His official website is http://www.utahphillips.org/, and his blog is http://utahphillips.blogspot.com/
An obituary from Sing Out! magazine can be read at http://singout.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/bruce-utah-phillips-passes/
Utah Phillips' given name was Bruce Phillips. A fan of T. Texas Tyler, Phillips adopted the stage name U. Utah Phillips.
Phillips served the United States Army for three years beginning in 1956. Witnessing the devastating effects of the post Korean War Korea greatly influenced his social and political thinking. Following service, he returned to Salt Lake City, Utah, and joined Ammon Hennacy from the Catholic Worker Movement in establishing a mission house of hospitality named after the activist Joe Hill. Phillips worked at the Joe Hill House for the next eight years, then ran for the U.S. Senate as a candidate of Utah's Peace and Freedom Party in 1968.
He met folk singer Rosalie Sorrells in the early 1950's, and has remained a close friend of hers ever since. It was Sorrells who started playing the songs that Phillips wrote, and through her his music began to spread. After leaving Utah in the late 60's, he came to Saratoga Springs, NY, where he was befriended by the folk community at the Caffe Lena coffee house, where he became a staple performer throughout that decade.
An avid railway fan, Phillips recorded several albums of music related to the railroads, especially the era of steam locomotives. His first album, Good Though!, is an example, and contains such songs as "Daddy, What's a Train?" and "Queen of the Rails" as well as what may be his most famous composition, "Moose Turd Pie" wherein he tells a tall tale of his work as a gandy dancer repairing track in the American southwest desert.
Phillips became an elder statesman for the folk music community, and a keeper of stories and songs that might otherwise have passed into obscurity. He was also a member of the great Traveling Nation, the community of hobos and railroad bums that populates the midwest United States along the rail lines, and was an important keeper of their history and culture.
Until it lost its funding, Phillips hosted his own weekly radio show, Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind.
The Telling Takes Me Home
Utah Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the wild, windy places locked in timeless snow,
And the wide, crimson deserts where the muddy rivers flow.
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
Come along with me to some places that I've been
Where people all look back and they still remember when,
And the quicksilver legends, like sunlight, turn and bend
Walk along some wagon road, down the iron rail,
Past the rusty Cadillacs that mark the boom town trail,
Where dreamers never win and doers never fail,
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
I'll sing of my amigos, come from down below,
Whisper in their loving tongue the songs of Mexico.
They work their stolen Eden, lost so long ago.
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
I'll tell you all some lies, just made up for fun,
And the loudest, meanest brag, it can beat the fastest gun.
I'll show you all some graves that tell where the West was won.
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
And I'll sing about an emptiness the East has never known,
Where coyotes don't pay taxes and a man can live alone,
And you've got to walk forever just to find a telephone.
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
Let me sing to you all those songs I know
Of the wild, windy places locked in timeless snow,
And the wide, crimson deserts where the muddy rivers flow.
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
In Utah Phillips’s “The Telling Takes Me Home,” the singer speaks of their longing for home as they confess that they must reach far and wide to find it. The song’s narrator wants to share their collection of stories and songs that transport them back to places they’ve been to and loved. These are places that are distant and hard to reach, like the “wild, windy places locked in timeless snow,” and the “wide, crimson deserts where the muddy rivers flow.” The lyrics don't describe physical homes, but rather emotional ones in stories and memories, and the act of sharing them takes the singer back to that sense of familiarity and belonging.
Through the chorus, the singer repeats the bittersweet sentiment that “it’s sad, but the telling takes me home,” suggesting that even though it might be difficult to physically return to these places, the act of sharing and reflecting on their stories can bring a sense of comfort and familiarity. The verses delve into specific places and people that the singer recalls, from the “quicksilver legends” of people who remember their history, to the “stolen Eden” of workers who came from down below. Some of these accounts may be false or exaggerated, but they all serve to help the singer feel a sense of place and belonging through their telling.
Overall, “The Telling Takes Me Home” is a song about the power of stories and their ability to connect us to our past and to others. While the singer may be physically far from the places they hold dear, their stories and memories offer a way to bridge that distance and find a sense of home.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me sing to you all those songs I know
I want to share the stories and experiences that I have gained throughout my travels with you through song
Of the wild, windy places locked in timeless snow,
I have seen breathtaking and powerful natural landscapes, such as mountains covered in endless snow
And the wide, crimson deserts where the muddy rivers flow.
Additionally, I have traveled to barren deserts where rivers carve their way through the land and the colors of the earth are vivid reds and oranges
It's sad, but the telling takes me home.
Even though the memories are sometimes melancholy or difficult, recounting them brings me back to a sense of familiarity and nostalgia
Come along with me to some places that I've been
Join me on a journey through my past, to the places that have left a lasting impression on me
Where people all look back and they still remember when,
The communities I have encountered have a deep sense of history and tradition that they honor and cherish
And the quicksilver legends, like sunlight, turn and bend
The stories and legends I have heard are fluid and malleable, changing with the retelling and growing larger than life
Walk along some wagon road, down the iron rail,
Let's stroll along the paths that settlers took to create new lives for themselves, and also see the advances of technology with the presence of train tracks
Past the rusty Cadillacs that mark the boom town trail,
In some places prosperity was found, evidenced by the numerous metal cars left behind from unexpected change in fortune
Where dreamers never win and doers never fail,
Unfortunately, in these towns and communities, those who daydream and those who work endlessly for success never find their fortune
I'll sing of my amigos, come from down below,
I will sing of my friends from Mexico who have come to America in search of a better life
Whisper in their loving tongue the songs of Mexico.
I will sing in Spanish, and share the beautiful music and culture that is cherished in this country
They work their stolen Eden, lost so long ago.
However, my friends have been forced to toil in places where the ground was once rich, but now belongs to those who do not appreciate it
I'll tell you all some lies, just made up for fun,
I will also mix in some tall tales and outlandish stories, just to entertain and amuse you
And the loudest, meanest brag, it can beat the fastest gun.
In the words I speak, I will make outrageous claims, taunting or daring anyone to challenge their validity
I'll show you all some graves that tell where the West was won.
I will bring you to the memorials of those who lost their lives in the struggle to conquer the American West
And I'll sing about an emptiness the East has never known,
In contrast to the populated and bustling cities of the East, I have spent time in remote areas where isolation is a way of life
Where coyotes don't pay taxes and a man can live alone,
In these places, there are no societal pressures to conform or keep up with the latest trends and technology, and a person can live off the grid if they choose
And you've got to walk forever just to find a telephone.
However, it is important to note that in these areas, basic necessities such as access to communication can also be a challenge to obtain
Lyrics © MUSIC MANAGEMENT
Written by: UTAH PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind