Sibling blues guitarists Jimmie Vaughan (born in 1951) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) were born and raised in Dallas, TX. Each began playing guitar during childhood, Stevie Ray inspired to take up the instrument by his older brother. Jimmie Vaughan played in various groups in Dallas and Austin before hooking up with singer/harmonica player Kim Wilson and forming the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1974. The group was signed to Chrysalis Records, for which they made four albums, starting with a self-titled 1979 debut. The second and third of them, What’s the Word (1980) and Butt Rockin’ (1981), made the lower reaches of the charts, but the band was dropped by the label after the commercial failure of T-Bird Rhythm in the fall of 1982.
Meanwhile, Stevie Ray Vaughan had been playing around Texas, at first with Triple Threat featuring singer Lou Ann Barton, and then, after her departure, with drummer Chris Layton and newly recruited bassist Tommy Shannon as Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. His appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 led to a recording contract with Epic Records and the release of his debut album, Texas Flood, a Top 40 hit, in 1983. He followed it with the even more successful Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984) and Soul to Soul (1985), each of which went gold within two years. (All three albums have since gone platinum.)
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s success stimulated Epic’s interest in his brother’s band. The Epic subsidiary CBS Associated signed the Fabulous Thunderbirds and issued Tuff Enuff (1986), which spawned a Top Ten single in the title-track and itself made the Top 20, going gold within six months and eventually platinum. The same year, Stevie Ray Vaughan issued Live Alive, which eventually went platinum.
The careers of both brothers subsided soon after. Stevie Ray Vaughan went into rehab, while the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ follow-ups to Tuff Enuff, Hot Number (1987) and Powerful Stuff (1989), did not match its commercial success. Jimmie Vaughan amicably parted from the band in June 1990. Stevie Ray Vaughan returned after more than two and a half years with In Step (1989), which became his biggest seller yet, eventually going double platinum. The brothers had long planned a duo project, and in 1990 they finally found time for it, recording Family Style. But the month before the album’s scheduled release, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990. The album appeared in September and it soared into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies.
Jimmie Vaughan helped oversee posthumous releases of his brother’s recordings, such as the two-million-selling Top Ten hit The Sky Is Crying (1991). He launched his own solo career in the spring of 1994 with Strange Pleasure, released by Epic.
'Vaughan Brothers' are also on Last.fm here: 'Vaughan Brothers'
Long Way from Home
The Vaughan Brothers Lyrics
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Look all around me everywhere
Well it doesn't really matter
Which way i want to go
'Cause the night is a fallin'
And I'm a long long way from home
I am a long long way from home, yes i am
Listen to this... listen to that
People tryin' to tell me
Where it's at
But it really doesn't matter
I hear it all the time
And I'm standing at the crossroads
'bout to move on down the line
About to move on down the line
Well I've been over here... been over there
Friends all around me everywhere
But it really doesn't matter
Which way i want to go
I'm a million miles from nowhere
And that's a long long way from home
And that's a long long way from home
Yeah a million miles from nowhere
And that's a long long way from home
And that's a long long way from home
The Vaughan Brothers’ song Long Way From Home is an anthem for anyone who feels lost or disconnected from their roots. Through the lyrics, the singer describes their journey of searching for a place to call home as they move from one direction to another. The opening lines, “Look over here…look over there / Look all around me everywhere,” set the tone of the song as the singer searches for somewhere to belong. Despite the distractions and noise around them, the singer acknowledges that it really doesn't matter which way they go because they are already lost in their journey. They have been away for so long that they can’t find their way back home.
The nighttime setting adds to the somber mood of the song as the singer reflects on their situation. The repetition of “long long way from home” emphasizes their distance from home and the feeling of being alone. The singer acknowledges that people have been trying to tell them where it’s at, but they no longer relate to what they hear. They are now standing at the crossroads and have to make a decision about their future. The final lines of the song, “I'm a million miles from nowhere / and that's a long long way from home,” reinforce the sense of alienation and longing for a place to belong.
Line by Line Meaning
Look over here....look over there
I am surveying my surroundings, trying to gather information from all directions.
Look all around me everywhere
I am paying close attention to my environment, scanning every corner for clues.
Well it doesn't really matter, Which way I want to go
I am indifferent to the options in front of me, as none of them seem particularly better than the others.
'Cause the night is a fallin'
The time of day seems to indicate that I need to make a decision and act fast.
And I'm a long long way from home
I am currently in an unfamiliar place or situation, feeling lost and alone.
Listen to this... listen to that
I am being bombarded with opinions and advice from those around me.
People tryin' to tell me, Where it's at
Others are attempting to guide me and influence my decision-making process.
But it really doesn't matter
Despite the input of others, I am determined to make my own choices.
I hear it all the time
I have received a lot of feedback and information from others, but am still searching for clarity and direction.
And I'm standing at the crossroads, 'bout to move on down the line
I am at a critical point in my journey, about to embark on a new path forward.
Well I've been over here... been over there, Friends all around me everywhere
I have experienced many different things and have connections with people from various parts of my life.
But it really doesn't matter, Which way I want to go
Despite my past experiences and network, I am still uncertain about the best course of action.
I'm a million miles from nowhere, And that's a long long way from home
I feel completely disoriented and disconnected from my usual sense of self and surroundings.
Yeah a million miles from nowhere, And that's a long long way from home
The isolation and uncertainty I am experiencing is becoming overwhelming and daunting.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: DOYLE BRAMHALL, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind