Robert Earl Keen, Jr. (born January 11, 1956 in Houston, Texas) is an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Earl Keen, Jr. (born January 11, 1956 in Houston, Texas) is an American singer-songwriter. Growing up, Keen was interested in music, sports, movies and writing. He attended Texas A&M University, enrolling in the school of journalism. Disappointed in the College Station, Texas music scene, he began playing guitar and learned to read and write music, basing his style on folk, country, blues and roots rock. In 1977 he rented a house from landlord Jack Boyett, where his neighbor was a then-unknown Lyle Lovett. The two became friends and performed together on the front porch. This eventually grew into inspiration for a song entitled "The Front Porch Song", which both would add to their repertoire. In 1980, Keen graduated from Texas A&M, moved to Austin, Texas and began writing for a newspaper. Soon he was performing in Austin's nightclubs and live music venues, building a solid following. In 1984 he financed the recording of his own EP and distributed it regionally. In 1986, He moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Discouraged by the polish of the new country sound and unable to land a recording contract, Keen moved back to Austin. In 1989 he released his national debut album, West Textures. His 1993 release, A Bigger Piece Of Sky, gained wider acclaim, both amongst fans and critics. Over the next ten years, Keen would continue to write, record, perform and tour. Today, he is popular with traditional country music fans, folk music fans, the college radio crowd and alt-country fans. Keen currently resides in Bandera, Texas.

Christabel
Robert Earl Keen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's been seven long days and seven hard nights
In a sixty-two Chevy with broke taillights
An eastbound man in a westbound lane
A dishwater blonde about sixteen
Was standing on the shoulder with a ribbon in her hair
Her hand on her hip and her thumb in the air
And I pulled off the road and as she grabbed for the door
I knew the wind was cold 'cuz I'd seen it all before

And I was scared

Things ain't never what they seem
When you find yourself livin' in your own dream

Now the moonlight peeked in and out behind the clouds
Now and again on this godless child
And the radio was scramblin', cracklin' in the air
The ribbon she wore looked old in her hair
And I saw the moonlight sliver dead down on her face
I knew it was true she was in the wrong place
In the wrong time, in the wrong tale
I knew when I'd asked her she'd hiss, "Christabel"

Things ain't never what they seem
When you find yourself livin' in your own dream

She was after the man who'd left her alone
With no father beside her and love longtime gone
And the snake deep inside her a hiss in her head
The rest that had been her was dying or dead
And she'd a taste for young women with pearly white skin
She spat on the floor when she spoke of the man who made her like this
Who had written her tale
This medieval maid they call Christabel

Things ain't never what they seem
When you find yourself livin' in your own dream

Then she breathed out the story of her lover to be
A knight'n shining armor on a silvery steed
Who longed to be worthy so he sought the crusade
While she waited, breath bated, in linen brocade
But a pair of black eyes wove 'round her a spell
The snake they call Lydia seduced Christabel
And she cuddled her tender and she poisoned her soul
She stole her young body and made it her own

Things ain't never what they seem
When you find yourself livin' in your own dream

Now the knight would love Lydia in Christabel's arms
And Lydia would have it should he ever return
But Lydia was left with the story undone
No silvery steed no castle no throne
Half woman half serpent entwined in a spell
A barge black and fancy this medieval tale

And she faded at dawn the bird and the beast
Deep in the dreams of those bound for the east
Like me

Things ain't never what they seem
When you find yourself livin' in your own dream

Things ain't never what they seem...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Robert Earl Keen's song Christabel tell the story of a man driving for seven days and seven nights in an old Chevy with broken taillights. He comes across a young girl, possibly a hitchhiker, on the side of the road with a ribbon in her hair and her thumb in the air, looking for a ride. As he begins to drive her, the man realizes that things are not what they seem. The girl, who goes by the name Christabel, tells him a tale of a knight in shining armor who left her for the crusade, and how she was seduced and poisoned by a snake called Lydia. The story ends with Christabel fading away like a bird and a beast at dawn, leaving the man to ponder the notion that things are never what they seem when you find yourself living in your own dream.

The song Christabel, released in 2003, was inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's unfinished poem of the same name. Keen reimagined and expanded upon the poem, weaving a story about a young woman who falls prey to the seductions of a serpent. Interestingly, Keen wasn't familiar with the poem until a friend gave him a book of Coleridge's poetry. The song's haunting lyrics are matched by its slow, moody melody, which highlights the tale's eeriness and otherworldly feel.

Line by Line Meaning

It's been seven long days and seven hard nights
The singer has been on a difficult journey for a week.

In a sixty-two Chevy with broke taillights
The singer is driving an old, rundown car.

An eastbound man in a westbound lane
The singer is driving in the wrong direction.

A dishwater blonde about sixteen
There is a young, unremarkable girl on the side of the road.

Was standing on the shoulder with a ribbon in her hair
The girl is wearing a hair accessory made of fabric.

Her hand on her hip and her thumb in the air
The girl is hitchhiking and posing in a confident stance.

And I pulled off the road and as she grabbed for the door
The singer stops his car and the girl quickly tries to open the door.

I knew the wind was cold 'cuz I'd seen it all before
The artist is familiar with the weather conditions of the area.

And I was scared
The artist is nervous or frightened by the situation.

Things ain't never what they seem
Appearances can be deceiving.

Now the moonlight peeked in and out behind the clouds
The light from the moon is visible intermittently on the cloudy night.

Now and again on this godless child
The girl is referred to as 'godless', possibly suggesting a lack of faith or guidance.

And the radio was scramblin', cracklin' in the air
The car radio is experiencing interference or poor reception.

The ribbon she wore looked old in her hair
The girl's hair accessory appears worn or outdated.

And I saw the moonlight sliver dead down on her face
The moonlight is shining directly on the girl's face.

I knew it was true she was in the wrong place
The girl is in an undesirable or dangerous location.

In the wrong time, in the wrong tale
The situation is characteristically incorrect or out of place.

I knew when I'd asked her she'd hiss, "Christabel"
The girl's name is 'Christabel', but the singer anticipates that she will give him a difficult response when he asks about it.

She was after the man who'd left her alone
The girl is seeking a man who has abandoned her.

With no father beside her and love longtime gone
The girl has lost both a paternal figure and romantic love.

And the snake deep inside her a hiss in her head
The girl is struggling with inner turmoil, maybe feeling betrayed or bitter.

The rest that had been her was dying or dead
The girl's sense of identity or well-being is faltering.

And she'd a taste for young women with pearly white skin
The girl may have developed a preference for young women with light skin.

She spat on the floor when she spoke of the man who made her like this
The girl expresses disgust when mentioning the person who made her this way.

Who had written her tale
The person responsible for the girl's misfortune has created a story or history for her.

This medieval maid they call Christabel
The girl is compared to a character from medieval literature named 'Christabel'.

Then she breathed out the story of her lover to be
The girl tells a story about a romantic partner she hopes to have in the future.

A knight'n shining armor on a silvery steed
The character she hopes to be with is described in traditional romantic terms.

Who longed to be worthy so he sought the crusade
The romantic partner is seeking to prove himself worthy by going on a crusade.

While she waited, breath bated, in linen brocade
The girl waits for her lover while wearing an elegant fabric.

But a pair of black eyes wove 'round her a spell
The girl is enchanted by someone with dark eyes, possibly the villain of the story.

The snake they call Lydia seduced Christabel
A character named Lydia lures the artist and takes advantage of her.

And she cuddled her tender and she poisoned her soul
Lydia takes advantage of the artist, leaving her feeling betrayed and broken.

She stole her young body and made it her own
Lydia takes the artist's body, possibly metaphorically or literally turning her into someone new.

Now the knight would love Lydia in Christabel's arms
The knight who Christabel hoped to be with instead falls in love with Lydia, who is disguised as Christabel.

And Lydia would have it should he ever return
Lydia expects the knight to return and continue his affection for her.

But Lydia was left with the story undone
Lydia is unsatisfied with unfinished romantic story or plot.

No silvery steed no castle no throne
There is no traditional happy ending or romantic fairytale resolution.

Half woman half serpent entwined in a spell
Lydia is described as a half-woman half-serpent character, with a strong sense of enchantment or manipulation present.

A barge black and fancy this medieval tale
Alluding to a metaphorical ‘dark night of the soul’ the lyrics suggest the story is full of twists and turns and introduces threatening themes.

And she faded at dawn the bird and the beast
Lydia’s power over the artist and the romantic story both come to an end, leaving the characters feeling some relief as day breaks.

Deep in the dreams of those bound for the east
The song’s closing lyric implies that everyone is trapped in their own dream, not just Christabel.

Things ain't never what they seem
The song concludes with the message that appearances can be deceiving, and that reality is often more complex than it initially appears.

Contributed by Leah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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