The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, Too Long in the Wasteland (released in 1989), was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 1996, McMurtry received a Grammy nomination for his Longform Music Video of Where'd You Hide The Body. 1997's It Had To Happen received the American Indie Award for Best Americana Album.
In 2004, McMurtry released the universally-lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. 2005's Childish Things garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry's career and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and "We Can't Make It Here" won the Americana Music Awards for Album and Song of the Year, respectively. McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008's Just Us Kids. This album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than 19 years.
In 2009, Live in Europe was released, capturing The McMurtry Band's first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, the disc features special guests Ian McLagan and Jon Dee Graham. Also, for the first time ever, video of the James McMurtry Band's live performance is available on the included DVD.
The poignant lyrics of his immense catalog still ring true today. In 2011, "We Can't Make It Here" was cited among 'The Nation's' "Best Protest Songs Ever." Bob Lefsetz writes, "'We Can't Make It Here' has stood the test of time because of its unmitigated truth."
Never one to rest on his laurels, James McMurtry continues to tour constantly, and consistently puts on a "must-see" powerhouse performance. 'The Washington Post' noted McMurtry's live prowess: "Much attention is paid to James McMurtry's lyrics, and rightfully so: He creates a novel's worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he's an accomplished rock guitar player. At a sold-out Birchmere, the Austin-based artist was joined by drummer Daren Hess and bassist Ronnie Johnson in a set that demonstrated the raw power of wince-inducing imagery propelled by electric guitar. It was serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band."
JAMES McMURTRY LIVE IN EUROPE CD WITH BONUS DVD DOCUMENTS FIRST EURO TOUR WITH GUESTS IAN MCLAGAN AND JON DEE GRAHAM
On October 13, 2009, Lightning Rod Records released Live in Europe, a document of McMurtry's first European tour, on which, along with long-time band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, he was joined by keyboardist Ian McLagan and fellow Texas songwriting legend Jon Dee Graham. The set is available as a CD with a bonus DVD, or as a deluxe vinyl LP package with a CD and DVD insert. In early 2009, James McMurtry and his trio traveled overseas to play their first European tour. The guys played for enthusiastic crowds in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. Joining the band on keyboards for the tour was the legendary Ian McLagan (who also played on McMurtry's latest studio album, Just Us Kids). The best recordings from the Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Geislingen, Germany concerts were combined to create Live in Europe. The album includes a bonus DVD featuring performances from the Amsterdam show. This marks the first time fans will be able to purchase video footage of McMurtry live in concert. The deluxe vinyl version includes inserted copies of the CD and DVD. Fellow Austin-based songwriter Jon Dee Graham opened the shows and joins the band on a version of his tune "Laredo" on the bonus DVD.
JAMES McMURTRY ALBUMS REISSUED: 'CHILDISH THINGS' & 'LIVE IN AUGHT-THREE'
On February 1, 2011, two of James McMurtry's most popular albums, Childish Things and Live in Aught-Three were reissued by Lightning Rod Records. Live in Aught-Three has been remastered since its original 2004 release and will be available on vinyl for the first time. The deluxe double LP also includes a copy of the album on CD.
Hurricane Party
James McMurtry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and we're all waitin' for the end
And I don't won't another drink,
I only want that last one again
He gave me such a fine glow,
smokin' slow, now I should probably be homeward bound
There's just no one to talk to
when the lines go down
I guess that in the morning I'll go lookin' for my gray-striped cat
My old house can take the weather so I'm not too concerned about that
It was built to take the wind back in nineteen-and-ten when this was one damned fine town
[Chorus]
Candles flickered on the back bar and the building was shakin' with the wind
I bought a whiskey for the gypsy and she turned my leather back into skin
Just a fleeting sense of that rare suspense I once thought made the world go round
[Chorus]
Open up your back screen door
Let me see your face once more
My hands are cold and my feet so sore
And I can't go on this way
And the thoughts come too fast and too many to keep count, best just to let 'em on through
Now I'm breaking those glass insulators with my old 22
Off the telephone polls as a half dollar rolls across the knuckles of a rodeo clown
[Chorus]
My one great love, my God, I can feel her still
She ran off to California and now she's living in those Hollywood hills
With some bullfrog prince, I've not seen her since
Though she calls when he's out of town
[Chorus]
Open up your back screen door
Let me in your space once more
I was looking for an easy score
But it just don't work that way
Some insurance man-biker is yellin' out for one more beer
But a part-time pirate just can't get much respect around here
We got our problems too, man we'll get to you
In just a minute, sit your drunk ass down
[Chorus]
Now there's water up past the wheel wells of my
Ford and I don't guess that it'll run
But I left a pack of Winston's on the dash, could you fetch 'em for me son?
The morning's first cigarette, that's as good as it gets all day I should know by now
[Chorus]
The song "Hurricane Party" follows an individual in their experience of a hurricane. The hurricane party is finally ending, and people are waiting for the storm to pass. The singer only wants the last drink he had again, as it gave him a pleasant feeling. They also speak of their gray-striped cat that they need to go looking for in the morning. They are not too concerned about their house withstanding the hurricane's wind, as it was built to take whatever nature throws at it. The storm causes the power and phone lines to go down, leaving the singer feeling isolated.
The singer seems to have become involved with a gypsy woman at the party. She turned his leather back into skin, causing him to feel exhilarated. The song features a chorus that repeats the phrase "There's just no one to talk to, when the lines go down." It emphasizes the loneliness and isolation that the singer feels. They then ask someone to open their back screen door to let them see their face, and reveal that their thoughts are coming too quickly and intensely to keep track of. They end this part of the song by saying that they are destroying glass insulators with their .22 caliber gun.
The third verse of the song goes back to the singer's love interest, who left for California to live with a man in Hollywood Hills. Although she calls when he is away, he has not seen her since she left. The song ends with a group of people waiting out the storm and the singer asking for help getting their cigarettes from their car that is underwater. The song conveys a feeling of isolation and desperation, as people come together during a crisis.
Line by Line Meaning
The hurricane party's windin' down
The party for the hurricane has almost ended
and we're all waitin' for the end
Everyone is waiting for the hurricane to end
And I don't want another drink,
The singer does not want another drink
I only want that last one again
The singer wants the last drink he had again because it made him feel good
He gave me such a fine glow,
The previous drink the singer had made him feel good
smokin' slow, now I should probably be homeward bound
The singer is feeling the effects of the previous drink and should probably go home
There's just no one to talk to
There is no one to talk to
when the lines go down
When the communication lines are down due to the hurricane
I guess that in the morning I'll go lookin' for my gray-striped cat
The singer plans to look for their cat in the morning
My old house can take the weather so I'm not too concerned about that
The singer is not worried about the house because it was built to withstand hurricanes
It was built to take the wind back in nineteen-and-ten when this was one damned fine town
The house was built to withstand hurricanes when the town was thriving in 1910
Candles flickered on the back bar and the building was shakin' with the wind
The wind is causing the building to shake and the candles are flickering
I bought a whiskey for the gypsy and she turned my leather back into skin
The singer bought a whiskey for a gypsy and she magically turned his leather back into skin
Just a fleeting sense of that rare suspense I once thought made the world go round
The singer thinks the fleeting sense of suspense he is feeling used to make the world go round
Open up your back screen door
The singer is asking someone to open their back door
Let me see your face once more
The singer wants to see someone's face one more time before he leaves
My hands are cold and my feet so sore
The singer's hands and feet are cold and sore
And I can't go on this way
The singer can't continue this way
And the thoughts come too fast and too many to keep count, best just to let 'em on through
The singer has too many thoughts to keep track of, so he just lets them pass
Now I'm breaking those glass insulators with my old 22
The singer is using his old 22 gun to break glass insulators
Off the telephone polls as a half dollar rolls across the knuckles of a rodeo clown
A rodeo clown has a half dollar coin rolling across his knuckles
My one great love, my God, I can feel her still
The singer still feels strongly about his ex-girlfriend
She ran off to California and now she's living in those Hollywood hills
The singer's ex-girlfriend ran off to Hollywood
With some bullfrog prince, I've not seen her since
The singer's ex-girlfriend is with someone else and he hasn't seen her since
Though she calls when he's out of town
The singer's ex-girlfriend calls him when her current partner is out of town
Some insurance man-biker is yellin' out for one more beer
An insurance biker is yelling for one more beer
But a part-time pirate just can't get much respect around here
The singer feels like he doesn't get respect as a part-time pirate
We got our problems too, man we'll get to you
The singer and his friends have their own problems to deal with
In just a minute, sit your drunk ass down
The singer asks the insurance biker to wait and sit down
Now there's water up past the wheel wells of my
Water has risen up past the wheel wells of the singer's car
Ford and I don't guess that it'll run
The singer doesn't think his Ford car will run
But I left a pack of Winston's on the dash, could you fetch 'em for me son?
The singer left a pack of Winston cigarettes on the dashboard of his car and asks someone to fetch them for him
The morning's first cigarette, that's as good as it gets all day I should know by now
The singer knows that the morning's first cigarette is the best one he'll have all day
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES MCMURTRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind