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).
Valley of the Rio Grande
Tom Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The song "Valley of the Rio Grande" by Tom Russell tells the story of a man who wakes up in the morning and finds that his lover has left him, leaving behind only one silk stocking dangling from the bedside light. The man immediately sobers up and starts following her footprints, which lead him down the Rio Grande. He starts driving down the interstate and describes passing through Las Cruces in New Mexico. As he drives, he wonders if his lover has gone all the way down to Brownsville, Texas where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico.
The song expresses a sense of longing and loss as the singer seeks to find his lover by following the river down to the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande is an important symbol in the song, representing both the physical route that the singer takes to search for his lover, and also a metaphorical boundary that his lover has crossed in leaving him. The river represents the distance between the singer and his lover, adding a layer of melancholy to the song.
Overall, "Valley of the Rio Grande" captures the bittersweet feeling of searching for something that has been lost, and the sense of sadness and grief that can come with a broken relationship. It is a hauntingly beautiful song that showcases Tom Russell's gift for storytelling and his ability to capture complex emotions with simple yet evocative lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby pulled her blue dress on and walked out in the night
A woman put on a blue dress and left during the nighttime.
Left one silk stocking danglin' from the bedside light
She left behind a silk stocking on the bedside light.
I sobered up and called her name just before the dawn
The singer became sober and called out the woman's name just before sunrise.
I followed footprints through the sand, I knew where she had gone
The artist followed footprints in the sand and knew where the woman had gone.
Down The Rio Grande
The woman had gone down to the Rio Grande.
Pulled out of Albuquerque, must have been past 8:00
The singer left Albuquerque after 8:00.
Four cups of coffee and I hit the interstate
The singer drank four cups of coffee and drove on the interstate.
Rolling through Las Cruces, I thought I saw her car
While driving through Las Cruces, the artist thought he saw the woman's car.
She always said she'd go someday, she never said how far
The woman had always talked about leaving but never said how far she would go.
Down The Rio Grande, Down The Rio Grande
The woman had gone down to the Rio Grande.
Maybe she's in Brownsville, she's got some family there
The singer speculated that the woman may be in Brownsville where she has some family.
She always talked about the salty Gulf Coast air
The woman always talked about the salty air on the Gulf Coast.
Where the river ends, Down The Rio Grande
The woman went down to the Rio Grande where the river ends.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVE ALVIN, TOM RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julia & Gina's Tom Russell Videos
We love this video. Surprised it doesn't get more "likes".
SigmaWolf1958
They both sound great together. He has a nice Orbison twang. Glad to find you.