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.
I Had My Hopes Up High
Joe Ely Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Headed for some new terrain
Standin' on the highway with my coffee cup
A-wonderin' who was gonna pick me up
I had my hopes up high, I never thought that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
The driver kept a-tellin' me his bad luck
As we swerved around the curves I began to shout
Hey-ey mister would you let me out?
I had my hopes up high, I never though that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
And the next ride I got was with a man in trouble
The beard on his face was all in a stubble
Runnin' from the law he was goin' ninety-nine
I said hey-ey mister, you're out of your mind
I had my hopes up high, I never thought that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
Oh, the next ride I got was with a preacher man
Told me that the wicked would be buried in sand
Don't know why I did it but I lost control
Hey-ey papa, would you save my soul?
I had my hopes up high, I never thought that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
And I finally got a ride on a carnival train
Nearly blew away in a hurricane
I got to thinkin' 'bout that preacher down in Louisianne
Sittin' on the Delta Siftin' sand
I had my hopes up high, I never thought that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
The lyrics of Joe Ely's song "I Had My Hopes Up High" tell the story of a journey taken by the singer, who leaves home and embarks on a new adventure. The song explores themes of hope, expectation, and disappointment as the singer tries to navigate unfamiliar terrain and encounters a series of strange characters along the way. The opening line of the song - "Well, I left my home out on the great High Plains" - sets the scene for the journey, suggesting that the singer is seeking to escape a familiar environment and find something new.
As the singer stands on the highway with their coffee cup, they are filled with hope and anticipation. They believe that they will find something better on their journey and are optimistic about what lies ahead. However, as they encounter a series of characters on their journey - including a driver with bad luck, a man on the run from the law, and a preacher - their hopes are slowly dashed. Each encounter leaves the singer feeling disillusioned and questioning why they ever left home in the first place.
By the end of the song, the singer has finally found a ride on a carnival train, but even this experience is fraught with danger as they nearly blow away in a hurricane. As they think back to the preacher they encountered earlier in the journey, the singer realizes that their hope was misplaced and that they should have stayed where they were. The final lines of the song - "I never thought that I/Would ever wonder why I ever said good-bye/I had my hopes up high" - convey a sense of regret and resignation, as the singer comes to terms with the fact that their journey has not brought them what they were looking for.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Had My Hopes Up High" are a poignant exploration of the human experience of hope and disappointment, as well as the desire for adventure and the struggle to find one's place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I left my home out on the great High Plains
I left the place I called home and ventured towards unexplored territory.
Headed for some new terrain
I was going towards a new place or experiences.
Standin' on the highway with my coffee cup
I was waiting on the highway, holding my cup of coffee.
A-wonderin' who was gonna pick me up
I was curious about who would offer me a ride.
I had my hopes up high, I never thought that I
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
I had my hopes up high
I was optimistic about what the future held and didn't anticipate regretting leaving my home.
Well, the first ride I got was in a dynamite truck
The driver kept a-tellin' me his bad luck
As we swerved around the curves I began to shout
Hey-ey mister would you let me out?
The first ride I got was in a truck carrying explosives, where the driver shared their misfortunes. As the vehicle moved, I became frightened and asked to be let out.
And the next ride I got was with a man in trouble
The beard on his face was all in a stubble
Runnin' from the law he was goin' ninety-nine
I said hey-ey mister, you're out of your mind
My next ride was with a man trying to evade the law, whose unkempt beard hinted at his predicament. He was speeding, and I had to question his sanity.
Oh, the next ride I got was with a preacher man
Told me that the wicked would be buried in sand
Don't know why I did it but I lost control
Hey-ey papa, would you save my soul?
The next person who offered me a ride was a preacher, who preached about the wicked's fate. However, I became overwhelmed and implored him to save my soul.
And I finally got a ride on a carnival train
Nearly blew away in a hurricane
I got to thinkin' 'bout that preacher down in Louisianne
Sittin' on the Delta Siftin' sand
I had my hopes up high
Eventually, I boarded a carnival train but almost got swept away by a hurricane. During this time, I pondered the preacher I met in Louisiana and his beliefs while he sat on the Delta sifting sand.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOE ELY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind