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).

Touch of Evil
Tom Russell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The night my baby left me I crossed the bridge to Juarez avenue
Like that movie "Touch of evil" I got the Orson Wells, Marlene Dietrich blues
Where Orson walks in to the whore house and
Marlene says "Man, you look like hell"
And Orson's chewing on a chocolate bar
As the lights go on in the old Blue Star hotel
"Read my future" says old Orson, "down inside the tea leaves of your cup"
And she says "You ain't got no future, Hank,

I believe your future's all used up"

[Chorus]
Why don't you touch me anymore? Why don't you touch me anymore?
Why do you run away and hide? You know it hurts me deep inside
Why do you close the bedroom door? This is a brutal little war
What good is all this fightin' for if you don't touch me anymore?

They shot "A touch of evil" in a Venice, California colony
And I grew near those dead canals
Where they filmed the longest pan shot ever made
Now I'm thinking about the movie, the bar I'm in, the bridge, the Rio Grande
Now I'm thinking about my baby and the borderline 'tween a woman and a man
I was drunk as Orson Wells the night I crawled backwards out the door
I was screaming "Baby, baby how come you touch me anymore?"

[Chorus]

Oh, someone rolled the credits on twenty years of love turned dark and raw
Not a technicolor love film, it's a brutal document, it's film noir
And it's all played out on a borderline and the actors are tragically miscast
Like a Mexican burlesque show where the characters are wearing comic masks
Oh, it's love and love alone I cry to the barmen in this Juarez waterhole
As we raise a glass to Orson and "A touch of evil" livin' our souls

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song "Touch of Evil" by Tom Russell tells the story of a man who has been left by his partner and is now struggling to come to terms with his loneliness. The opening lines of the song establish a sense of abandonment as the singer crosses the bridge to "Juarez avenue" in search of comfort. The reference to the film "Touch of Evil" immediately establishes a mood of film noir and sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer identifies with Orson Wells' character as he walks into a red light district and Marlene Dietrich's character cruelly tells him that he has no future. The singer's pain is highlighted in the chorus as he asks why his partner no longer touches him and why she has closed the bedroom door on him.

The second verse of the song describes the setting where the film "Touch of Evil" was shot and how the singer has grown up near the "dead canals" of Venice, California where the longest pan shot ever made was filmed. The connection between the film and the singer's life becomes more apparent as he reflects on the "borderline 'tween a woman and a man" and how he was "drunk as Orson Wells" the night he was left. The final verse suggests that the singer's relationship has been turned into a "brutal document" of love gone bad and that he is struggling to find any kind of comfort in his life. The chorus becomes more poignant as the singer cries to the barmen about his loneliness and identity, and raises glasses to Orson and "A touch of evil" as if the film and the characters within it are living within his soul.

Line by Line Meaning

The night my baby left me I crossed the bridge to Juarez avenue
After my baby left me, I crossed the bridge to Juarez avenue

Like that movie 'Touch of evil' I got the Orson Wells, Marlene Dietrich blues
I felt the same blues as Orson Wells and Marlene Dietrich in the movie 'Touch of Evil'

Where Orson walks in to the whore house and
In the movie, Orson enters a whore house and

Marlene says 'Man, you look like hell'
Marlene comments on Orson's appearance, saying that he looks terrible

And Orson's chewing on a chocolate bar
Orson is eating a chocolate bar

As the lights go on in the old Blue Star hotel
The lights turn on in the old Blue Star hotel

'Read my future' says old Orson, 'down inside the tea leaves of your cup'
Orson asks to have his future read from the teacup

And she says 'You ain't got no future, Hank, I believe your future's all used up'
The fortune teller tells Orson that he has no future left

[Chorus] Why don't you touch me anymore? Why don't you touch me anymore? Why do you run away and hide? You know it hurts me deep inside Why do you close the bedroom door? This is a brutal little war What good is all this fightin' for if you don't touch me anymore?
The artist asks why their partner doesn't touch them anymore and questions why they run away and hide, leading to a brutal war between them. The artist questions the purpose of their constant fighting if they no longer have physical intimacy.

They shot 'A touch of evil' in a Venice, California colony
They filmed 'A Touch of Evil' in a colony in Venice, California

And I grew near those dead canals
I lived near those dead canals

Where they filmed the longest pan shot ever made
The longest pan shot ever was filmed there

Now I'm thinking about the movie, the bar I'm in, the bridge, the Rio Grande
Now I'm thinking about the movie, the bar I'm in, the bridge, and the Rio Grande

Now I'm thinking about my baby and the borderline 'tween a woman and a man
Now I'm thinking about my baby and the line between genders

I was drunk as Orson Wells the night I crawled backwards out the door
I was drunk like Orson Wells the night I crawled backward out of the door

I was screaming 'Baby, baby how come you touch me anymore?'
I screamed, 'Baby, why don't you touch me anymore?'

[Chorus]
The artist repeats the chorus, wondering why their partner no longer touches them

Oh, someone rolled the credits on twenty years of love turned dark and raw
The singer references that their love has turned dark and raw after twenty years and someone has rolled the credits

Not a technicolor love film, it's a brutal document, it's film noir
Their love has become a brutal document, not like a technicolor love film, but rather like film noir

And it's all played out on a borderline and the actors are tragically miscast
Their love plays out on the borderline between genders, and the actors are tragically miscast

Like a Mexican burlesque show where the characters are wearing comic masks
Their love is like a Mexican burlesque show where the characters wear comic masks

Oh, it's love and love alone I cry to the barmen in this Juarez waterhole
The artist cries to the bartender in the Juarez waterhole, confessing it's love and love alone

As we raise a glass to Orson and 'A touch of evil' livin' our souls
The singer raises a glass to Orson and his movie 'A Touch of Evil,' as they live in turbulent times

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM RUSSELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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