RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Their literature claimed they discovered a guitar in the jungle near Ceara, Brazil, and, after making sure it wasn't going to explode like other firearms their tribesmen had found, began to examine it. Eventually, they both mastered the instrument and came to the attention of townspeople, one of whom took them to Rio de Janeiro to play.
Dressing up in ceremonial Indian costumes, the brothers perfected a nightclub act in which they sang and played Brazilian and Latin folk songs. They changed their names to Natalicio and Antenor Lima and began touring throughout South America. In 1943, RCA's Latin American arm signed them to a contract.
In the early 1950s, they took a break from touring and returned to study, each with a different teacher. Natalicio focused on melody and Antenor worked on harmony. They also added a substantial classical repertoire to their act, including guitar pieces by Bach, Falla, and Albeniz.
Another tour followed, this time to Europe as well, and they recorded several more albums for RCA in Mexico. One of their singles, "Maria Elena," released in 1958, became a steady seller, and by early 1962, its success caught the eye of RCA's U.S. division. They issued the tune, and this lovely, gentle melody quickly carved a solid niche in the U.S. pop charts. It ended up spending 14 weeks in the U.S. Top 10 and 17 weeks in the U.K. charts, and the subsequent album placed in the Top 10 album chart as well. Within a year, the brothers followed with another single, "Always in My Heart," but the novelty had worn off and it barely dented the Top 100.
Chet Atkins was particularly impressed by the brothers' guitar work, and he invited them to Nashville, where they recorded an instrumental album with Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer, and--in one of the oddest releases of the countrypolitan era--one with singer Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me").
RCA--both the U.S. and Latin American divisions--continued to record them well into the 1980s, and the brother's mellow guitar style proved a big influence on a new generation of guitarists such as Rick Vito
St. Louis Blues
Los indios tabajaras Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die
The lyrics of Los Indios Tabajaras’ song St. Louis Blues portray a forlorn lover lamenting the departure of their significant other. The opening lines set the melancholic tone, as the singer expresses their hatred for the evening sun setting, knowing that it symbolizes the fact that their lover has left the town. They indicate that the feeling of despair they have would also persist in the upcoming day, as they contemplate leaving town, and leaving the pain behind.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to have a particular ire for the woman who has pulled their lover away. This woman is described as having a diamond ring, which is reminiscent of the archetype of the femme fatale. She is the reason why the singer’s lover has left town and abandoned them, and the singer despises her for it, as she describes how this man “would have gone nowhere, nowhere” without her.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down
It pains me to witness the sun setting
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Because my beloved has departed from this place
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
Anticipating to face the next day with the same emotions as today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If my emotions remain the same tomorrow as they are today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
I'll pack my belongings and depart from here
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
A lady from St. Louis adorns herself with a precious ring
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
She tugs that man around in her influence, if it was not for her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
The man I adore would not have progressed anywhere without her
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
I'm sorrowful and downhearted with the St. Louis blues
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
The man I love is as cold-hearted as a rock in the depths of the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
Otherwise, he wouldn't have travelled such a distance away from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
I cherish my beloved as much as a school boy cherishes his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I adore him as much as a Kentucky colonel loves his mint and rye
I love my man till the day I die
I'll love my man till the day I breathe my last
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIAM C HANDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind