Case has had a wide-ranging career ranging from new wave music to solo acoustic performance.
In 1976, Case teamed up with Jack Lee and Paul Collins, to form early new wave band The Nerves in San Francisco. The Nerves' 1976 single, "Hanging on the Telephone", was eventually recorded by Blondie.
After The Nerves disbanded, Case moved to Los Angeles and formed pop-rock band The Plimsouls in 1980. The group found success with the song "A Million Miles Away", but disbanded soon after. Case briefly toured with Gurf Morlix, Victoria Williams (Case's first wife), and Warren Tornado Klein in a group called the Incredibly Strung Out Band, which never released a record. Case struck out on his own with a self-titled album released in 1986 on Geffen Records and produced by T-Bone Burnett. The album included a number of songs cowritten by Williams, and also featured the talents of John Hiatt and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds.
In 1989, Case released a second solo disc, The Man With the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar, this time with the help of artists like David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, and Benmont Tench. While not a hit, the album was a favorite of critics and other musicians: Bruce Springsteen told Rolling Stone that he was listening to Peter Case more than anyone else that year.
Throughout the '90s and early 2000s, Case continued to release discs as a solo performer, moving in an increasingly acoustic-based direction, and playing clubs and small venues. His typical solo performances have featured his own compositions as well as covers of songs by Memphis Minnie, Sleepy John Estes, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and others.
In 1996, The Plimsouls reunited for a few shows and some recording sessions, and they have given occasional performances since then.
Case is also an active musicologist: in the late 1990's, he curated the musical program for the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. In 2001, Case organized, produced, and performed on a tribute album to blues music pioneer Mississippi John Hurt. Case also had the chance to perform Beatles songs at the Hollywood Bowl with Sir George Martin.
In February 2006, Hungry for Music, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, released a three-disc tribute to Case, entitled A Case for Case; the set featured cover versions of Case's songs performed by various artists, including John Prine, Susan Cowsill, and others
Down The Line
Peter Case Lyrics
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See the moon shine on (my)
empty, empty bed
See the moon shine on (my)
empty, empty bed
’Nother man got my woman
shotgun at my head.
Ain’t no use a-cryin’
she is gone tonight
Ain’t no use a-cryin’
she is gone tonight
You’re the ruler today
tomorrow may be alright.
It’s been a long time, baby
I been down the line
It’s been a long time, baby
I been down the line
But the next time, next time
please, please – please be mine.
In Peter Case's song "Down The Line," the lyrics begin with an image of the moon shining on an empty bed, a bed that used to belong to the singer but now his woman is with another man. The mention of the shotgun at his head emphasises the loss of power and control that the singer now feels. He then tells himself that crying is futile as she is already gone, but there is hope for tomorrow even if today she is with someone else. The singer then reveals that he has been down the line for a long time, suggesting that he has gone through a lot of hardships and troubles since the time this relationship ended. Nevertheless, there is a request for his next love to stay with him, providing a hint of longing and hopefulness for the future.
The lyrics of "Down The Line" speaks to the pain and frustration of unrequited love as they present an image of a man left alone with his empty bed while his woman moves on with another man. The song is a representation of the way love can unravel in one's life and how he struggles with it. It also highlights the emotional toll that the journey from one heartbreak to the next takes on a person's well-being. The song ends on an optimistic note, however, with the potential for a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
See the moon shine on (my) empty, empty bed
I feel lonely and sad seeing the moonlight shine on my empty bed in the absence of my woman.
’Nother man got my woman shotgun at my head.
Another man has taken my woman, and I feel threatened and helpless like I have a shotgun pointed at my head.
Ain’t no use a-cryin’ she is gone tonight
Crying won't bring my woman back as she has left me tonight.
You’re the ruler today tomorrow may be alright.
You may be in control now, but things could change tomorrow and you may not be as lucky.
It’s been a long time, baby I been down the line
I have experienced a lot of hardships and difficulties, baby, and it has been a long journey so far.
But the next time, next time please, please – please be mine.
I am hopeful that next time my woman will choose me, and I am pleading with her to come back to me and be mine.
Contributed by Xavier I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.