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.
If You Were A Bluebird
Joe Ely Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd give you a true word, but you've already had one
If you were a bluebird, you'd be crying
You'd be flying home
If you were a raindrop, you'd shine like a rainbow
And if you were a train stop, the conductor would sing low
If you were a raindrop, you'd be falling
If you were a hotel, you'd be a grand one
But if you hit a slow spell, do you think you could stand one?
If you were hotel, I'd lean on your doorbell
I'd call you my home
If I was a highway, I'd stretch alongside you
I'd have you pass byways, that have dissatisfied you
If I was a highway, I'd be stretching
I'd be fetching you home
In Joe Ely's song "If You Were A Bluebird," the singer imagines different scenarios for the person he is addressing, all the while expressing his affection for them. The first verse talks about how if the person were a bluebird, they would be a sad one, and the singer would give them a true word, but they have already had one. This suggests that the person has already been given comfort, but they are still feeling down-hearted. The second verse imagines the person as a raindrop, and suggests that they would be beautiful and special in their own way, just like a rainbow. The verse ends with the idea that the raindrop would be calling home, which could be interpreted as a desire to be reunited with someone.
In the third verse, the singer imagines the person as a hotel. He praises them, saying that they would be a grand one, but wonders if they could stand it if business slowed down. The final verse implies that the singer himself would be willing to be a highway for the person, to take them to places they have never been before and lead them home. Overall, the song expresses the singer's deep love for the person he is addressing and his desire to comfort them.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were a bluebird, you'd be a sad one
If you were a bluebird, you would be unhappy.
I'd give you a true word, but you've already had one
I would speak honestly to you, but you have already heard it before.
If you were a bluebird, you'd be crying
If you were a bluebird, you would be weeping.
You'd be flying home
You would be returning to your place of origin.
If you were a raindrop, you'd shine like a rainbow
If you were a raindrop, you would glisten like a rainbow.
And if you were a train stop, the conductor would sing low
If you were a train stop, the conductor would speak softly.
If you were a raindrop, you'd be falling
If you were a raindrop, you would be descending.
You'd be calling home
You would be summoning your home.
If you were a hotel, you'd be a grand one
If you were a hotel, you would be magnificent.
But if you hit a slow spell, do you think you could stand one?
But if you had a period of low business, do you think you could handle it?
If you were a hotel, I'd lean on your doorbell
If you were a hotel, I would rely on you for a place to stay.
I'd call you my home
I would refer to you as my dwelling place.
If I was a highway, I'd stretch alongside you
If I were a highway, I would run parallel to you.
I'd have you pass byways, that have dissatisfied you
I would lead you on roads that have previously disappointed you.
If I was a highway, I'd be stretching
If I were a highway, I would be extending.
I'd be fetching you home
I would bring you back to your place of origin.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BUTCH HANCOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heather Metcalfe
I'm in my sixties now, I've loved all kinds of music my whole life and these three guys as solo artists, but performing together they are just so incredibly good, and this is such a great song. Huge fan of all of them and huge, huge fan of the Flatlanders!
Roxanne Queen
Still going strong,if you get the chance, go!
Rod Birch
My (heroic) older brother performed this song with an acoustic guitar during a small memorial service we had for our recently passed mom. Great song, very touching, and apropos. His rendition choked us all up. Love you Mom, hope we did you proud.
J60M MPHY
Jimmie Dale Gilmore sure has a great voice!
Anette Holm
They all have! So beautiful and touching! <3
Linda Kate
....otherworldly...gifted from spiritual realms unseen ✨
catfishdance
gotta be one of the best performances ever, of anything....
These guys are wondrous...
Horsehide
I cannot do anything but agree. Super performance.
James Dinkins
I agree
TC Smith
All three voices are so different... yet these guys are great friends and share songs back and forth. Met them in 1971 in Lubbock. Probably the bestest ever group musically ever.