Having success on his own for a bit, he later joined the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969, thus forming Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968. His career has since spanned over 40 years and 34 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration of musical styles; his musical vision is notably referred to by his autobiographical tune"The Loner". Music critics have often called him one of the best single artists of all time, and several tunes such as "Heart of Gold" and "Rockin' in the Free World" remain popular on rock radio.
According to the Don't Be Denied Songfacts, the 16-year-old Neil was raising chickens and selling the eggs, with plans to go to Ontario Agricultural College and be a farmer. Only his leisure activities foretold his future, when he would hide from his family problems in his room with his transistor radio playing local station CHUM. From this, Young experienced a growing admiration for rock n roll originators such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis Presley. In 1958, his father bought Neil his first music instrument, a plastic ukulele. His father would later recall, "He would close the door of his room... and we would hear plunk, pause while he moved his fingers to the next chord, plunk, pause while he moved again, plunk."
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Neil started his professional music career in the mid-60s with a number of bands in Canada, including the Squires and later the Mynah Birds, which also included fellow future Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer and future funk star Rick James. When the Mynah Birds broke up, Young and Palmer headed to California to meet Stephen Stills, whom he had met in Thunder Bay, and the result was Buffalo Springfield. That band split up after releasing three critically acclaimed albums, particularly achieving international fame for their tune "For What It's Worth".
Showing his strengths as a cynical yet experimental songwriter in the group, he also sung prominently in some of the band's songs such as the biting satire of 'rock star' life "Mr. Soul". Neil soon started his solo career with the release of 'Neil Young' on November 12, 1968. The album did not do very well commercially, but it included several strong tracks, including "The Loner", said to be a portrait of Stephen Stills but also being deeply auto-biographical.
On May 14, 1969, he recruited members of Crazy Horse and made the critically acclaimed 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'. This was a much more consistent album, being the first to introduce longstanding collaborators Crazy Horse and beingbuilt around the balanced interplay between the guitar playing of Young and the talented Danny Whitten. The album also featured two lengthy classics, "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". The critically acclaimed solo album "After the Gold Rush" came out in 1971, featuring such classic songs as "Southern Man'", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Don't Let it Bring You Down". Harvest followed in 1972 with the hit"Heart of Gold".
During this time he also enjoyed considerable success as a quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Neil's subsequent work has zig-zagged across genres - dabbling in country rock on "Old Ways"; electronics on "Trans"; hooking up with the Shocking Pinks in a homage to old-time Rock 'n' Roll on "Everybody's Rockin'"; creating a wall of feedback on the live Arc-Weld; and cementing his status as Godfather of Grunge when collaborating with Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball.
His idiosyncratic approach to genre even led to him being sued by his record company (Geffen) in the 80s for making "uncharacteristic" music.
Young has also dabbled in film, most recently on the album/concert series/dvd Greendale.
Young is often known by the nickname "Shakey." According to his biographer Jimmy McDonough, the name was given by his friends after noticing very unsteady results holding a camera for home movies.
Young founded Pono Music, whose mission was to bring a digital player, download store, and streaming service devoted to hi-res music. It was a commercial flop and was shut down in 2016. Young has stated that the labels would not agree that "All songs should cost the same, regardless of digital resolution."
The film Canadian Bacon includes the line "Canadians are always trying to figure out a lot of ways to ruin our lives. The metric system, for the love of God! Celsius! Neil Young!"
For recent news see: http://www.neilyoung.com/
The Last Trip to Tulsa
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard a siren scream
Pulled over to the corner
And I fell into a dream
There were two men eating pennies
And three young girls who cried
The west coast is falling
I see rocks in the sky
And laid it on the stool
He said with the congregation running
Why should I play the fool?
Well, I used to be a woman, you know
I took you for a ride
I let you fly my airplane
It looked good for your pride
'Cause you're the kind of man, you know
Who likes what he says
I wonder what's it's like
To be so far over my head
Well, the lady made the wedding
And she brought along the ring
She got down on her knees
And said, "let's get on with this thing"
Well, I used to be a folk singer
Keeping managers alive
When you saw me on a corner
And told me I was jive
So I unlocked your mind, you know
To see what I could see
If you guarantee the postage
I'll mail you back the key
Well, I woke up in the morning
With an arrow through my nose
There was an Indian in the corner
Trying on my clothes
Well, I used to be asleep, you know
With blankets on my bed
I stayed there for a while
'Til they discovered I was dead
The coroner was friendly
I liked him quite a lot
If I hadn't've been a woman
I guess I'd never have been caught
They gave me back my house and car
And nothing more was said
Well, I was driving down the freeway
When my car ran out of gas
Pulled over to the station
But I was afraid to ask
The servicemen were yellow
And the gasoline was green
Although I knew I couldn't
I thought that I was gonna scream
That was on my last trip to Tulsa
Just before the snow
If you ever need a ride there
Be sure to let me know
I was chopping down a palm tree
When a friend dropped by to ask
If I would feel less lonely
If he helped me swing the axe
I said, "no, it's not a case of being lonely
We have here
I've been working on this palm tree
For eighty seven years"
I said, no, it's not a case of being lonely
We have here
I've been working on this palm tree
For eighty seven years"
He said, "go get lost"
And walked towards his Cadillac
I chopped down the palm tree
And it landed on his back
Neil Young's song The Last Trip to Tulsa is a journey through various disconnected scenes and is interpreted in different ways by music critics. The song is divided into five stanzas, each telling a different story, and the listener must connect the dots to create a coherent narrative. The song seems to revolve around the idea of journeys and how life is a series of them.
In the first verse, Young describes a dream where he comes across strange and surreal characters, including men eating pennies and girls crying. The second stanza features a narrative in the guise of a woman and her male partner, who she believes is out of her league. In the third stanza, Young takes on the persona of a folk singer, who claims he unlocked the mind of a condescending onlooker. The fourth stanza tells the story of a woman who wakes up dead and is given her possessions back. The final stanza talks about having car trouble and chopping down palm trees.
The song is open to interpretation, but most critics agree that it's about Neil Young's own travels and experiences. The title suggests that he has taken his last trip to Tulsa, which was a significant part of his life. One interpretation is that he's describing the experiences of a drifter who has lost touch with reality, and the song is his wandering thoughts. Alternatively, it can be seen as an autobiographical account of Young's journey through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I used to drive a cab, you know
I once worked as a taxi driver
I heard a siren scream
I heard a loud police siren
Pulled over to the corner
I stopped the car at the curb
And I fell into a dream
I began to daydream
There were two men eating pennies
I saw two strange men doing something odd
And three young girls who cried
I saw three young girls crying
The west coast is falling
I feel like something bad is happening on the west coast of the US
I see rocks in the sky
I have a vivid imagination
The preacher took his bible
A preacher I saw had a bible in his hand
And laid it on the stool
The preacher put the bible on a stool
He said with the congregation running
The preacher said something while the congregation was leaving
Why should I play the fool?
The preacher wondered why he should be foolish
Well, I used to be a woman, you know
I used to identify as a woman
I took you for a ride
I deceived you
I let you fly my airplane
I gave you control of my airplane
It looked good for your pride
You felt good about it because it was an ego boost
'Cause you're the kind of man, you know
You have a personality that enjoys something
Who likes what he says
You enjoy the sound of your own voice
I wonder what's it's like
I am curious about something
To be so far over my head
To be much more advanced or skilled than me
Well, the lady made the wedding
The woman planned the wedding
And she brought along the ring
She had the wedding ring with her
She got down on her knees
She knelt on the ground
And said, "let's get on with this thing"
She urged everyone to start the wedding
Well, I used to be a folk singer
I used to be a musician
Keeping managers alive
I struggled to keep my managers happy
When you saw me on a corner
When you saw me on the street
And told me I was jive
And accused me of talking nonsense
So I unlocked your mind, you know
I helped you understand something
To see what I could see
To provide you with my perspective
If you guarantee the postage
If you pay for me to send something to you
I'll mail you back the key
I will send you something important
Well, I woke up in the morning
I woke up early
With an arrow through my nose
Someone shot an arrow through my nose
There was an Indian in the corner
I saw a Native American person
Trying on my clothes
They were trying on my clothes
Well, I used to be asleep, you know
I was unconscious
With blankets on my bed
I had blankets on my bed
I stayed there for a while
I remained in bed for some time
'Til they discovered I was dead
Until someone found out that I had died
The coroner was friendly
The person who examined my body was kind
I liked him quite a lot
I thought he was a nice person
If I hadn't've been a woman
If I had not been female
I guess I'd never have been caught
I would not have been apprehended
They gave me back my house and car
My property was returned to me
And nothing more was said
Nothing else happened after that
Well, I was driving down the freeway
I was driving on the highway
When my car ran out of gas
My car ran out of fuel
Pulled over to the station
I stopped at a gas station
But I was afraid to ask
I was scared to ask for help
The servicemen were yellow
The gas station attendants were cowardly
And the gasoline was green
The fuel was an unusual green color
Although I knew I couldn't
Even though I was aware I could not
I thought that I was gonna scream
I felt like shouting out in frustration
That was on my last trip to Tulsa
That was the last time I went to Tulsa
Just before the snow
It was just before it started to snow
If you ever need a ride there
If you ever need transportation to Tulsa
Be sure to let me know
Tell me, and I will help you out
I was chopping down a palm tree
I was cutting down a tree
When a friend dropped by to ask
My friend came to see me
If I would feel less lonely
If I was lonely
If he helped me swing the axe
If he could help me use the axe
I said, "no, it's not a case of being lonely
I replied that I wasn't lonely
We have here
We are here together
I've been working on this palm tree
I have been cutting down this tree
For eighty seven years"
For a very long time
He said, "go get lost"
He told me to leave him alone
And walked towards his Cadillac
He went to his car
I chopped down the palm tree
I finished cutting down the tree
And it landed on his back
The tree fell and hit him
Lyrics © Broken Arrow Music, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind