Regarding the band's name, Adams stated that he "suggested the Cardinals because it was my high school football team". Initially, The Cardinals consisted of Ryan Adams, Brad Pemberton, JP Bowersock, Catherine Popper, and Cindy Cashdollar. The band toured in 2004 and recorded Cold Roses. Cashdollar left in 2005 and was replaced by Jon Graboff.
The band toured worldwide without Cashdollar to promote Cold Roses, and during this period returned to the studio to record their second album, Jacksonville City Nights. Bowersock left after the album was recorded, and was replaced by Neal Casal.
In 2006, Popper left the band and was replaced by Chris Feinstein prior to a European tour in 2006. In 2007, The Cardinals joined Ryan Adams to record his new album, Easy Tiger, and the album's producer, Jamie Candiloro, was added to the lineup on piano. Follow the Lights appeared later in the year, once again produced by Candiloro. The album, Cardinology, was released in October 28, 2008; III/IV followed in 2010.
On December 15, 2009, bassist Chris Feinstein died. A posthumous EP, Class Mythology, featuring Feinstein was released on April 16, 2011
Band members:
Ryan Adams – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica and banjo (2004–2009)
Brad Pemberton – drums and percussion (2004–2009)
Neal Casal – guitar, piano and vocals (2005–2009)
Jon Graboff – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar and vocals (2005–2009)
Chris Feinstein – bass guitar and vocals (2006–2009); died December 15, 2009
Catherine Popper – bass guitar, vocals and piano (2004–2006)
J. P. Bowersock – guitar (2004–2005)
Cindy Cashdollar – steel guitar, lap steel, guitar and vocals (2004–2005)
Jamie Candiloro – piano and keyboards (2006-2007)
www.myspace.com/ryanadamsandthecardinals/
Let It Ride
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was leaving on the Delta Queen
I wasn't ready to go
I'm never ready to go
Twenty-seven years of nothin' but failures and promises that I couldn't keep
Oh lord I wasn't ready to go
I'm never ready to go
Let it ride easy down the road
Let it ride
Let it take away all of the darkness
Let it ride
Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home
Let it ride
Let it roll
Let it go
Loaded like a sailor
Tumbling off a ferry boat
I was at the bar till three
Oh Lord, and I wasn't ready to go
I'm never ready to go
Tennessee's a brother to my sister Carolina where they're gonna bury me
And I ain't ready to go
I'm never ready to go
Let it ride let it ride easy down the road
Let it ride
Let it take away all of this darkness
Let it ride
Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home
Let it ride
Let it roll
Let it go
I want to see you tonight
Dancing in the endless moonlight
In the parking lot in the headlights of cars
Someplace on the moon
Where they moved the drive-in theater
Where I left the car that I can't find but I still got the keys to
Let it ride
Let it ride easy down the road
Let it ride
Let it take away all of this darkness
Let it ride
Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home
Let it ride
Let it roll
Let it go
The song "Let It Ride" by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals is about the struggle of leaving a place behind and accepting the darkness that comes with it. The singer is leaving on a ferry boat and reflects on the 27 years he spent in this place, full of failures and promises that he couldn't keep. He's not ready to leave, but he's forced to. The line "Movin' like the fog on the Cumberland River" is a great metaphor for how he feels about leaving: like the fog, he's unsure of where he's going, but he knows he has to move on.
The lyrics mention Tennessee, where he has family who will bury him, and his sister Carolina. He's not ready to go, but he knows that death is inevitable, and he's trying to make peace with that reality. He wants to see someone tonight in the moonlight, but the setting of the parking lot is not ideal. He's still trying to escape, but he can't forget about the darkness that follows him.
The chorus, "Let it ride, let it ride easy down the road, let it take away all of this darkness" is a mantra for the singer as he leaves his past behind. He's trying to embrace the journey ahead of him, with all its unknowns, and the people he'll meet along the way.
Overall, "Let It Ride" is a beautiful song about acceptance, change, and moving on. It's a reminder to let go of the past and embrace whatever the future holds, even if it means leaving familiar things and people behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Movin' like the fog on the Cumberland River
I am drifting aimlessly like the fog on the Cumberland River
I was leaving on the Delta Queen
I was departing on the Delta Queen boat
I wasn't ready to go
I was not prepared to leave
I'm never ready to go
I am always unprepared to depart
Twenty-seven years of nothin' but failures and promises that I couldn't keep
I have spent 27 years facing failures and making promises that I could not fulfill
Let it ride
Let things take their natural course
Let it ride easy down the road
Let things progress smoothly and effortlessly
Let it take away all of the darkness
Let it remove all the sadness and pain
Let it rock me in the arms of strangers, angels until it brings me home
Let me be comforted by strangers and angels until I reach my final destination
Let it roll
Let it continue moving forward
Let it go
Let it be released
Loaded like a sailor
I am heavily burdened and weighed down
Tumbling off a ferry boat
I am stumbling and falling like I just got off a ferry boat
I was at the bar till three
I was drinking at the bar until three o'clock in the morning
Tennessee's a brother to my sister Carolina where they're gonna bury me
I consider Tennessee as a brother to my sister Carolina, the place where I will be buried
Let it ride let it ride easy down the road
Let things unfold in a natural and easy way
I want to see you tonight
I desire to see you tonight
Dancing in the endless moonlight
Dancing under the infinite moonlight
In the parking lot in the headlights of cars
In the parking lot, lit up by the car headlights
Someplace on the moon
Imagining a location on the moon, far away
Where they moved the drive-in theater
A place where the drive-in theater was relocated
Where I left the car that I can't find but I still got the keys to
Remembering that I left a car somewhere, but I cannot remember the exact location, although I still have the keys
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TREE ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@coreyjsilva3534
I agree if the caveat of best "famous" songwriter of his generation is added in. He is probably my personal favorite songwriter, famous or otherwise, of our odd little."gap" generation (too old to be millenials, too young to be Xers...born mid 70s to early mid 80s) and I am a huge fan. I cover his work frequently. I actively go out and try to convert people into fans. Besides him and Ray Lamontagne what other man could even attempt to place his claim on that throne...GOAT Songwriter of GEN Y OR theGAP GEN "LAST GENERATION of the 20th century".....
Who is famous? In our age group? I can't think of anyone....
🕯🔮FATHER.JOHN MISTY???🔮🕯
Get the fuck outta here with that 🕯 bullshit come talk to me when you have some legit 💡"s. Get your 💡🔛! I dont have time to fuck with your candlesassbullshit.
He is good. I can't deny I like some of his shit a lot. But I'm not sure I needed to get more context about the fact he calls himself Father John Misty to be firmly set on the position that it is an embarrassingly silly name for a man who lacks the fame to get away with such a silly fucking name. But Donald Trump is President. Theres no standards anymore, at all.
Was he even born between roughly 74 and 84??? I don't even know. I have a strict rule about not researching claims in the comments.sectiom so I am just assuming he is here I have no fucking idea.
No bullshit, all kidding aside, I think my catalouge is better than all of theirs, but Ryan is without question the closest one in my (clearly not humble but seriously I'm not claiming to be Jim Morrison Sexy or anything not true... I'm just stating the facts honestly and respectfully without totaly being a fakeassclown just writing exactly what he thinks will get him followers or views or whatever WON'T SOUND RUDE...personally I think LIES AND BEING FAKE IS RUDE. LIES are rude.. I actually have zero interest in having the kind of success and mainstream acceptability that seems to be the de reguer entrance pass to being POPULAR and famous. Avoiding this is really really easy. BEEN A complete BREEZE FOR 38 YEARS... REALLY.... it took...ALMOST NO EFFORT TO SABOTAGE MYSELF... It was like I just got lucky... The mainstream left behind artists like me or any band I have been in and modern rock of any nature from heavy to funk to soul is gonna represent just a small insignificant niche of the music audience. This has made failing exceedingly.easy.
@herbertpronk6709
The first Ryan Adams song I ever heard, some 16 years ago. I was immediately hooked and still am. So many incredible song on Ashes and Fire (All songs on this album I love)< Easy Tiger, and more recently Chris and Romeo and Juliet. Whenever he's in Europe, I go and see him.
@johnnygermisdead
The man is possibly one of the best songwriters I ever heard. NO ONE should dislike this
@juliebice2096
He is definitely is- way up with any great artist...
@c.c.7687
When Ryan Adams hits it just right, nobody does it better, as this song proves.
@Adam1986London
+Christopher C. Ryan's amazing because he can write "hit" songs without selling out. This shit is just pure magic.
@michaelluciano1980
Yep!
@deanna1954ful
HES FUCKING AWESOME....NO ONE BETTER......
@andreasleonlandgren3092
C. C. Its so beautiful my fav Ryan album
@tmarble420
PREACH
@michaelluciano1980
Ryan Adams is one of the few and the proud musicians that represent a long lost art... SONGWRITING! Not a whole lot of great song writers and icons these days to look up to. Heartbreaker still takes me right back to where I first heard it years ago
With that said. Driving down the parkway here in Western North Carolina with this blasting out with the windows with two happy dogs is the meaning of happiness.