In the 1980s Russell made four albums credited to the Tom Russell Band. These featured Andrew Hardin and accordionist Fats Kaplin.
In the 1990s Russell made a number of solo albums, collaborated with blues singer Barrence Whitfield on two albums, and also recorded an acoustic album mixing original material with his favorite cowboy-themed songs. His albums include several guest appearances from other folk, country, and Americana artists, such as Chris Gaffney and Dave Alvin. His song "Outbound Plane", co-written with Nanci Griffith, became a Top Ten country hit for Suzy Bogguss. His most significant album from this period is the 1999 folk opera, The Man From God Knows Where.
His more recent albums include "Blood and Candle Smoke" (2009) and "Mesabi" (2011).
Blood Oranges
Tom Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Caruso sang through the walls
Beat North African hipsters
Were muttering outside in the halls
An American waits for his interpreter-guide
Caffeine makes his hands itch and shake
She enters the room and calls with her eyes
Like a snake charmer summons the snake
"Blood Oranges, a copper buys you ten.
Come and see the dancing clown who lives with the Blue Men"
He said, "I came here to study the language
Of a very rare nomadic tribe"
She chortled and clucked and hissed through her teeth
And motioned him to follow her outside
He wondered about the scars on her forehead
And the secrets behind her dark veil
As she led him out through the walls of the city
Through the moonlight on an old camel trail
They came upon a circle of nomads
Camped far from the lights of the town
Blue men with scars and malarial eyes
And teeth that were pointed... filed down
He said: "These are the people I've been searching for,
This is more than I ever could have hoped!"
As they threw him down on a blanket
And tied him up with a hand-braided rope
They cut out his tongue and blinded his eyes
With coals from a cous-cous fire
Tied empty tin cans to his arms and his legs
That rattled on long copper wires
Now he's forgotten his name and why he came to the desert
As they lead him through oasis and town
And the people stare, throw coins and laugh wildly
At the Blue Men and their white dancing clown.
The lyrics of Tom Russell's "Blood Oranges" describe a haunting story of an American who travels to Morocco to study the language of a rare nomadic tribe. He waits for his interpreter-guide in an old hotel and notices the Beat North African hipsters muttering outside in the halls. When his interpreter-guide arrives, she calls him to follow her to a circle of nomads who are camped far from the lights of the town. The nomads, who have blue skin and teeth that are filed down, throw him down on a blanket and tie him up with a hand-braided rope. They cut out his tongue, blind his eyes with coals from a cous-cous fire, and tie empty tin cans to his arms and legs that rattle on long copper wires. The American, now forgotten his name and why he came to the desert, is led by the Blue Men and their white dancing clown through oasis and town where the people stare, throw coins and laugh wildly.
The lyrics of the song suggest that the American's search to study the language of a rare nomadic tribe has brought him to a tragic end. Through his journey, he encounters the Beat North African hipsters, who represent the cultural influence of the Western world in Morocco. His interpreter-guide, who quietly calls him through her eyes, represents a snake charmer summoning the snake. As she leads him to the nomads, the American becomes an object of entertainment, tied up and confused, as the Blue Men and their white dancing clown.
This song is a reflection of the loss of identity and cultural displacement. The American's pursuit of knowledge and culture has brought him to a tragic end, suggesting that the Western obsession with exotic cultures has a grim consequence. The song urges the listener to reflect on cultural sensitivity and respect for indigenous cultures, as cultural appropriation leads to cultural extinction.
Line by Line Meaning
It was an old hotel in Morocco
The story takes place in an old hotel in Morocco.
Caruso sang through the walls
The singing voice of Caruso could be heard through the walls of the hotel.
Beat North African hipsters
Hipsters from North Africa were mumbling in the halls of the hotel.
Were muttering outside in the halls
The hipsters were talking outside in the hotel halls.
An American waits for his interpreter-guide
An American man was waiting for his interpreter guide to arrive.
Caffeine makes his hands itch and shake
The American man's hands were shaking because of the caffeine in his system.
She enters the room and calls with her eyes
A woman enters the room and signals to the American man with her eyes.
Like a snake charmer summons the snake
The way the woman signals the man is similar to how a snake charmer signals a snake.
"Blood Oranges, a copper buys you ten.
The woman says 'Blood Oranges, a copper buys you ten' to the American man.
Come and see the dancing clown who lives with the Blue Men"
She also invites him to see a dancing clown who lives with a group called the Blue Men.
He said, "I came here to study the language
The man explains to the woman that he came to study the language of a rare nomadic tribe.
Of a very rare nomadic tribe"
He clarifies that he is studying the language of a nomadic tribe that is not common.
She chortled and clucked and hissed through her teeth
The woman makes noises with her mouth that sound like chuckling, clucking and hissing.
And motioned him to follow her outside
She gestures for him to follow her outside.
He wondered about the scars on her forehead
The man is curious about the scars on the woman's forehead.
And the secrets behind her dark veil
He also wonders what is behind the woman's dark veil.
As she led him out through the walls of the city
The woman takes the man outside of the city's walls.
Through the moonlight on an old camel trail
They travel through the moonlight on an old trail used by camels.
They came upon a circle of nomads
They arrived at a circle of nomadic people.
Camped far from the lights of the town
The nomads were camping far away from the bright lights of the town.
Blue men with scars and malarial eyes
Among these nomads were men with blue skin, scars and eyes affected by malaria.
And teeth that were pointed... filed down
Their teeth were pointed and appeared to have been filed down.
He said: "These are the people I've been searching for,
The American man realizes that these nomads are the people he has been searching for.
This is more than I ever could have hoped!"
He feels fulfilled as this is more than what he had hoped for.
As they threw him down on a blanket
At some point, the nomads throw the man onto a blanket.
And tied him up with a hand-braided rope
They also tie him up with a rope that has been braided by hand.
They cut out his tongue and blinded his eyes
The nomads cut out his tongue and made him blind by burning his eyes with coals from a cous-cous fire.
With coals from a cous-cous fire
The burning coals used to blind him come from a cous-cous fire.
Tied empty tin cans to his arms and his legs
The nomads tied empty tin cans to his arms and legs.
That rattled on long copper wires
The tin cans are tied to long copper wires to make them rattle as he walks.
Now he's forgotten his name and why he came to the desert
The man has forgotten his name and why he came to the desert as a result of what the nomads did to him.
As they lead him through oasis and town
The nomads lead the now-blind and nameless man through various areas including oases and towns.
And the people stare, throw coins and laugh wildly
People laugh and throw coins at the man, as he is now a spectacle.
At the Blue Men and their white dancing clown.
The Blue Men and their newly acquired dancing clown is now an entertainment to audiences.
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@awbyh626
Gawd, I love this song.
@patrickmurphy8795
This is a masterpiece
@awbyh626
A classic example of Tom Russell's genius songwriting, taking a creepy Paul Bowles short story, transforming and condensing it into an equally terrifying song. Andy Hardin's guitar deftly plays into the depravity of the story. Bravo Tom Russell.