Slaid Cleaves’ music is marked by both the quirky blend of isolated eccentricity and steely resilience of his Yankee upbringing and the weathered soul of Texas, the state he has called home for over a decade now. First registering on the national folk scene by winning the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition in 1992, Cleaves released his national debut No Angel Knows (Philo/Rounder) in 1997, following a string of self-released albums and many nights logged in folk clubs as both a performer and a soundman. Met with effusive critical praise, No Angel Knows was followed by Broke Down (Philo/Rounder) in 2000, which expanded his audience exponentially by virtue of its exceedingly well-crafted songs and rugged Gurf Morlix production. In addition to the title track, a Rod Picott collaboration that won Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards in 2001, Broke Down featured a couple of interpretations of other writers’ songs prefiguring Slaid’s later work, including a poignant reading of fellow Austinite Karen Poston’s “Lydia.”
Following Broke Down came 2004’s Wishbones (Philo/Rounder), a richly detailed exploration of life’s darker corners where still a ray of hope somehow shines. Wishbones climbed to the top of the Americana Radio chart coming in at #1 for 2004 while Slaid toured relentlessly promoting the album. It was after the recording of Wishbones that Cleaves began to consider the endeavor that became Unsung. “Over the years,” Cleaves explains, “as I grew as a songwriter, my songs began to make up the bulk of my sets. But I continued to throw in the odd song by a hero or friend, both in my shows and on the records I made. I did that partly out of tribute to my influences, but also to give my set, or album, some context and some variety.” These are songs from the songwriter trenches – compositions Cleaves first heard at late-night song-swaps, open-mic nights, during downtime at recording sessions, and on modest self-released CDs. Thanks to the work of producers David Henry and Rod Picott (a long-time Cleaves cohort and fellow Mainer), the performances and backdrops on Unsung are as evocative and captivating as the songs themselves. Cleaves’ gifts as an interpreter are such that the line between singer and song vanish completely.
"Cleaves tells gorgeously compact stories in a voice packed with Texas trail dust." -- Entertainment Weekly
"...one of the finest singer-songwriters in Texas." -- Neil Strauss, The New York Times
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
Slaid Cleaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While I pulled hard on the sorrow and smoke
Raising up my bottle I looked for a chance
As you set your glass down on the bar with a glance at me
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
Shuffleboard and neon light
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
Ricky said 'She's out of your league, let her go'
As I watched you pick your partner on that old dance floor
I know it didn't work out the first time we tried
But I'd do anything to have you by my side again.
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
Peel the label off a Miller light
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
I sit here thinking 'bout you every night.
Were you the one who faltered
Was I the one who strayed
Maybe God left us out of the plans he made
So here's to missed beginnings and things that never start
For these are the ghosts that run around in my heart
When I see that where I'm going isn't where I want to be
I get the urge to look you up see if you would come and meet me
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
Peel the label off a miller light
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
I sit here thinking 'bout you every night.
Ricky got the quarters for the table and broke
While I pulled hard on the sorrow and smoke
The lyrics of Slaid Cleaves's song "Horseshoe Lounge" tell a story of longing and regret. It's a song about a man who is still in love with a woman who he was once with but who has since moved on. As the song opens, we see the singer at a bar, drinking and smoking, as Ricky gets quarters for the table. The man is lost in thought, caught up in his feelings for this woman.
As he looks around the bar, he sees her there and feels a pull towards her. But Ricky, his friend, is quick to remind him that she's "out of his league" and that he should let her go. The verses are filled with details of the bar, the neon lights, and the cigarettes and whiskey that fill the room. The chorus repeats the setting, the Horseshoe Lounge, and how the man sits there every night thinking about the woman he loves.
In the final verse, the man reflects on what might have been. He wonders if he was the one who messed things up or if it was her. He even suggests that maybe God had different plans for them. But despite it all, he still longs for her and hopes that she might come back to him. The song ends where it began, with the man drinking and smoking while Ricky breaks the quarters for the table.
Line by Line Meaning
Ricky got the quarters for the table and broke
Ricky got change for the pool table and started the match
While I pulled hard on the sorrow and smoke
While I smoked a cigarette and drowned my sorrows
Raising up my bottle I looked for a chance
I lifted my drink, hoping for an opportunity
As you set your glass down on the bar with a glance at me
You put your glass down and looked at me for a moment
Down at the Horseshoe Lounge
At the Horseshoe Lounge bar
Shuffleboard and neon light
Playing shuffleboard under the neon lights
Cigarettes and whiskey tonigh
Smoking and drinking
Ricky said 'She's out of your league, let her go'
Ricky advised me to let you go since you were too good for me
As I watched you pick your partner on that old dance floor
I saw you choosing a dance partner on the old floor
I know it didn't work out the first time we tried
I'm aware that our relationship didn't succeed at the first attempt
But I'd do anything to have you by my side again.
I would do anything to have you back with me
Peel the label off a Miller light
Taking the label off a Miller beer
I sit here thinking 'bout you every night.
I think about you every night
Were you the one who faltered
Did you mess up
Was I the one who strayed
Did I go off course
Maybe God left us out of the plans he made
Maybe our path wasn't in God's plan
So here's to missed beginnings and things that never start
Here's to the failed beginnings and things that never commence
For these are the ghosts that run around in my heart
These are the past memories that haunt my heart
When I see that where I'm going isn't where I want to be
When I realize that my current path isn't where I want to end up
I get the urge to look you up see if you would come and meet me
I feel like contacting you to see if you'd be willing to meet up
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KAREN POSTON, SLAID CLEAVES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind