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
Tumbleweed Stew
Slaid Cleaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fences and windmills to mend
I been out on a crew, eating tumbleweed stew
Three weeks in the rain and the wind
I got mud on my boots and blood on my money
And I'm looking to head into town
But as soon as my truck rounds the corner
That old deputy is staring me down
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
If I get a wild hair, and go off on a tear
I'm liable to end up alone
Nobody wants to run with me now
But I'm restless down to the bone
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Old man, are you listening?
'Cause I'm down here, asking you
I know you made me this way
So what do you expect me to do?
I drove out of town with my paycheck
Bad snake blood running through my veins
Hooked up with a truckload of illegals
And a pocket full of cocaine
We had us some fun, now I'm on the run
And I won't be coming back soon
Just me and some rangy coyotes
Howlin' up at the cold desert moon
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Nobody wants me hanging around
I guess I'll have to go it alone
I'll have to head down to the border I guess
And I don't know when I'll be back home
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
And if I don't ever make it back
You can carve this right on my tombstone
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
The lyrics of "Tumbleweed Stew" by Slaid Cleaves is a story about a worker who spends his days mending fences and windmills in San Saba, Texas. He has been out working for three weeks, eating tumbleweed stew in the rain and wind. He is dirty and has bled a bit from his hard work. The man wants to go into town to let off some steam, but every time he tries, he is stopped by the deputy. He asks the question, "Where can a good man go crazy? Where can a cowboy get stoned?" He feels restless and alone in his search for a place to blow off some steam. He seems to feel like an outcast from the rest of society.
The second verse takes a turn, and we see that the worker's desperation leads him to make some questionable decisions. He drives out of town with his paycheck, with "bad snake blood running through his veins." He hooks up with a group of illegals and finds himself with a pocket full of cocaine. This experience allows him to "have some fun," but he must go on the run. The feeling of isolation intensifies as he is left alone with the coyotes, howling at the cold desert moon. The chorus reiterates the worker's question as he continues his search for a place to belong. The song ends with the man's possible fate, to be remembered by the words on his tombstone.
Line by Line Meaning
I work as a hand in San Saba
I work as a laborer doing odd jobs in the town of San Saba
Fences and windmills to mend
My job entails fixing broken fences and windmills
I been out on a crew, eating tumbleweed stew
I have been working with a group of people and eating food made out of tumbleweeds
Three weeks in the rain and the wind
I have been working in harsh weather conditions for three weeks
I got mud on my boots and blood on my money
My boots are dirty from working in the mud and I have earned my money through hard labor
And I'm looking to head into town
I want to go into town for some recreation and relaxation
That old deputy is staring me down
The local law enforcement officer is suspicious of me
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a decent man let loose and have some fun?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Where can a cowboy find some drugs to get high?
If I get a wild hair, and go off on a tear
If I get the urge to do something crazy or reckless
I'm liable to end up alone
I might isolate myself and lose my friends because of my behavior
Nobody wants to run with me now
Nobody wants to hang out with me anymore
But I'm restless down to the bone
I am feeling anxious and uneasy to the core
Old man, are you listening?
Referring to God, the singer wonders if He is listening to his pleas.
'Cause I'm down here, asking you
The singer is asking God for guidance.
I know you made me this way
The artist believes that God is responsible for his personality and behavior
So what do you expect me to do?
The artist is questioning God's expectations of him
I drove out of town with my paycheck
The singer left town with the money he earned from his work
Bad snake blood running through my veins
A metaphorical phrase denoting that the singer has bad intentions or tendencies within him
Hooked up with a truckload of illegals
The artist joined a group of undocumented immigrants
And a pocket full of cocaine
The artist also brought a lot of cocaine with him
We had us some fun, now I'm on the run
The artist and his new friends had some fun but now he is running from the authorities
And I won't be coming back soon
The singer doesn't plan on returning anytime soon
Just me and some rangy coyotes
The only company he has now are some thin coyotes
Howlin' up at the cold desert moon
The singer is howling with the coyotes under the night sky
Nobody wants me hanging around
The singer feels lonely and abandoned
I'll have to head down to the border I guess
The singer plans to cross the border into Mexico
And I don't know when I'll be back home
The artist is unsure of when he'll be returning home
And if I don't ever make it back
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of dying on his journey
You can carve this right on my tombstone
The singer is saying that the following question should be engraved on his tombstone
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a decent man let loose and have some fun?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Where can a cowboy find some drugs to get high?
Writer(s): Michael S. O'connor, Michael O'connor Copyright: Verda Mae Music
Contributed by Miles F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.