared suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere.
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side
Felina kissed my cheek as she knelt by my side.
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
Felina was holding me in her loving arms as I died.
One little kiss and Felina good-bye
Felina's kiss was my last goodbye before I died.
Contributed by Wyatt N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.