Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. Thompson made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He left the group in 1971 and began recording with his wife as Richard & Linda Thompson, before their marriage dissolved in 1983. Since then, Thompson has maintained a critically-acclaimed solo career.

He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.

Shane And Dixie
Richard Thompson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shane and Dixie they were two-bit crooks
They wanted to be famous like you read in books
Shane had the brain and Dxie had the looks for glory
As a bank robber Shane really hadn't got a clue
He'd end up likely at the end of a noose
Which was fine by Shane if the papers could use the story

[CHORUS]

Fame and love, fame and love
Fame and love will never die
Shane said to Dixie, we're getting nowhere
But I've a fine idea if you love me, swear
We'll be household names if we only dare, forever
Here's two bullets in my old carbine
One is yours and the other is mine
Then we'll be happy till the end of time together
CHORUS
She screams, she swears
She tears her hair
Saying, Shane this time
You've lost your mind
Shane took aim with the 16-bore
And Dixie lay dying down there on the floor
Shane was shaken but his purpose was more inspired
Shane said, Lord what have I done
But this victory is only halfway won
Then he put the barrel underneath his tongue and fired

[CHORUS]
They found the bodies when the neighbours complained
Shane was all over the walls like paint
Dixie looked bad but her heart beat faint but surely
Well they saved her life, they were just in time
And she turned her back on a life of crime
And she married the man who came to type out her story
O the news of the screws most generously gave
The money helped to pay for Shane's new grave
And it looked so fine till the vandals sprayed it over
Time went by and the weeds grew high
And hid Shane's grave from the curious eye
And maybe that's why we forget those lines he told her

[CHORUS]

Overall Meaning

The song "Shane and Dixie" by Richard Thompson tells the story of two small-time crooks who dream of fame and fortune, and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. Shane and Dixie attempt to rob a bank, but Shane's lack of skill as a robber means that they are bound to fail. However, Shane has an idea - they can become famous by killing themselves with each other's bullet, and their story will be told in the papers which will make them household names forever. Dixie is hesitant, but Shane convinces her to go along with the plan. After they shoot each other, Dixie is saved by the authorities while Shane dies. In the end, Dixie turns her back on her life of crime, marries the man who typed out her story, and forgets all about the lines that Shane told her.

The lyrics explore the theme of the obsession with fame and how people are willing to do crazy things to achieve it. Shane and Dixie are not unlike many people who strive for fame and recognition, even if it is for negative reasons. The song also touches on the idea of how the media sensationalizes crime and criminals, turning them into household names.

Line by Line Meaning

Shane and Dixie they were two-bit crooks
Shane and Dixie were small-time criminals

They wanted to be famous like you read in books
They desired to become famous like the characters in books

Shane had the brain and Dixie had the looks for glory
Shane was intelligent and Dixie was attractive, and they believed this would help them achieve fame

As a bank robber Shane really hadn't got a clue
Shane wasn't skilled at robbing banks

He'd end up likely at the end of a noose
If Shane continued to rob banks, he would likely be captured and hanged

Which was fine by Shane if the papers could use the story
Shane was okay with being hanged as long as the newspapers could write about him

Fame and love, fame and love Fame and love will never die
The idea of achieving fame and being in love will always exist

Shane said to Dixie, we're getting nowhere But I've a fine idea if you love me, swear We'll be household names if we only dare, forever
Shane told Dixie they weren't making progress, but he had an idea to become famous if she was willing to swear her love to him

Here's two bullets in my old carbine One is yours and the other is mine Then we'll be happy till the end of time together
Shane gave Dixie a gun and told her they could be happy forever by shooting themselves

She screams, she swears She tears her hair Saying, Shane this time You've lost your mind
Dixie reacts with fear and disbelief, saying Shane is crazy

Shane took aim with the 16-bore And Dixie lay dying down there on the floor Shane was shaken but his purpose was more inspired
Shane shot Dixie and was disturbed by it, but still felt inspired to continue with his plan

Shane said, Lord what have I done But this victory is only halfway won Then he put the barrel underneath his tongue and fired
Shane regretted what he had done, but believed his victory was only halfway complete and then killed himself

They found the bodies when the neighbors complained Shane was all over the walls like paint Dixie looked bad but her heart beat faint but surely
The bodies were discovered after neighbors complained about the smell; Shane's body had made a mess on the walls and Dixie was barely alive but still had a heartbeat

Well they saved her life, they were just in time And she turned her back on a life of crime And she married the man who came to type out her story
Dixie's life was saved, and she decided to leave her criminal past behind and marry the man who wrote about her story

O the news of the screws most generously gave The money helped to pay for Shane's new grave And it looked so fine till the vandals sprayed it over
The newspaper generously donated money to pay for Shane's grave, but it eventually became vandalized

Time went by and the weeds grew high And hid Shane's grave from the curious eye And maybe that's why we forget those lines he told her
Over time, Shane's grave became overgrown and forgotten, which may be why people forget the words he spoke to Dixie

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ERROL THOMPSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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