Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
Farm Girl
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little forming town, by the deep green sea
Watch the tide roll out, watch the tide roll in
Farm girl, walkin' along, singing a song by the big oak tree
Farm girl, how would you like to be friends with a poor boy like me?
Well, Mama always say strangers can be friends
We don't have too much, set yourself right down
Tell me who you are, tell me where you've been
The Reverend Tom he says, Thank you for this day
I had never dreamed that we'd get this far
Bless this little place, everybody here
There's a brighter side, I can see it clear
Farm girl, walkin' along, singing a song by the big oak tree
Farm girl, how would you like to be friends with a poor boy like me?
Farm girl, walkin' along, seen some hard times in the country
Farm girl, still got the time to be friends with a poor boy like me
Farm girl
Farm girl
Farm girl
Farm girl
Farm girl
Farm girl
The lyrics to Ry Cooder's song "Farm Girl" narrate a chance encounter between the singer and a young girl who is working on a farm in a small town by the sea. The singer and his friends are sitting under the big oak tree, having run out of cheese in town. The girl walks by, singing a song, and the singer invites her to join them for supper. Despite not having much, they welcome her and ask her questions about her life, where she has been and who she is.
Throughout the song, the singer reveals a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for the simple things in life such as friendship, community, and the beauty of nature. The Reverend Tom's prayer for the community, thanking God for the day and offering hope for a brighter future, reinforces this sentiment. The singer's interest in the girl's life and her willingness to befriend someone who is less fortunate exemplify the importance of human connection amidst hardship.
Overall, "Farm Girl" presents a beautiful portrayal of the human spirit, kindness, and the innate ability to find joy and meaning in the smallest of things. The song is an ode to the universal human experience and the value of simple living.
Line by Line Meaning
Well w,e ran out of cheese in Goleta town, so we sat right down by the big oak tree
We exhausted our supply of cheese in the nearby town of Goleta and took a break under the cool shade of a large oak tree.
Little forming town, by the deep green sea
There is a small and developing town close to the vast and serene ocean.
Watch the tide roll out, watch the tide roll in
We observe the coming and going of the ocean's tides.
Farm girl, walkin' along, singing a song by the big oak tree
A girl from a nearby farm strolls by, musically expressing herself, near the same oak tree where we sat.
Farm girl, how would you like to be friends with a poor boy like me?
I express my desire to make friends with this farm girl, despite my humble economic status.
Well, Mama always say strangers can be friends
My mother would often advise me that one can easily make friends with strangers.
Come along with me, it's almost suppertime
We encourage the farm girl to join us as it is almost time for supper.
We don't have too much, set yourself right down
We inform her that we do not have a lot to offer but she is welcome to sit with us.
Tell me who you are, tell me where you've been
We ask the farm girl to share a little about herself and her past with us.
The Reverend Tom he says, Thank you for this day
Reverend Tom thanks for the day we have experienced so far.
I had never dreamed that we'd get this far
He expresses amazement at the progress made so far.
Bless this little place, everybody here
Reverend Tom prays for this humble place and all the people in it.
There's a brighter side, I can see it clear
He can clearly see that there is a positive and better side to the situation.
Farm girl, walkin' along, singing a song by the big oak tree
The same farm girl walks by, still singing, by the large oak tree.
Farm girl, how would you like to be friends with a poor boy like me?
I reiterate my earlier request to befriend the farm girl despite my economic disadvantage.
Farm girl, walkin' along, seen some hard times in the country
The farm girl, who has witnessed and experienced tough times in the countryside, continues her journey.
Farm girl, still got the time to be friends with a poor boy like me
Despite her challenges, the farm girl is still willing to befriend me, regardless of my financial woes.
Contributed by Colton K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.