Best known for his wry humor, Snider has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and folk scene since his debut on MCA, entitled Songs for the Daily Planet, named for the bar where Snider used to play regularly in Memphis. On that album were the minor hits "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues", a folk song about the early '90's grunge scene, featuring a band that "refused to play", and "Alright Guy", which later became the title cut of Gary Allan's 2001 album.
He released two more albums for MCA, Step Right Up and Viva Satellite, the latter often sparking colorful debate amongst fans for its comparisons to Tom Petty. He moved to John Prine's Oh Boy Records where he made Happy to Be Here, New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, and East Nashville Skyline. That Was Me: The Best of Todd Snider 1994–1998 was released on the Hip-O label in August 2005.
Todd Snider's next studio album, The Devil You Know, was released in August 2006. It marked Snider's return to a major label, as he is now recording for New Door Records, a subsidiary of Universal Records.
The Devil You Know was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a No. 33 ranking in Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 albums of the year, a No. 25 ranking by No Depression magazine, and No. 14 by Blender magazine.
Snider's songs "Late Last Night" and "I Believe You" have been recorded by the Oklahoma country-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed. He co-wrote the song "Barbie Doll" with country star Jack Ingram.
Snider's new album, Peace Queer, is set to be released on October 14th, 2008, and will be available as a free download from Oct. 11 to Oct. 31 at http://www.toddsnider.net/store/product/1/Peace-Queer .
Thin Wild Mercury
Todd Snider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hands in his pockets, wonderin' where to go
Watching those tail lights leave him behind
Thrown for the limousine for speaking his mind
Like a red-eyed photo into a garbage can
At the corner of hero and also ran
A fragile heart skipped a fragile beat
It's warm in the limousine, cold on the streets of
Thin wild mercury
And gold lame
Where things will go your way
Or they won't
Thin wind mercury
And gold lame
You know what they say
Or you don't
It was all over some new Dylan song
That Phil had the nerve to say sounded wrong
Dylan stopped the car, words shook like a fist
"Phil, you ain't a writer, you're a journalist"
Death of a rebel, twist of fate
If he ever thought better, he thought too late
Poor Phil Ochs, he slipped through the cracks
Judas went electric and he never looked back on
Thin wild mercury
And gold lame
Where things will go your way
Or they won't
Thin wild mercury
And gold lame
You konw what they say
Or you don't
No, you don't
No, you don't
The lyrics above are from Todd Snider's "Thin Wild Mercury" song, which was released on his 2019 album "Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3." In this song, Snider reflects on the life and legacy of Phil Ochs, a folk singer and songwriter who was known for his political activism and protest music. Ochs was a contemporary of Bob Dylan, and the two often had a contentious relationship, with Ochs sometimes criticizing Dylan's music and Dylan dismissing Ochs as a journalist rather than a true artist.
The first verse of the song paints a picture of Ochs as a lonely and misunderstood figure, with his "hands in his pockets" and watching "tail lights leave him behind." He is contrasted with those who have achieved fame and success, riding comfortably in a limousine while Ochs is left on the cold streets. The reference to "hero and also ran" suggests Ochs was someone who tried to make a difference but ultimately fell short in the eyes of the music industry and his peers.
The chorus of the song refers to "thin wild mercury" and "gold lame," which can be interpreted as symbols of the glitz and glamour of the music industry. These are the trappings of success that Ochs was denied, and the lyrics suggest that success in this world is arbitrary and unpredictable. The final verse describes a specific incident where Dylan chastises Ochs for criticizing one of his songs, telling him "you ain't a writer, you're a journalist." This interaction, along with Dylan's move to electric music, signaled a turning point in the folk music scene, and Ochs was left behind as a casualty of this shift.
Overall, "Thin Wild Mercury" is a poignant tribute to Phil Ochs, and a commentary on the way the music industry can overlook and undervalue artists who are truly trying to make a difference in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Poor Phil Ochs, sad and low
Phil Ochs is feeling down and unhappy
Hands in his pockets, wonderin' where to go
Phil Ochs is lost, uncertain of his future
Watching those tail lights leave him behind
Phil Ochs is seeing others move on while he stays behind
Thrown for the limousine for speaking his mind
Phil Ochs lost his opportunity for fame and success because he spoke his truth
Like a red-eyed photo into a garbage can
Phil Ochs' dream of success is discarded like a worthless item
At the corner of hero and also ran
Phil Ochs' failure puts him at the intersection of success and mediocrity
A fragile heart skipped a fragile beat
Phil Ochs' heart is broken and vulnerable
It's warm in the limousine, cold on the streets of thin wild mercury
The fame and success that Phil Ochs lost is represented as a warm, comfortable limousine, while his current state of failure is like the cold streets of a thin wild mercury
And gold lame, where things will go your way or they won't
The glitzy world of fame and success is represented as gold lame, where one's fate is uncertain
Thin wind mercury, and gold lame, you know what they say or you don't
The idea of fame and success is represented as a thin wind of mercury and gold lame, and understanding its implications is a matter of personal experience
It was all over some new Dylan song, that Phil had the nerve to say sounded wrong
Phil Ochs criticized a new Bob Dylan song that he felt was not up to par
Dylan stopped the car, words shook like a fist, 'Phil, you ain't a writer, you're a journalist'
Bob Dylan tells Phil Ochs that he is not a true artist, but just a journalist
Death of a rebel, twist of fate, if he ever thought better, he thought too late
Phil Ochs' fate is sealed as a failed artist, and it's too late to turn things around
Poor Phil Ochs, he slipped through the cracks, Judas went electric and he never looked back on
Phil Ochs was left behind as Bob Dylan became a successful electric artist, and Phil never recovered
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Peter Cooper, Todd Daniel Snider
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind