Rush is considered a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
Rush began his musical career in the early '60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for finding wonderful songs, and writing his own - many of which have become classics re-interpreted by new generations. (It is testimony to the universality of his appeal that his songs have been folk hits, country hits, heavy metal and rap hits.) Signed by Elektra in 1965, Rush made three albums for them, culminating in The Circle Game, which, according to Rolling Stone, ushered in the singer/songwriter era.
In the early '70s, folk turned to folk-rock, and Rush, ever adaptable, saw more room to stretch out. Recording now for Columbia, he toured tirelessly with a five man band, playing concerts across the country. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five very successful but exhausting years, after which Tom decided to take a break and "recharge" his creative side at his New Hampshire farm.
Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston's prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush's love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences' love of Rush's music.
He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum - like the Club 47 of the early '60s - to allow established artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O' Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the '80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation's finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released a Tom Rush retrospective album that covered his recorded musical history from 1962 to the present, including tracks recorded for Columbia, Elektra, Prestige and his independent years. Entitled "The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets", the 17-track compilation includes as a bonus a brand new Tom Rush composition, "River Song," which features vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.
A live CD, "Trolling for Owls" released in 2003 and published by Tom's NIGHTLIGHT RECORDINGS, captures a complete performance and includes, for the first time, some of the spoken stories that have endeared him to audiences.
In 2018, at age 79, he released the album "Voices".
Who Do You Love
Tom Rush Lyrics
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A brand new house on the road side, and it's a-made out of rattlesnake hide
Got a band new chimney put on top, and it's a-made out of human skull
Come on take a little walk with me baby, and tell me who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Around the town I use a rattlesnake whip, take it easy baby don't you give me no lip
Who do you love?
I've got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind, I'm just twenty-two and I don't mind dying
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Now Arlene took a-me by my hand, she said "Lonesome George you don't understand,
who do you love?"
The night were dark and the sky were blue, down the alleyway a house wagon flew
Hit a bump and somebody screamed, you should've heard what I'd seen
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Yeah, I've got a tombstone hand in a graveyard mine, just twenty-two baby I don't mind dying
Snake skin shoes baby put them on your feet, got the goodtime music and the Bo Diddley beat
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
I walked forty-seven miles of barbed wire, I got a cobra snake for a necktie
A brand new house on the road side, and it's made out of rattlesnake hide
Got a band new chimney put on top, and it's made out of human skull
Come on take a little walk with me child, tell me who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
The lyrics to Tom Rush's song "Who Do You Love" feature a protagonist who is tough, rugged, and mysterious. The opening lines state that the singer has gone through a lot of hardships, symbolized by 47 miles of barbed wire and a cobra snake for a necktie. He also has a brand new house made out of rattlesnake hide and a chimney made out of human skull, showcasing his unusual and perhaps macabre tastes. He then invites a companion to take a walk with him and asks the question "Who do you love?" repeatedly, indicating that he may be seeking a partner for a dangerous or unconventional lifestyle. He boasts about using a rattlesnake whip and having a "tombstone hand" and "graveyard mind," which suggest that he is not afraid of death and may actually invite danger. The song ends with a ride in a house wagon and a scream, leaving the listener to imagine what other adventures the singer may have.
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a character who is fearless, eccentric, and perhaps even borderline psychotic. The imagery of snakes, skulls, and graveyards adds to the ominous and unsettling tone of the song. At the same time, the repeated question "Who do you love?" suggests that the singer may be searching for love or companionship, even if it means going to extreme lengths or taking risks.
Line by Line Meaning
I walked forty-seven miles of barbed wire, I got a cobra snake for a necktie
I went through tough obstacles, and I am not a normal person. I am unique and not afraid to show it.
A brand new house on the road side, and it's a-made out of rattlesnake hide
I live in a new and unusual home. It's built with a material that not most people would use for a house.
Got a band new chimney put on top, and it's a-made out of human skull
My house even has an unusual chimney. It's built with a very strange material, a human skull.
Come on take a little walk with me baby, and tell me who do you love?
Let's go for a walk, and you can tell me who is important to you in your life.
Who do you love?
Who is the most important person in your life?
Around the town I use a rattlesnake whip, take it easy baby don't you give me no lip
I use a rattlesnake whip to get around town, and I don't want any trouble from anyone.
I've got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind, I'm just twenty-two and I don't mind dying
I have a scary and deathly look to me, despite my young age. I'm not afraid to take risks and live my life fully.
Now Arlene took a-me by my hand, she said "Lonesome George you don't understand, who do you love?"
Arlene, a girl I know, took me by the hand and asked a simple question that got me thinking about the important people in my life.
The night were dark and the sky were blue, down the alleyway a house wagon flew
Hit a bump and somebody screamed, you should've heard what I'd seen
I saw something scary happen late at night in a dark alleyway. Someone was hurt and I was frightened.
Yeah, I've got a tombstone hand in a graveyard mine, just twenty-two baby I don't mind dying
Snake skin shoes baby put them on your feet, got the goodtime music and the Bo Diddley beat
I'm still young and willing to take risks, and even my shoes are made of snake skin. I have music that makes me happy and feels good to listen to.
Come on take a little walk with me child, tell me who do you love?
Let's go for a walk, and you can tell me who is important to you in your life.
Who do you love?
Who is the most important person in your life?
I walked forty-seven miles of barbed wire, I got a cobra snake for a necktie
A brand new house on the road side, and it's made out of rattlesnake hide
Got a band new chimney put on top, and it's made out of human skull
I'm still unique and not afraid to show it, and my unusual house is proof of that. I have strange items like a cobra snake for a necktie and a chimney made of a human skull.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ellas McDaniel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind