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).
Haley
Tom Russell Lyrics
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In a pancake house down near the Rio Grande
Well the waitress said, "I don't know you from diddley
To me you look like one more tired old man"
Well he walked all alone down on Main street
Was a hot wind blowin' up from the south
There were two eye's starin' in a pawnshop window
There was no moon shinin' on the Rio Grande
A truck of migrants pulled through town
The jukebox was busted at the bus depot
When Haley's comet hit the ground
Well he blacked out all the windows in his bedroom
He was talkin' to the ceiling and the walls
Then he closed his eyes and hit the stage in 1955
And the screams of the women filled the hall
There was no moon shinin' on the Rio Grande
A truck of migrants pulled through town
The jukebox was busted at the bus depot
When Haley's comet hit the ground
Well a cop walks in a pancake house in Texas
And he orders up two coffees to go
He tells the waitress, "Baby, we just found the body
Of someone who was famous long ago."
There was no moon shinin' on the Rio Grande
A truck of migrants pulled through town
The jukebox was busted at the bus depot
When Haley's comet hit the ground
When Haley's comet hit the ground
The song "Haley's Comet" by Tom Russell tells the story of Bill Haley, the American rock and roll musician who rose to fame in the 1950s with his band, Bill Haley & His Comets. The lyrics describe Haley in his later years, as an aging and forgotten icon who visits a pancake house down near the Rio Grande, only to be met with indifference by the waitress who doesn't recognize him. The imagery of a hot wind blowing up from the south and migrants passing through town creates a sense of loneliness and despair.
The song then takes a surreal turn as Haley's memories of his glory days come flooding back. The whiskey bottle lifted to his mouth represents his attempts to drown his sorrows, while his bedroom windows blacked out and him talking to the ceiling and the walls suggest delirium. When he hits the stage in 1955, the screams of the women in the audience fill the hall, but this is only a memory. The song then returns to the present and reveals that the cop has found Haley's body, suggesting that he has died unnoticed and forgotten. The repeated line "when Haley's comet hit the ground" creates a powerful metaphor for the rise and fall of a cultural icon.
Line by Line Meaning
"Do you know who I am?" said Bill Haley
Bill Haley asks if the waitress at the pancake house recognizes him.
In a pancake house down near the Rio Grande
The conversation between Bill Haley and the waitress occurs in a restaurant near the Rio Grande River.
Well the waitress said, "I don't know you from diddley
To me you look like one more tired old man"
The waitress doesn't recognize Bill Haley and sees him as just another old man.
Well he walked all alone down on Main street
Was a hot wind blowin' up from the south
Bill Haley walks alone on Main Street while a hot wind blows from the south.
There were two eye's starin' in a pawnshop window
A whiskey bottle lifted to his mouth
Bill Haley sees eyes in a pawnshop window while drinking whiskey.
There was no moon shinin' on the Rio Grande
A truck of migrants pulled through town
The jukebox was busted at the bus depot
When Haley's comet hit the ground
The setting of the story is described as the Rio Grande without a moon, a truck of migrants passing through town, and a broken jukebox, when Haley's comet hits the ground.
Well he blacked out all the windows in his bedroom
He was talkin' to the ceiling and the walls
Then he closed his eyes and hit the stage in 1955
And the screams of the women filled the hall
Bill Haley remembers the past as he blacks out the windows in his room, talks to himself, and imagines himself hitting the stage in 1955, where women scream for him.
Well a cop walks in a pancake house in Texas
And he orders up two coffees to go
He tells the waitress, "Baby, we just found the body
Of someone who was famous long ago."
A police officer enters the same pancake house and orders two coffees to go. He then informs the waitress that they've found the body of someone who was famous long ago, hinting that it's Bill Haley.
When Haley's comet hit the ground
The song's title and refrain, referring to the moment when Bill Haley died or was found dead.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVE ALVIN, TON RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind