Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
Ride Me Down Easy
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rise are as scarce as rain
When you're down to your last chuck, with nothing to tell
An' too far away from the trains
Been a good month's of Sundays in a guitar go
Had a tall drink o' yesterday's wine
Left a long string of friends, some sheeps in the wind
Hey, ride me down easy, Lord - ride me all down
Leave word in the dust, where I lay
Say I'm easy come, easy go
And easy to love where I stay
The first line of the song sets the tone for a bleak, uncomfortable situation. It is a hot highway, with nothing to see but the endless stretch of pavement ahead. The desert is unforgiving, and the singer of the song is at the end of his rope. Money is scarce, and his options are limited. The chance of finding work or some kind of help is slim to none. He is tired and worn, and the journey ahead is long.
The second line speaks to the isolation that one feels in such an environment. There are no people around to provide help, and the natural resources are scarce. The feeling of being alone in this world is palpable.
The third and fourth line paint a picture of someone who has been on the road for a long time, drinking their sorrows away with wine and living a transient lifestyle. The mention of sheep in the wind speaks to the disposable nature of relationships when one lives such a life.
The chorus speaks to the desire for an easy end to it all. The singer is tired and wants the Lord to take him home. He is ready to let go of his past and leave it all behind. He wants to be remembered as someone who was easy to love and easy to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
The highway, she's hotter than nine kindsa hell
The road is scorching hot and unforgiving.
Rise are as scarce as rain
There are few prospects of improving one's life, just like the scarcity of rain in a drought.
When you're down to your last chuck, with nothing to tell
When you are broke, with nothing left to your name, and no stories to tell.
An' too far away from the trains
Too far from civilization or help, like being in a remote area without access to transportation.
Been a good month's of Sundays in a guitar go
Been playing music for a long time.
Had a tall drink o' yesterday's wine
Had a lot to drink the night before.
Left a long string of friends, some sheeps in the wind
Left some friends behind, like leaves blowing in the wind.
And some satisfied women behind
Some women were happy with the time spent together.
Hey, ride me down easy, Lord - ride me all down
Ask for an easy ride, hoping for a smooth journey.
Leave word in the dust, where I lay
Leave a message behind, at the place where I rest.
Say I'm easy come, easy go
Say that I am easy to please and not demanding.
And easy to love where I stay
Say that I am good company and likable in the places I visit.
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bethy-Lou
Nice version. Good voice and music. You have a great collection. Thank you Brent, enjoyed it very much!
Brent E.
glad you enjoyed this one Beth. thanks for listening
Tina Beck
Good song
Brent E.
glad you enjoyed this song Tina. thanks for listening
Marryann Lamb
Awesome Dear friend enjoyed listening as you see still hanging out In uploads
graham bull
Just seen on the UK news,Scott’s died at 76...2 years younger than me!
graham bull
Brent E. ...yeah..its got me worried. I only knew about Scott because of how big the Walker Brothers were in the UK.
Brent E.
Gosh, the curse of my song postings. I gotta stick to younger singers! I've had three artists pass away just days after I totally randomly posted their songs.... songwriter Jim Chesnut, Bonnie Guitar, and now Scott Walker. Astrology and the stars gotta stop doing that to great country artists!!
graham bull
Scott and his brother were big in the UK,mid sixties....heard nothing since,but this is great!
Bob Dant
Sorry to hear that. @graham bull