dbt track # 89 DRAG THE LAKE CHARLIE

Clams · Post by **Clams** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:15 pm

Nasty slides by Cooley, keyboards out front, handclaps, and a heavy drum beat. Lots of great lyrics, esp the one about being almost out of valium, courage and self respect. I'd say this one's much better live than the recorded version on The Big To Do.

Here's a great vid (I found while checking to be sure that Cooley's the one playing the slide, not Neff).

Drag the lake Charlie
Charlie, drag the lake
Lester didn't come home last night and Wanda's all irate
Better keep your fingers crossed and hope we find him drowned
Wanda's gonna come and kill us all if he shows up in town

Drag the lake Charlie
I heard that he was seen
Cavorting with old Shorty up at the line again
Wanda's got that goddamned pistol in her purse
If she goes back on rampage they'll have to call the hearse

Better drag the lake Charlie
Charlie, drag the lake
Remember what happened last time Lester went on the make
I heard it took the cleaning crew two weeks to clean the bar
They never found that teenaged girl
They never found the car

Drag the lake Charlie / Drag the lake Charlie
It won't be the first time but it might be the last

Drag the lake Charlie
And keep your fingers crossed
And if your friends with Jesus
Please ask him to help us
Our best-case scenario is Lester turns up dead
I'm almost out of Valium, courage and self-respect

Drag the lake Charlie / Drag the lake Charlie
It won't be the first time but it might be the last

rlipps · Post by **rlipps** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:16 pm

Definitely a song that I like much better live than on the album. Saw them open a few shows with it and it worked surprisingly well, love the guitars on this one.

Duke Silver · Post by **Duke Silver** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:26 pm

Good song. I wish the heavy, plodding riff that opens the live version of the song was more prominent on the album version. The gnat-like slide riff, the hand claps, and the sing-songy vocals combine to make it come off kinda light and silly on the album, which is weird considering the subject matter. But live, Patterson's main riff really grounds the song.

Sterling Big Mouth · Post by **Sterling Big Mouth** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:37 pm

The gnat-like slide riff, the hand claps, and the sing-songy vocals combine to make it come off kinda light and silly on the album, which is weird considering the subject matter.

I respectfully disagree. I've always felt this song was perfectly at home on TBTD.

I love it live too. That was a great version in the video and I was happy to hear it on NYE at Terminal 5.

The following line creeps me out as much as any other:

Remember what happened last time Lester went on the make
I heard it took the cleaning crew two weeks to clean the bar
They never found that teenaged girl
They never found the car

In all, the song isn't one that I seek out when playing specific tracks, but one that I go, "oh yeah, I love that song" when I play TBTD straight through.

Gang Green · Post by **Gang Green** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 7:51 pm

I've got to agree with SBM, that "Drag the Lake Charlie" is great on the album as well as live. And, is a great example of Patterson's story telling ability. It's a dark gruesome tale about some, seriously messed up people, with heavy guitar riffs and I love it. It's Patterson at his best, or, at least, the way I like him the best.

I want to thank Clams for using the clip for one of my all time favorite music shows "Later, with Jools Holland", (my anglofileness comes out again). When "Later..." starts Jools introduces all the acts which will be performing. When he introduces DBT along with the rest of the acts, they try to get a jump start on Birthday Boy. It's from the same show from the Drag the Lake Charlie clip above.

Hud · Post by **Hud** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 9:17 pm

I remember hearing this song on our local radio station, didn't know who it was and thought it was a very strange song, very original. It was half way into it when realized it was DBT. I was amazed....I think it' great piece of art. It does creep me out a bit that wnen I hear it, I always think of the movie 'Blue Velvet'

Duke Silver · Post by **Duke Silver** » Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:15 pm

I prefer the live version (love that scuzzy opening riff in the clip above), but I enjoy both the live and album versions. Didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

Cole Younger · Post by **Cole Younger** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:25 am

One of the few DBT songs that I truly just don't like.

Hearing it live might change that I'm sure.

bovine knievel · Post by **bovine knievel** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:29 pm

This song takes on a life of its own at the Rock Show. I copied this from my post in the musical brain dump thread...

The opening licks of Drag The Lake Charle at the 1:58 mark of Slow Ride...

Penny Lane · Post by **Penny Lane** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:13 pm

Love songs with fighting couples, missing bodies and hand claps! What more do you need..loved this from the start.

PeterJ · Post by **PeterJ** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:21 pm

This has been one of my faves off TBTD since I first heard it. I think part of it is that my grandma had a "boyfriend"(basically another grandpa for a lot of the grandkids) named Charlie, and he was a truck driver with all these crazy stories. From the minute I heard this song, it sounded like a story he could have very easily told. It's wierd to say that it is a fun song considering the subject matter, but it sure is enjoyable to listen to.

beantownbubba · Post by **beantownbubba** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:38 pm

"They never found that teenaged girl" puts this song somewhere totally different than it would be otherwise. I still can't figure it out, but it sure is jarring and, when i'm in a certain kind of mood, upsetting. But when I let the line slide by i really dig this song. It took hearing it live to drive it home for me, but now i like the album version a hell of a lot as well. Except when that line rears its scene re-arranging head.

Like Clams I love "I'm almost out of valium, courage and self-respect." Used it as my location for quite a while and probably will resurrect it there. And as i said when the album was released, the "courage" part of the line reminds me of that old Dan Rather brouhaha. As has been said and sung, What's the frequency, Kenneth?

John A Arkansawyer · Post by **John A Arkansawyer** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:06 am

beantownbubba wrote:"They never found that teenaged girl" puts this song somewhere totally different than it would be otherwise. I still can't figure it out

That's why they have Wes Freed around, right? Patterson decided that song needed to draw blood and so it does.

Kevidently · Post by **Kevidently** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:07 pm

It's such a weird, amazing song. The music (and the handclaps) makes it seem lightheated and fun, and even the line about the teenage girl and the car sounds like it's supposed to be funny, even though it's so dark. I put this one on my Essential DBT mix.

vacant · Post by **vacant** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:57 pm

One of my favorites, and one I am still chasing. Maybe I'll finally see a live take the next time they hit Philly or Baltimore.

RMD · Post by **RMD** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:12 am

Loved it the first time I heard it. Loved it even more after I caught it live.

John A Arkansawyer · Post by **John A Arkansawyer** » Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:25 pm

I had reason to play this song for someone named Lester recently--to quote Bob Dylan, "If you see me in the morning, you'll know I survived. I can't believe it! I can't believe I'm alive!"--and it was even better than I remembered it. And this...

bovine knievel wrote:This song takes on a life of its own at the Rock Show. I copied this from my post in the musical brain dump thread...

The opening licks of Drag The Lake Charle at the 1:58 mark of Slow Ride...

...just completes the Circle of Life.

misterbrow · Post by **misterbrow** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:40 pm

Is it just me or do you wish they went back to more this character driven song rather than the social commentary stuff?

I loved living in the misery with imaginary strangers, but these things that I been singing with are getting all too real.

John A Arkansawyer · Post by **John A Arkansawyer** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:59 pm

They still haven't found that teenage girl, but I might've found the car:

dime in the gutter · Post by **dime in the gutter** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 8:34 pm

bovine knievel wrote:This song takes on a life of its own at the Rock Show. I copied this from my post in the musical brain dump thread...

The opening licks of Drag The Lake Charle at the 1:58 mark of Slow Ride...

checks out. nice ear.

never liked this tune. i like it better now.

dbt track # 89 DRAG THE LAKE CHARLIE

dbt track # 89 DRAG THE LAKE CHARLIE

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