Tyson and his then-wife Sylvia Fricker constituted one of the most popular folk duos of the 1960s, Ian & Sylvia. In 1969, they formed and fronted the pioneering country-rock group Great Speckled Bird.
Tyson gradually shifted to the cowboy way while still with Sylvia, accentuating the western life through song. Residing on a ranch in southern Alberta, Tyson toured all over the west.
In 1989, Tyson was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. His next albums were cowboy music: I Outgrew the Wagon (1989), And Stood There Amazed (1991), and Eighteen Inches of Rain (1994).
In 2005, CBC Radio One listeners chose his song, "Four Strong Winds," as the greatest Canadian song of all time on the series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version. There was strong momentum for him to be nominated the Greatest Canadian, but he fell short. He has been a strong influence on many Canadian artists including Neil Young, who recorded "Four Strong Winds" for Comes a Time (1978). Johnny Cash would also record that same song for American V: A Hundred Highways (2006).
In 2006, Tyson was afflicted with a throat virus resulting in damaged vocal cords and a major change in the texture of his once mellifluous voice into a far hoarser quality. Nevertheless he cut the album, "From Yellowhead to Yellowstone and Other Love Stories" in 2008.
Eighteen Inches of Rain
Ian Tyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My pickup truck won’t go,
The tractor lost a wheel about a week ago,
The wind is from the east,
Blowing hard across the plains,
I’m high and lonesome waiting for a change.
Just give me one broke horse with a good fittin’ saddle,
One good woman who makes up the difference,
For everything I lack,
One last chance to sell my calves,
Before the prices go to hell again,
Clear blue skies…eighteen inches of rain.
The coffee’s kinda bitter,
is the water or the pot?
Until I get to town,
I’ll make do with what I got,
The Copenhagen's runnin' low
I should quit it anyway’s,
Me and this old outfit,
Have both seen better days.
Just give me one broke horse with a good fittin’ saddle,
That’s easy on your back,
One good woman who makes up the difference,
For everything I lack,
One last chance to sell my calves,
Before the prices go to hell again,
Clear blue skies…eighteen inches of rain.
Just give me one broke horse with a good fittin’ saddle,
That’s easy on your back,
One good woman who makes up the difference,
For everything I lack,
One last chance to sell my calves,
Before the prices go to hell again,
Clear blue skies…eighteen inches of rain.
Just give me clear blue skies,
eighteen inches of rain.
Just give me clear blue skies,
eighteen inches of rain.
In Ian Tyson's song Eighteen Inches of Rain, he sings about the struggles of living on a ranch during a difficult time. He lists the various problems he is facing, such as a broken horse, a non-functioning pickup truck, and a tractor with a missing wheel. The wind blowing hard from the east across the plains only adds to his feeling of isolation and loneliness. He longs for a change and reminisces about better days. However, through it all, he expresses a desire for simple things, like one broke horse with a good fitting saddle and one good woman who can make up for what he lacks. He hopes for one last chance to sell his cattle before prices plummet and for clear blue skies and eighteen inches of rain.
The song speaks to the reality of ranch life and the challenges that come with it. It also highlights the importance of having the basics and the people who matter most when times get tough. The repeated refrain emphasizes this desire for simplicity and the hope for better days to come.
Line by Line Meaning
A’not a broke horse on the place,
There isn't a single horse that I own that isn't damaged.
My pickup truck won’t go,
My truck won't start or move at all.
The tractor lost a wheel about a week ago,
A wheel on my tractor came off just one week ago.
The wind is from the east,
The direction the wind is coming from is the east.
Blowing hard across the plains,
It is quite windy across this wide and flat area of land.
I’m high and lonesome waiting for a change.
I'm lonely and feel like I'm above others, waiting for a transformation.
Just give me one broke horse with a good fittin’ saddle,
I just need a single injured horse with a saddle that fits it properly.
That’s easy on your back,
This horse won't give you back pains when you ride it.
One good woman who makes up the difference,
I'm seeking out a woman to make up for all of my shortcomings.
For everything I lack,
She'll fill in the missing gaps and make me whole.
One last chance to sell my calves,
This is the final opportunity I have to sell my calves.
Before the prices go to hell again,
As the costs for my goods decrease, I'm hoping to sell them before it's too late.
Clear blue skies…eighteen inches of rain.
Despite everything that has gone wrong, I'm still hoping to see both clear skies and rainfall.
The coffee’s kinda bitter,
The coffee I have tastes slightly bitter and unpleasant.
is the water or the pot?
I'm questioning whether the unpleasant taste is due to the quality of the water or because of the pot it was made in.
Until I get to town,
I won't be able to solve this issue until I make it into the nearby city.
I’ll make do with what I got,
Until I'm able to find a solution, I'll have to work with what's available to me.
The Copenhagen's runnin' low
I'm almost out of Copenhagen, a type of smokeless tobacco i use regularly.
I should quit it anyway’s,
Despite running out, it's probably a good idea to quit using it altogether.
Me and this old outfit,
The two of us, myself and my equipment, are getting older by the day.
Have both seen better days.
Neither my equipment nor I am in the best shape.
Just give me clear blue skies,
I'm hoping for a day that's completely free of clouds and sky-blue in color.
eighteen inches of rain.
I'm also hoping for a healthy rainfall of around eighteen inches or so.
Contributed by Chase G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Les Niedbalski
on Road to Las Cruces
Does the wind still blow
in New Mexico?
Do the silver candelabras yet shine?
Is Kathrine still queen of El Paso?
Never to be yours, never to be mine.
Out of reach like the pale moon that shines, on the road to Las Cruces.
On a high plateau, out off Antone she goes.
I see the dust of a herd moving through.
The dream and the lights softly fading,
The horses will not stay, they wish to go with her.
Riding for Alex Corone, on the road to Las Vegas.
The line of desire, seven strands of barbed wire
will hold back the on rushing tide.
Many dreams have been brought to the border,
down in the canyons, down in the culverts.
They pray for safe passage tonight, on the trail to Albuquerque.
I crossed over a toll, I stood there alone, looking in to the heart of the night.
Across that dark plain to El Paso,
Where Kathrine sleeps, Kathrine dreams.
Out of reach like the pale moon that shines, on the road to Las Cruces.
Alex Marcin
on The Wonder of It All
I think it is "where the rimrock meets the sky"