Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.
In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.
Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.
In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.
In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).
The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.
In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.
Rosalie Come & Go
Ryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We used to hang out in the park,
We used to score the system grease,
From the fellas after dark.
We used to sail the streets at night,
Used to hang out late,
She had a bad time in the barrack,
Caught a bullet in the teeth.
Rosalie come go,
Rosalie come stay,
Rosalie come go,
I never liked you anyway.
I knew a girl named Mary Ann,
She had a camera and a cane,
She used to walk me to the station,
When I was dying in the rain.
She was a friend of Rosalie's,
They had a nurse they liked to share,
Well Mary Ann was doing the doctor,
You know his covers went bare.
Rosalie come go,
Rosalie come stay,
Rosalie come go,
I never liked you anyway.
Rosalie come go,
Rosalie come stay,
Rosalie come go,
I never liked you anyway.
I knew a boy named Billy Haynes,
He had it all figured out,
He had a trail of dust and branches marked,
To get him back down south.
But the blue lights had his number,
And he was sweating hard from the heat,
He's got a pack of bullets in his satchel
Down on forty second street
The lyrics of Ryan Adams's song Rosalie Come And Go depict a group of friends who used to hang out together and engage in activities that are dangerous and could have serious repercussions. The song mentions three individuals, Rosalie, Mary Ann, and Billy Haynes, who are all struggling and trying to survive in their own way.
Rosalie is portrayed as a person who is reckless and always on the go. She has had a difficult life as she "had a bad time in the barrack" and "caught a bullet in the teeth." Despite this, she continues to come and go as she pleases. The singer seems to have a love-hate relationship with Rosalie, as he sings, "Rosalie come go, Rosalie come stay, Rosalie come go, I never liked you anyway."
Mary Ann, on the other hand, is depicted as someone who is caring and helpful. She is a friend of Rosalie's, and they have a nurse they share. The singer describes how Mary Ann would walk him to the station when he was "dying in the rain." However, Mary Ann is not immune to the dangers of this lifestyle either, as she is "doing the doctor" while "his covers went bare."
The song ends with the mention of Billy Haynes, who is trying to escape by leaving town. However, the police are after him, and he is "sweating hard from the heat," with a "pack of bullets in his satchel down on forty second street." This depicts the harsh reality of those who are forced to resort to criminal activities and face the constant threat of being caught and punished.
Overall, the song portrays a group of individuals who are struggling to survive, each dealing with their own issues and trying to find their way out of a dangerous lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew a girl named Rosalie,
The singer is introducing a girl named Rosalie who he knows.
We used to hang out in the park,
The singer and Rosalie used to spend time together in a park.
We used to score the system grease,
The singer and Rosalie used to obtain drugs from people in the area.
From the fellas after dark.
The artist and Rosalie would get the drugs from men in the night time.
We used to sail the streets at night,
The artist and Rosalie used to roam around the streets at night.
Used to hang out late,
The singer and Rosalie used to spend long hours together.
She had a bad time in the barrack,
Rosalie suffered a difficult experience in the military barracks.
Caught a bullet in the teeth.
She got shot in the face and possibly as a result of the above experience.
Rosalie come go,
The artist is addressing Rosalie and telling her to leave.
Rosalie come stay,
The artist is addressing Rosalie and telling her to stay.
Rosalie come go,
The singer is again telling Rosalie to leave.
I never liked you anyway.
The artist admits he didn't like Rosalie that much and shows resentment towards her.
I knew a girl named Mary Ann,
The singer is introducing another girl named Mary Ann.
She had a camera and a cane,
Mary Ann was equipped with a camera and a cane for support.
She used to walk me to the station,
Mary Ann would accompany the singer to the station.
When I was dying in the rain.
The artist was going through a difficult time and needed Mary Ann's support.
She was a friend of Rosalie's,
Mary Ann and Rosalie were friends.
They had a nurse they liked to share,
They shared a nurse they were both fond of.
Well Mary Ann was doing the doctor,
Mary Ann was having a romantic relationship with a doctor.
You know his covers went bare.
The artist is insinuating that the doctor was having an affair with Mary Ann and got caught.
I knew a boy named Billy Haynes,
The artist is introducing a boy named Billy Haynes.
He had it all figured out,
Billy Haynes was a resourceful person who knew how to solve his problems.
He had a trail of dust and branches marked,
Billy had a way to track his path using dust and branches so he could return back down south.
To get him back down south.
Billy was trying to get back to the south, presumably where he comes from.
But the blue lights had his number,
The cops had caught up to Billy.
And he was sweating hard from the heat,
Billy was worried, scared, and under pressure from the situation.
He's got a pack of bullets in his satchel
Billy had ammunition in his bag.
Down on forty second street
Billy was caught on 42nd Street.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tim Considine
Simply sick!
Pale Horse County
Awesome.
keithsloan92
Great
Colleen
The BEST side of Gold :)
Colleen
+Ryan Fossum yeah...it's the best side of gold
Allen Luce
+Colleen Colgan this and cannonball days on the same disk. yaass
Ryan Fossum
Colleen Colgan you get it when you buy it on vinyl. It's choice.
But yeah, these five songs I find stick in my head more than most.