Gilmore also played "Smokey" in The Big Lebowski
Banks of the Guadalupe
Jimmie Dale Gilmore Lyrics
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On a summer's evening and a haloed moon
Wide-eyed as night owls, naked as a dream
We washed our love in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
We slept like time itself under diamond skies
Far from the bright lights and the city's lies
Our love arose like a morning dream And it was washed in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
Well the mountain dreams of a blanket of snow
And the wild wind dreams of directions it might blow
But the river's dream is a dream of love
And a dream of sweet reflections from above.
Down by the banks of the river of change
We watched the river running from the wishes of the mountain range
And the stars and the wild wood played the season's theme
And it was washed in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
Down by the banks of the Guadalupe
On a summer's evening and a haloed moon
Wide-eyed as night owls, naked as a dream
We washed our love in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
"Banks of the Guadalupe" by Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a song about two lovers who go to the bank of the river Guadalupe on a Summer's evening. The first verse describes their physical state, "naked as a dream," while they wash their love in the rippling waters of the river. The second verse sets the scene far away from "the city's lies," in the countryside, under "diamond skies." Their love is "like a morning dream" that is washed in the rivers of the rambling stream. The third verse personifies the mountain, the wind, and the river, each with different hopes and dreams. The mountain dreams of snow, the wind dreams of directions, and the river dreams of love and reflections. The fourth verse again returns to the river and the banks of the Guadalupe. The lovers watch the river run, and the stars and the trees play the music that represents the seasons. Finally, the lovers wash their love in the river once more.
The song is an excellent representation of the duality between humans and nature. The song portrays how humans are naturally drawn to nature and the beauty of the natural world, be it the rippling waters of the river or the diamond skies. It also shows how humans can find more freedom and authenticity by engaging with nature, whether by washing their love in the river or being far from the city's bright lights and lies.
Line by Line Meaning
Down by the banks of the Guadalupe
We were by the Guadalupe River.
On a summer's evening and a haloed moon
It was a summer night with a bright moon.
Wide-eyed as night owls, naked as a dream
We were alert and naked, like a dreamlike state.
We washed our love in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
We symbolically bathed our love in the flowing waters of the river.
We slept like time itself under diamond skies
We slept peacefully under a starry sky.
Far from the bright lights and the city's lies
We were far from the distractions and falsehoods of the city.
Our love arose like a morning dream
Our love emerged like a pleasant morning dream.
And it was washed in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
Our love was represented through the cleansing water of the river.
Well the mountain dreams of a blanket of snow
The mountain aspires for snowfall.
And the wild wind dreams of directions it might blow
The wind dreams of potential directions it can take.
But the river's dream is a dream of love
The river dreams of love and its attached emotions.
And a dream of sweet reflections from above.
The river dreams of hopeful possibilities from the heavens.
Down by the banks of the river of change
We were by the river that carries with it the idea of change.
We watched the river running from the wishes of the mountain range
We saw the river flowing away from the mountain's hopes and dreams.
And the stars and the wild wood played the season's theme
The stars and forest together depicted the season's essence.
And it was washed in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
The river's current carried our love, accentuated by the rippling water.
Down by the banks of the Guadalupe
We returned to the Guadalupe River.
On a summer's evening and a haloed moon
The setting was equivalent to our previous encounter.
Wide-eyed as night owls, naked as a dream
We were similarly naked and alert.
We washed our love in the rippling waters of a rambling stream.
Once again we symbolically cleansed our love using the river.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BUTCH HANCOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
malcolm bond
There is no one out there to compare with Jimmie Dale Gilmore,
He could sing 'Old Moores Almanac ' and it would be fantastic.
Ben Moore
This is my favorite JDG song and i don't understand how this is the only version if this song i can find! No live performances, no covers, nothin! Thank you so much for posting this. Is that Loretta Lynn in background vocals?
craig owen
Glad you like it. The whole Endless night cd is great. https://youtu.be/tIgg_QjJCxQ this is also one of my favorites.
4775joshua
How do you down vote this beautiful song?
Daryl Hall
Written by the legendary Butch Hancock :)