Guitar
Mystical/Purple Lyrics
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Bout the old silver miner
Name of hard rock Pete
Had his house built on a slope
They say one of his legs
Lived in Calico
There's a rumor going round
That the other lived in hope
And I stopped
I turned around
And looked over my shoulder
And a voice close beside me said
You'd better watch your head
The party's over
It wasn't long before
The waitress came over and said
Can I freshen up your drink
And have you heard of these boys
And if you feel included
To buy some cowboy boots
Well it's not that bad
We can talk above the noise'
So I sucked on my beer
Shut my eyes
And tried to listen to the words
I know I missed the meaning
But the message
Was something I'd already heard
Johnny Ringo's voice
Is getting deeper
And now he's going to put
Another lock on the door
The night is getting later
My head is getting lighter
The mood is getting darker
Tequila's being poured
So I smile
At the old gunslinger
In his frame on the wall
As he pushed back his hat
And it's all coming back
I'd cut a long story short
But it's much too late for that
Somebody stole my guitar
They took it from
The back seat of my car
I was sleeping in Memphis
In my hotel room
And somebody stole my guitar
The lyrics to Mystical/Purple's song Guitar paints a picture of a lone traveler stopping at a bar or a pub of sorts along the way. The lyrics begin with an intriguing tale of an old miner named Hard Rock Pete, who supposedly had one of his legs living in the town of Calico and the other in Hope. The traveler hears this tale from a voice close beside him while walking in a room, and then warns him to watch his head as the party's over. The imagery of the old miner and his strange living arrangement sets the surreal atmosphere for the song.
The lyrics then move on to the traveler hearing chatter around him from the waitress in the bar, who talks about some cowboy boots and some boys. The traveler is lost in thought and tries to understand what's being said, but instead, he listens to the band playing and understands the message of the song. He acknowledges that the message is something he's already heard before. The lyrics introduce a new character, Johnny Ringo, and show that the night is getting later, the head is getting lighter, and the mood is getting darker with tequila being poured.
The song ends on a haunting note with the traveler realizing that someone has stolen his guitar from the backseat of his car while he was sleeping in Memphis. Guitar is a story of a traveler who encounters strange and surreal characters and situations along the way, trying to make sense of it all. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but at the core, they speak to the human experience of finding meaning in life through the people we meet and the stories we hear.
Line by Line Meaning
Remind me to tell you
Let me make a mental note to share a story with you.
Bout the old silver miner
Regarding a retired worker who used to extract materials from mines.
Name of hard rock Pete
His name was Hard Rock Pete.
Had his house built on a slope
His home was constructed on an incline.
They say one of his legs
Rumor has it that one of his legs...
Lived in Calico
...resided in Calico.
There's a rumor going round
People are talking about a hearsay.
That the other lived in hope
Another story is circulating that the other leg lived in hope.
So I walked in the room
I entered the room.
And I stopped
I paused my movement.
I turned around
I changed my direction.
And looked over my shoulder
I peered behind me.
And a voice close beside me said
An adjacent voice whispered to me.
You'd better watch your head
Be advised to protect your head.
The party's over
The celebration has ended.
It wasn't long before
Briefly after that...
The waitress came over and said
The server approached me and spoke.
Can I freshen up your drink
Would you like me to refill your beverage?
And have you heard of these boys
Are you familiar with these male performers?
And if you feel included
If you believe you fit in with their music...
To buy some cowboy boots
...you might consider purchasing some cowboy-style shoes.
Well it's not that bad
I disagree with the negative statement.
We can talk above the noise
We can converse despite the loud environment.
So I sucked on my beer
I sipped on my beer.
Shut my eyes
I closed my eyelids.
And tried to listen to the words
I attempted to hear and comprehend the lyrics.
I know I missed the meaning
I am aware that I failed to understand the the message.
But the message
However, the theme...
Was something I'd already heard
...was not novel to me.
Johnny Ringo's voice
The voice of Johnny Ringo...
Is getting deeper
...is becoming lower in tone.
And now he's going to put
Furthermore, he plans to add...
Another lock on the door
...an additional lock to the entrance.
The night is getting later
The evening is progressing.
My head is getting lighter
I am feeling lightheaded.
The mood is getting darker
The atmosphere is becoming more somber.
Tequila's being poured
Tequila is being served.
So I smile
I express a grin.
At the old gunslinger
I direct my smile towards the aging cowboy.
In his frame on the wall
As pictured in his portrait mounted on the wall.
As he pushed back his hat
As he tipped his hat rearward.
And it's all coming back
Memories are resurfacing.
I'd cut a long story short
To summarize a lengthy narrative...
But it's much too late for that
...that is no longer feasible or warranted.
Somebody stole my guitar
An unknown thief took my musical instrument.
They took it from
The theft occurred in the vicinity of...
The back seat of my car
...the rear seating area of my automobile.
I was sleeping in Memphis
During my rest period in Memphis...
In my hotel room
...while lodged in my room.
And somebody stole my guitar
...someone stole my stringed musical instrument.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: IAN GILLAN, IAN ANDERSON PAICE, JON LORD, ROGER DAVID GLOVER, STEVEN J. MORSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@scottpierson4627
True story. In 1990, I had started playing guitar. First song? Stairway To Heaven. In guitar world.
Then a few months later, I picked up another issue. Had this and thunderstruck (think was late 90 or early 91). It had the level seven version in it. Since the song was written on piano, the guitar chords transition to what we know. The REAL trick is, Wendy only plays that F5add9 ONCE at the beginning, and pretty much does a straight F major for the rest.
You watch the video/movie, you’ll see it. And you can do like Prince does and Hendrix that chord to do the fills throughout the song.
A friend of mine who plays semi professional (he has a day job but gigs a LOT) is a Prince disciple and plays level five. When I showed him how I played it, he goes “no, I’m not going to play eight minutes of barre chords” and showed me the easier way, lol! He knew how to play it level seven, just chose not to.
Mostly because of that last Eb shape, which is ridiculous despite that F chord, so even if you drop to F major throughout, and you want to be authentic that Eb will kill you. With it being a clean tone, you can’t hide behind distortion if you mess up, and it’s vital to hit all strings in it to get the lushness of it. So if you good, people will know.
In and of itself it’s an easy song as you’ve shown. The complexity comes from the chord fingerings and how authentic you wish to be.
@TheArtofGuitar
True Story: It took me four times to make this video. First three had technical issues and had to be tossed. It wasn't until the fourth time that I decided to wear my jacket. I use it in my Heart tribute but it has a bit of a Prince vibe. No issues this time. Pretty sure Prince was like, "I ain't letting it through until he puts on something classier than just a t-shirt. 🤣 He sure made me work for this one. ☂☔
@geekwithsocialskills
Prince smiling down on you right now. I knew a few of these methods to play Purple Rain, but now I have a few more ways in my pocket which will be great to teach my little nephew who is interested in guitar and just learning.
@8bitdreams4u
Nice! You are looking badass in that jacket man. Great video, will be hanging up my controller for the guitar for a bit. 🎸☔️
@HannahCope88
You sure did it justice and then some. It's gonna be fun trying out all these different ways to play it. Prince is pretty much the reason I want to get a Telecaster.
@pwnEdge1
Y’a i believe it , finger stretching chords😲🙃🎸
@anthonyw5261
Ohhhh that's freaking classic ❤❤😂😂
@psychedpanda3333
Those opening chords to purple rain are ethereal
@brianrossiter2547
Wendy ❤
@Weshopwizard
Yep. Very near the top of my favorite guitar intros of all time.
@lucianoromero777
Purple rain was also the first ever live recording one take