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.
Letter To Laredo
Joe Ely Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No use for a man to keep a mighty river all dammed up inside
I jumped bail from the Sweet water County, now I'm on the run
On my head is a five number bounty, for a crime I never done
Take this letter to Laredo, to one I love
Tell her to stay low, beneath the stars above
Her love is my only alibi, it's for her love I lied
Why did Frankie have to pull that trigger? Why did you have to hide?
Sheriff still thinks I was standing with her, it's for her love I lied
Love will make a free man a prisoner, make an honest man lie
Love can be tough, love can be tender, it's my only alibi
Take this letter to Laredo, to one I love
Tell her to stay low, beneath the stars above
Her love is my only alibi, it's for her love I lied
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Take this letter to Laredo, to the one I love
Tell her to stay low beneath the stars above
Her love is my only alibi, it's for her love I lied
Yeah, yeah
Take this letter to Laredo
Tell her to stay low
Her love is my only alibi
It's for her love I lied
Yeah, yeah
Take this letter to Laredo
Hey, hey, hey, hey
The opening lines of "Letter to Laredo" by Joe Ely reflect on the emotional weight of the Mississippi River and the frustration of being held back by one's inner turmoil. The singer is on the run after allegedly committing a crime he didn't do, and he's hoping his love can vouch for his whereabouts when the crime was committed. He believes love can be his only alibi, and he's asking the messenger to deliver the letter to his significant other in Laredo to inform her to hide and be cautious.
The second verse of the song brings more context to the crime, suggesting that someone named Frankie pulled the trigger and the singer had to lie to protect his love. He's aware that getting caught would result in a life sentence or death, but he's willing to risk everything to protect his loved one. The song ends with the singer asking the messenger to take the letter to Laredo and stressing that his only alibi is his love.
This song captures themes of love, loyalty, and sacrifice, all set against the backdrop of the Wild West's romanticized culture of outlawry. "Letter to Laredo" is a classic ballad with a signature Joe Ely touch that contours the song's melancholy and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was riding across the Mississippi stopped there and I cried
While riding across the Mississippi, I stopped and cried because there's no use in a man keeping emotions and struggles all bottled up inside.
No use for a man to keep a mighty river all dammed up inside
It is not worth it for a man to suppress his feelings and problems, just as it is not worth it to stop a powerful river by building a dam.
I jumped bail from the Sweet water County, now I'm on the run
I fled from Sweetwater County after jumping bail and am now on the run from the authorities.
On my head is a five number bounty, for a crime I never done
There is a reward of five numbers offered for my capture, even though I am innocent of the crime I'm accused of.
Take this letter to Laredo, to one I love
Deliver this message to my love in Laredo.
Tell her to stay low, beneath the stars above
Advise her to stay hidden and safe under the night sky.
Her love is my only alibi, it's for her love I lied
Her love is the only thing that will provide me a defense for my actions, which were motivated by my love for her.
Why did Frankie have to pull that trigger? Why did you have to hide?
I question why Frankie had to use violence, and why you had to cover for me.
Sheriff still thinks I was standing with her, it's for her love I lied
The sheriff still believes I had something to do with the crime, but I was only trying to protect my lover.
Love will make a free man a prisoner, make an honest man lie
Love can be both constricting and powerful enough to make someone deceive others.
Love can be tough, love can be tender, it's my only alibi
Love can present challenges and sweetness, but it is still the only thing that can justify my actions.
Take this letter to Laredo, to one I love
Once again, convey this message to my love in Laredo.
Tell her to stay low, beneath the stars above
Repeat the previous advice to keep her safe and hidden.
Take this letter to Laredo
A final plea to deliver the message to Laredo.
Tell her to stay low
Reiterating the message to keep her safe and undetected.
Her love is my only alibi
Once more, emphasizing that his love for her is his only defense.
It's for her love I lied
Concluding that the reason for his deception was solely for her love.
Yeah, yeah
Expression of agreement and affirmation.
Hey, hey, hey, hey
An exclamation of excitement and joy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOE ELY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jethro719
Joe's ,'Live @ Antones' is "must hear cd". Jesse Taylor (guy all the way to the right) plays some blistering guitar on it. RIP, Jesse .
Cesare Lodesani
Just to ask, is that glenn fukunaga on bass? So them here in Italy in 1996 and i remember that they were this same line up but i'm not sure if that is glenn...
Barry Hestand
What a treasure!