Crowell was born in Houston, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby. A contemporary of Steve Earle and, like Earle, influenced by the (songwriting) greats Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Crowell played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".
He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of famous singer/guitarist Johnny Cash) from 1979 to 1992 and had a great influence on her career, producing most of her albums during that period. They collaborated on a number of duets, including 1988's "It's Such a Small World." Though Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Six years after the breakdown of his marriage to Rosanne he married Claudia Church.
Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album, 1988's Diamonds and Dirt, produced five No. 1 hits during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leaving," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond." His follow-up album, 1989's "Keys to the Highway," produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."
As Crowell's popularity in mainstream country faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. In 2001 he released The Houston Kid on Sugar Hill Records. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". Initially, Cash was annoyed at Crowell changing the tune to his song, but he came to like the finished product. Crowell followed up this effort with Fate's Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005. Crowell considers these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.
2004 saw the release of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a group that existed briefly in the 1970s with Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, and others. The future Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc.
In 2005, Crowell served as producer for established Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Goss on the album Blue Sky Sunrise.
Ridin' Out The Storm
Rodney Crowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The New York City winter comes in cold grey sheets of steel
The numbness in his hands and feet is all that he can feel
Alcohol and sterno turns a doorway to a bed
And the ghost of who he might have been lives on inside his head
In a canyon made of brownstone on a sidewalk icy black
He wanders nearly barefoot with his righteousness in tact
He lies sleeping with an angel while his heart pretends to beat
The wind blows down on Lonely Street like an ice pick through the air
Midst the Sunday times and coffee grinds and wino's in Times Square
Five flights up on Easy Street you know she's safe and warm
Way down low neath a foot of snow he's riding out the storm
I offered him my winter coat politely he refused
Like an educated man he spoke with words I seldom use
He said I don't need pity for these choices are my own
He bowed his head just slightly and quietly moved along
Its not like he's a victim of the homeless life he stalks
Nor helpless to get back across the fine line that he walks
Riding out the storm means yesterday's already spent
Tomorrow don't mean nothing it won't even make a dent
In Rodney Crowell's song "Ridin' Out The Storm," the singer encounters a man living on the streets of New York City in the wintertime. The vividly described setting of "cold grey sheets of steel" and "sidewalk icy black" underscores the harshness of this environment. The homeless man is weathering the storm both literally and metaphorically, relying on alcohol and sterno to survive the frigid nights. Despite his circumstance, he possesses a sense of pride in his choices and refuses pity from the singer.
The singer recognizes the man's dignity and resilience, as he wanders with "righteousness in tact" and sleeps next to an angel. In contrast, the singer lives in a warm and safe environment, five floors up on "Easy Street." The lyrics suggest an acknowledgement of privilege and the tenuousness of one's station in life. The "fine line" between comfort and destitution can be crossed with a few strokes of bad luck.
Line by Line Meaning
The New York City winter comes in cold grey sheets of steel
The winter in New York City is very cold and feels like sheets of steel.
The numbness in his hands and feet is all that he can feel
The cold has made his hands and feet numb, and he can barely feel anything.
Alcohol and sterno turns a doorway to a bed
He uses alcohol and sterno to make a doorway into a bed to sleep on.
And the ghost of who he might have been lives on inside his head
He thinks about who he might have been before ending up homeless and imagines a ghost version of that person in his head.
In a canyon made of brownstone on a sidewalk icy black
He walks in a street that looks like a canyon made of brownstone with a very icy sidewalk.
He wanders nearly barefoot with his righteousness in tact
He walks almost barefoot, but he still has his pride and sense of morality.
A man of many mansions in a cardboard box replete
He may have lived in many mansions before, but now he lives in a cardboard box that is full of his belongings.
He lies sleeping with an angel while his heart pretends to beat
He sleeps with an angel, but his heart isn't beating because he's dead inside and just going through the motions of living.
The wind blows down on Lonely Street like an ice pick through the air
The wind blows hard on Lonely Street, almost like an ice pick cutting through the air.
Midst the Sunday times and coffee grinds and wino's in Times Square
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Times Square, there are people reading the Sunday newspaper, grinding coffee beans, and homeless people drinking wine.
Five flights up on Easy Street you know she's safe and warm
A woman is safe and warm in her apartment that is five floors up on Easy Street.
Way down low neath a foot of snow he's riding out the storm
He is beneath a foot of snow, surviving the storm and trying to get through the harsh winter.
I offered him my winter coat politely he refused
Someone offered him a winter coat, but he politely declined the offer.
Like an educated man he spoke with words I seldom use
He spoke with a level of eloquence and intelligence that is not often used in everyday conversation.
He said I don't need pity for these choices are my own
He doesn't want anyone's sympathy because he made the choices that led him to where he is today.
He bowed his head just slightly and quietly moved along
After declining the offer, he put his head down slightly and walked away quietly.
Its not like he's a victim of the homeless life he stalks
He doesn't consider himself a victim of homelessness; he's just living this life.
Nor helpless to get back across the fine line that he walks
He knows that he's walking a fine line and could possibly change his situation if he wanted to.
Riding out the storm means yesterday's already spent
Surviving the storm means that the past is already behind him and he's focused on the present and future.
Tomorrow don't mean nothing it won't even make a dent
He doesn't have any expectations or plans for tomorrow because it doesn't make a difference in his current situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RODNEY CROWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind