Tom Russell (born in Los Angeles in either 1947 or 1948) is an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Tom Russell (born in Los Angeles in either 1947 or 1948) is an American singer-songwriter from California, currently living in El Paso, Texas. His music incorporates elements of folk, traditional country & western, border and cowboy music of the American West. Russell's songs have been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson, Nanci Griffith, Dave Alvin and others. In addition to his music, he is also an artist and published author.

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).

Down the Rio Grande
Tom Russell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baby pulled her blue dress on and walked out in the night
Left one silk stocking danglin' from the bedside light
I sobered up and called her name just before the dawn
I followed footprints through the sand, I knew where she had gone
Down The Rio Grande
Down the Rio Grande.

Pulled out of Albuquerque, must have been past 8:00

Four cups of coffee and I hit the interstate
Rolling through Las Cruces, I thought I saw her car
She always said she'd go someday, she never said how far
Down The Rio Grande, Down The Rio Grande

Maybe she's in Brownsville, she's got some family there

She always talked about the salty Gulf Coast air
Where the river ends, Down The Rio Grande

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Tom Russell's song Down the Rio Grande depicts the aftermath of a romantic relationship. The singer, who is unnamed, wakes up to find his lover has left during the night while he was still drunk. She left behind one silk stocking dangling from the bedside light, which implies that she left in a hurry or out of anger. The singer sobers up and calls out her name, hoping she might return, but it's too late. All he can do is follow her footprints, which lead him to the Rio Grande. The second line of the verse, "left one silk stocking danglin' from the bedside light," is a powerful metaphor for their relationship. It represents a kind of sexual power play and contributes to the overall mood of the song, which is one of longing, regret, and lost love.

The second verse recounts the singer's travels as he tries to find his lover. He sits at a diner in Albuquerque, drinking cup after cup of coffee as he contemplates his journey. He then hits the interstate and drives through Las Cruces, where he thinks he sees her car, but he's not sure. The verse ends with the singer reflecting on how his lover always talked about going somewhere but never said how far she would go. The repetition of the words "Down The Rio Grande" at the end of each verse emphasizes the idea of following something to its end, which is appropriate for a song that's about searching for a lost love.

Overall, Down the Rio Grande is a poignant and introspective ballad that speaks to the universal human experiences of heartbreak and longing. It's a song that many listeners can relate to on a personal level, as we've all been in situations where we were searching for someone or something that was lost to us.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby pulled her blue dress on and walked out in the night
The girl put on her dress and left at night.

Left one silk stocking danglin' from the bedside light
One of the girl's stockings was left hanging on the bedpost.

I sobered up and called her name just before the dawn
When he became sober, he called out the girl's name.

I followed footprints through the sand, I knew where she had gone
He followed the footprints in the sand because he knew where the person went.

Down The Rio Grande Down the Rio Grande.
The girl went down the Rio Grande river.

Pulled out of Albuquerque, must have been past 8:00
He left Albuquerque after 8:00 AM.

Four cups of coffee and I hit the interstate
He drank four cups of coffee and drove on the interstate.

Rolling through Las Cruces, I thought I saw her car
He saw a car in Las Cruces that he thought belonged to the girl.

She always said she'd go someday, she never said how far Down The Rio Grande, Down The Rio Grande
The girl had always talked about leaving but never mentioned how far she would go. She eventually went down the Rio Grande river.

Maybe she's in Brownsville, she's got some family there
He thinks that the girl might be in Brownsville because she has family there.

She always talked about the salty Gulf Coast air Where the river ends, Down The Rio Grande
The girl often talked about the salty air near the Gulf Coast. She went to the end of the Rio Grande river.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVE ALVIN, TOM RUSSELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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