The four-time Grammy winner has acted in a number of films and been a guest-star on television. Lovett was married to actress Julia Roberts for a short time in the mid-1990s. In 2002, he was gored by a bull while working on his uncle's farm in Texas, but soon recovered and resumed touring.
This Old Porch
Lyle Lovett Lyrics
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Standing under a mesquite tree
Out in Agua Dulce
And he just keeps on playing hide and seek
With that hot August sun
Just a-sweatin' and a-pantin'
Cause his work is never done
With lots of cheese and onions
And a guacamole salad
And you can get 'em down at the LaSalle Hotel
In old downtown
With iced tea and a waitress
And she will smile every time
And this old porch is the Palace walk-in
On the main street of Texas
That's never seen the day
Of G and R and Xs
With that '62 poster
That's almost faded down
And a screen without a picture
Since Giant came to town
And this old porch is like a weathered, gray-haired
Seventy years of Texas
Who's doing all he can
Not to give in to the city
And he always takes the rent late
So long as I run his cattle
And he picks me up at dinnertime
And I listen to him rattle
He says the Brazos still runs muddy
Just like she's run all along
And there ain't never been no cane to grind
The cotton's all but gone
And you know this brand new Chevrolet
Hell it was something back in '60
But now there won't nobody listen to him
'Cause they all think he's crazy
And this old porch is just a long time
Of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back
And not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down
And the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those passerby
Who said we'd never get back up
This old porch is just a long time
Of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back
And not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down
And the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those sons-of-bitches
Who said we'd never get back up
The lyrics of Lyle Lovett's song "This Old Porch" paint a nostalgic picture of a porch in Agua Dulce, Texas. The porch is described as being like a big old Hereford bull, standing under a mesquite tree, playing hide and seek with the hot August sun. The imagery of the porch as a living, breathing creature, with its own personality, is a metaphor for the passage of time and the changing landscape of Texas.
The porch is also compared to a steaming plate of enchiladas, with lots of cheese and onions and a guacamole salad. This image evokes the taste and smell of Tex-Mex cuisine and the sense of community that comes with sharing a meal. The porch is a gathering place, where people congregate to share stories and memories.
As the song progresses, the porch becomes a symbol of resilience and perseverance, standing up to the changing times and the challenges of modernity. The old man who owns the porch is a survivor, doing all he can to hold onto his way of life. The porch, like the man who owns it, is a survivor, weathered and gray-haired, but still standing.
In summary, "This Old Porch" is a celebration of Texas culture and a reminder of the importance of resilience and perseverance in the face of change.
Line by Line Meaning
This old porch is like a big old red and white Hereford bull
Standing under a mesquite tree
Out in Agua Dulce
And he just keeps on playing hide and seek
With that hot August sun
Just a-sweatin' and a-pantin'
Cause his work is never done
This porch is like a hardworking, persistent bull standing under a mesquite tree in the scorching sun of Agua Dulce, always sweating and panting due to the never-ending workload.
And this old porch is like a steaming, greasy plate of enchiladas
With lots of cheese and onions
And a guacamole salad
And you can get 'em down at the LaSalle Hotel
In old downtown
With iced tea and a waitress
And she will smile every time
This porch is like a delicious plate of enchiladas with lots of cheese, onions, and guacamole salad that you can get from LaSalle Hotel in downtown, where you can enjoy the company of a friendly waitress who always greets you with a warm smile.
And this old porch is the Palace walk-in
On the main street of Texas
That's never seen the day
Of G and R and Xs
With that '62 poster
That's almost faded down
And a screen without a picture
Since Giant came to town
This porch is like an old, classic music venue called Palace walk-in, located on the main street of Texas, which has never seen the day of genres like G, R, and X. It has an old '62 poster that's almost faded down and a screen that has been blank since the movie Giant was last shown.
And this old porch is like a weathered, gray-haired
Seventy years of Texas
Who's doing all he can
Not to give in to the city
And he always takes the rent late
So long as I run his cattle
And he picks me up at dinnertime
And I listen to him rattle
This porch is like an old, experienced Texan, who's been through a lot, and is trying hard not to lose his rural ways to the city lifestyle. He always lets me pay the rent late as long as I take care of his cattle, and he picks me up for dinner while he tells me stories.
He says the Brazos still runs muddy
Just like she's run all along
And there ain't never been no cane to grind
The cotton's all but gone
And you know this brand new Chevrolet
Hell it was something back in '60
But now there won't nobody listen to him
'Cause they all think he's crazy
He tells me that the Brazos river still runs muddy as it always has, and there hasn't been any sugar cane to process since the cotton industry died out. He mentions how his brand new Chevrolet was something special back in the '60s, but people don't listen to him anymore since they all think he's crazy.
And this old porch is just a long time
Of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back
And not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down
And the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those passerby
Who said we'd never get back up
This porch represents the passage of time, where we wait for things to happen, forget things that have passed, remember what's to come, and not dwell on the past. We also remember the times when we fell down, but we laugh at the bad luck that the passersby said we would never recover from.
This old porch is just a long time
Of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back
And not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down
And the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those sons-of-bitches
Who said we'd never get back up
This final line is a repetition of the previous one. It emphasizes that this porch represents the continuous cycle of life, where we wait, forget, remember, and laugh, even at the people who doubted us and thought we'd never recover from the times when we fell down.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: LYLE PEARCE LOVETT, ROBERT EARL JR. KEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind