Shortly after high school, in 1970, with fellow Lubbock musicians Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, he formed The Flatlanders. According to Ely, "Jimmie was like a well of country music. He knew everything about it. And Butch was from the folk world. I was kinda the rock & roll guy, and we almost had a triad. We hit it off and started playing a lot together. That opened up a whole new world I had never known existed." In 1972, the band released their first and— until 2002's Now Again— only album, but have appeared together on each other's albums. Since the band's initial break-up just after their album was cut, the three musicians have followed individual paths.
Ely's own first album, self titled, was released in 1977. The following year, his band played London where he met punk rock group The Clash. Impressed with each other's performances, the two bands would later tour together, including appearances in Ely's hometown of Lubbock, as well as Laredo and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Since then, a steady stream of albums have followed, most on the MCA label. Ely's live performances have become legendary, and he has released a live album roughly every ten years (the last was Live at Antone's in 2000). He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Los Super Seven, David Grissom, and James McMurtry in addition to his early work with The Clash and more recent acoustic tours with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark.
In the late 1990s, Ely was asked to write songs for Robert Redford's movie The Horse Whisperer, which led to reforming The Flatlanders with Gilmore and Hancock for an appearance on the movie soundtrack. A new album from the trio followed in 2002, with a third in 2004.
In February 2007, Ely released "Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch" on his own label, Rack 'Em Records. A book of Ely's writings was published in early 2007 by the University of Texas Press. Ely also released a second album of old lyrics that he has finally recorded.
Several other reissues of Ely's previous work were due out later in 2007 on Rack 'Em.
All My Love
Joe Ely Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, turn the key
All my love
Say you'll stay by me
All my love
Close your eyes and yawn
Well, I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
All my love
Comb your shiny hair
All my love
Lay away your cares
All my love
Close your eyes and yawn
Well, I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
But I can't stay up 'till dawn
Well, now that we're together
What more can I say?
Now that we're together, honey
Lay your blues away
All my love
Turn your light down low
All my love
Tell me you won't go
All my love
Close your eyes and yawn
Well, I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
But I can't stay up 'till dawn
I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
But I can't stay up 'till dawn
The song "All My Love" by Joe Ely is a beautiful love song that expresses the singer's love for someone else. The lyrics are all about his desire to be with the person he loves and how he wants to stay with them forever. The song starts with the singer asking the person he loves to turn the key and stay with him, laying their cares away. He expresses his love for them and how he can't stop looking at them for hours, but he can't stay up all night to keep watching them. The chorus repeats the phrase "All my love" several times, emphasizing the depth of the singer's feelings.
The second verse of the song is about how the singer feels now that he and the person he loves are together. He doesn't need to say anything else because they are together, and that's all that matters. The last verse is about the singer's fear that the person he loves might leave him. He asks them to turn their light down low, tell him they won't go, and close their eyes and yawn as he's been looking at them for hours.
Overall, "All My Love" is a sweet and simple love song that expresses the singer's deep affection for someone else. The song's melody is gentle, and the lyrics are full of love and warmth, making it a perfect song for romantic evenings.
Line by Line Meaning
All my love
Joe Ely is expressing his deep love to his partner
Baby, turn the key
Joe Ely is asking his partner to start the ignition and begin their journey together
Say you'll stay by me
Joe Ely is asking his partner to commit to staying with him
Close your eyes and yawn
Joe Ely is asking his partner to relax and unwind
Well, I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
But I can't stay up 'till dawn
Joe Ely is admiring his partner but can't stay awake all night
Comb your shiny hair
Joe Ely is asking his partner to take care of herself and look her best
Lay away your cares
Joe Ely is asking his partner to forget her worries and be carefree
Well, now that we're together
What more can I say?
Now that we're together, honey
Lay your blues away
Joe Ely is emphasizing the importance of being together with his partner and helping her to forget her problems
Turn your light down low
Joe Ely is asking his partner to set the mood and create a comfortable atmosphere
Tell me you won't go
Joe Ely is asking his partner to stay with him and not leave him alone
I been lookin' at you
For an hour or two
But I can't stay up 'till dawn
Joe Ely is reiterating that he wants to be with his partner, but he can't stay up all night
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOE ELY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind