Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947) is an Austin, Texas, honky-tonk/country mus… Read Full Bio ↴Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947) is an Austin, Texas, honky-tonk/country musician. Ely, born in Amarillo, spent his formative years from age 12 in Lubbock, Texas.

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.

Because Of The Wind
Joe Ely Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Do you know why the trees bend
At the west Texas border?
Do you know why they bend
Sway and twine?
The trees bend because of the wind
Across that lonesome border
The trees bend because of the wind
Almost all the time

Have you seen my Caroline
Up in Amarillo?
Have you seen my Caroline
The one that I call mine?
Well, if you see my Caroline
With her hair of yellow
If you see my Caroline
Tell her I'm doin' fine

She is to me like the breeze
That blows from Corpus Christi
She is to me like the breeze
That blows up from the sea
Now if she is like the breeze
That blows from Corpus Christi
Then I must be like the trees
'Cause Caroline blows through me

Do you know why the trees bend
At the west Texas border?
Do you know why they bend
Sway and twine?
The trees bend because of the wind
Across that lonesome border

The trees bend because of the wind
Almost all the time

Overall Meaning

The song "Because of the Wind" by Joe Ely uses the imagery of the trees bending at the west Texas border to convey a sense of isolation and loneliness. The wind is a powerful force in this lyric, representing the vastness and unpredictability of the region. The trees are personified to show that they too are affected by this force, which is an important aspect of the song's message as they represent the singer and his relationship with his lover Caroline.

The mention of Caroline in the song emphasizes the longing that the singer feels, as she is his source of comfort and stability amidst the chaos and barrenness of the landscape. The comparison between Caroline and the wind shows the depth of his emotional connection to her, and how she is a part of him like the wind is a part of the trees. The final lines of the song reveal that the singer feels like Caroline "blows through" him, showing that their connection is so strong that they are almost one.

Overall, "Because of the Wind" is a poetic exploration of love and longing set against the backdrop of the harsh and unforgiving landscape of west Texas. The use of natural imagery and personification serves to underscore the emotional depth of the song and the connection between the singer and his lover.

Line by Line Meaning

Do you know why the trees bend
Have you ever wondered why the trees in west Texas bend?

At the west Texas border?
Have you noticed that the trees seem to bend more at the border of west Texas?

Do you know why they bend
Have you ever thought about why those trees bend the way they do?

Sway and twine?
Have you noticed the way those trees dance in the wind?

The trees bend because of the wind
Those trees bend so much because of the powerful wind that hits them.

Across that lonesome border
You can see the trees bending most noticeably at the border where the wind is the strongest.

The trees bend because of the wind
The wind causes such a strong force that the trees only have one choice but to bend.

Almost all the time
This happens so often that it's hard to imagine the trees not bending.

Have you seen my Caroline
Have you seen my beloved Caroline anywhere?

Up in Amarillo?
Have you seen her around Amarillo or its vicinity?

Have you seen my Caroline
Have you come across anyone that might have seen Caroline?

The one that I call mine?
The one that is my dearest and closest companion.

Well, if you see my Caroline
If you happen to come across her on your travels,

With her hair of yellow
She has beautiful and radiant yellow hair.

If you see my Caroline
If you encounter her on your journey.

Tell her I'm doin' fine
Let her know that I am doing well and hope to see her soon.

She is to me like the breeze
Caroline is a lot like the gentle breeze.

That blows from Corpus Christi
A breeze like the one that comes from the Corpus Christi region.

She is to me like the breeze
To me, Caroline is a lot like a calming, soothing breeze.

That blows up from the sea
Just like the breeze that comes from the ocean, Caroline also brings comfort and happiness to my life.

Now if she is like the breeze
If my Caroline is just like the breeze,

That blows from Corpus Christi
The type that is gentle, cool, and calming.

Then I must be like the trees
Then I must be like the trees that sway and bend gracefully with the wind that comes through them.

'Cause Caroline blows through me
Just as the wind blows through the trees, Caroline and her calming presence travels through me.