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
My Kind of Trouble
Peter Case Lyrics
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She got the tightrope walker
To go for a stroll
The baptist preacher Â
Denyin' his soul
The fortune 500
She stopped the executioner from
Throwin' the switch
She's my kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
I'm gonna lose it this time
She got an hour glass figure
And a glass eyeball
Got the old dry bones
All chained to the wall
I quit breathin' when
She strips her wig
My heart stops beatin' then
It snaps like a twig
She's my kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
I'm gonna lose it this time
She drives a mean '32
With a rigged hurst stick
On a graveyard highway
With her tombstone trick
I gotta picture of her mug, boys
Tattooed on mine
The clock'd run backward
Just to tell her the time
She's my kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
I'm gonna lose it this time
There's good men swingin'
From the gallows pole
Senators and congressman
Shoveling coal
The cop can't see
They're pretendin they're blind
She got somethin' make
'Em all lose their mind
She's my kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
I'm gonna lose it this time
The lyrics to Peter Case’s song My Kind of Trouble paint a vivid picture of a seductive and dangerous woman who is trouble personified. The imagery he employs throughout the song is striking and filled with contradictions, adding to the intrigue and allure of the mysterious woman. He depicts her as a master manipulator, capable of persuading even the most virtuous individuals to act against their better judgment. From convincing a tightrope walker to take a risky stroll, to making a Baptist preacher deny his faith, she has the power to bend anyone to her will.
The woman in the song is also portrayed as a sexual predator, with a figure that is both alluring and intimidating. The singer’s heart stops beating when she strips her wig, underscoring the intensity of his attraction to her. However, the reference to her having a glass eyeball and old dry bones chained to the wall hints at her being a sinister character, one who may not be what she seems.
The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, emphasizes the singer’s fascination with the woman, even though he knows that she will lead him into trouble. This tension between attraction and apprehension makes for a compelling narrative that draws the listener in.
Overall, My Kind of Trouble is a song that celebrates the thrill of living dangerously, even if it means getting burned in the process.
Line by Line Meaning
She got the tightrope walker
To go for a stroll
She has the power to persuade people to take risks.
The baptist preacher Â
Denyin' his soul
She can change people's beliefs and values and make them do things they wouldn't normally do.
The fortune 500
Forget about rich
She stopped the executioner from
Throwin' the switch
She can disrupt the status quo and challenge authority.
She's my kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
My kind of trouble
I'm gonna lose it this time
The singer is strongly attracted to her despite knowing that she will cause problems.
She got an hour glass figure
And a glass eyeball
Got the old dry bones
All chained to the wall
She has a mix of mesmerizing beauty and twisted morbidity.
I quit breathin' when
She strips her wig
My heart stops beatin' then
It snaps like a twig
Her beauty drives the singer crazy and he feels he can't breathe when he sees her without her wig.
She drives a mean '32
With a rigged hurst stick
On a graveyard highway
With her tombstone trick
She has a dangerous and aggressive image, and drives a car that matches her personality.
I gotta picture of her mug, boys
Tattooed on mine
The clock'd run backward
Just to tell her the time
The singer is so infatuated with her that he has a tattoo of her face on his own body, and time seems meaningless to him without her.
There's good men swingin'
From the gallows pole
Senators and congressman
Shoveling coal
She can expose the skeletons in people's closets and bring them down from their positions of power.
The cop can't see
They're pretendin they're blind
She got somethin' make
'Em all lose their mind
She has the power to make people lose their senses and be blinded by their attraction to her.
Contributed by Emily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.