DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Talk about the songs, the shows, and anything else DBT related here.

Moderators: Jonicont, mark lynn, Maluca3, Tequila Cowboy, BigTom, CooleyGirl, olwiggum

User avatar
Clams
Posts: 14850
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:16 pm
Location: City of Brotherly Love

DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Clams »

Reaching back to Pizza Deliverance for a classic Cooley track, which I was lucky enough to hear live for the first time a couple of months ago in Towson. Wah wah guitars, freaky solos and steam rising off people's insides on the sidewalk. What's not to love?



If I had a dime for every time
I heard my old man say one of these days
I wouldn't be like my old man today
talking bout places that he'd been
back in his younger days
that he was gonna go back to again one of these days

Dropped out of school when he was just sixteen
fell right in to a tire plant
building the very things that make the asphalt sing
and put Alabama far behind you

I remember him saying that Chicago was a hell right here on earth
and twenty five years later I was saying the same thing about Memphis

It's no wonder everybody's scared of downtown Birmingham
it's just a little too close to home
But there's more crooks down here and the cops don't care,
and old white men wearing ties can do anything they want.

Once a country boy's seen
the way the steam rises off a man's insides on the sidewalk.
Tends to change the way he thinks, the way he sees everything
and he goes back to where he came from.

One of these days when my face looks like a roadmap gonna find my way back home.
And I'll go walking on the west side after dark and leave my gun locked in my car.
One of these days you'll take one look at me and run.
One of these days you'll take one look at me and run.


Discuss...
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

User avatar
bovine knievel
Posts: 9348
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:40 pm
Location: Pollyanna doesn't live here.

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by bovine knievel »

Cooley can say alot without sayin' much at all.

Great choice, Clams!
“Excited people get on daddy’s nerves.” - M. Cooley

User avatar
Jack Flash
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:29 pm
Location: Ann Arbor

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Jack Flash »

Now this is a goddamn song of the week.

I recall reading in a fairly recent Cooley interview that this is his favorite song he's written. I'd find it hard to argue with him.

beantownbubba
Posts: 21745
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:52 am
Location: Trying to stay focused on the righteous path

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by beantownbubba »

Jack Flash wrote:Now this is a goddamn song of the week.

I recall reading in a fairly recent Cooley interview that this is his favorite song he's written. I'd find it hard to argue with him.


Well, if it's his favorite, it's his favorite and there's nothing to argue about. But coming from a guy who's written songs like zip city, women w/out whiskey and gravity's gone, I find it pretty surprising.

W/out thinking about it too hard, I think it contains one of Cooley's most overtly political lines (about white guys w/ ties), and that to me is pretty much the most remarkable thing about it. For my money, Daddy's Cup is a far better song on a similar subject.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

User avatar
Tequila Cowboy
Site Admin
Posts: 20230
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:12 pm
Location: The Twilight Zone, along with everyone else

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

This one is one of my favorites. The lyrics are among Cooley's best.

And sorry Beantown, I far prefer it to Daddy's Cup.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved

beantownbubba
Posts: 21745
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:52 am
Location: Trying to stay focused on the righteous path

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by beantownbubba »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:This one is one of my favorites. The lyrics are among Cooley's best.

And sorry Beantown, I far prefer it to Daddy's Cup.


Of course you do. Even if u didn't before, you do now. :lol: :lol: :lol:
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

User avatar
Clams
Posts: 14850
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:16 pm
Location: City of Brotherly Love

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Clams »

Is it autobiographical? Or is he singing someone else's story? Or both?
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

User avatar
Jack Flash
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:29 pm
Location: Ann Arbor

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Jack Flash »

Clams wrote:Is it autobiographical? Or is he singing someone else's story? Or both?


Stroker Ace wrote:Which of your songs best defines you as a songwriter?
“One of These Days” is way up there as being very me. It’s a very personal thing.


That's the comment I was thinking of too, so I guess I remembered incorrectly. "Most defining" isn't necessarily "favorite." Here's the full interview:

http://www.prefixmag.com/features/drive ... iew/38328/

OtisTheBulldog
Posts: 111
Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 7:49 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by OtisTheBulldog »

I've always loved the pacing in this song and the way he takes it's time with it. Also of note is Patterson's harmonizing on the "twenty five years later" line. And I've always thought that was just such a killer line. Coming to terms with, "dad may have known what he was talking about".

And of course the song takes a spin with knowing that it's like to see the steam from a man's insides on the sidewalk (such a visual line) and he ends it so strong & powerful with his face like a road map, not afraid to walk the west side after dark with his gun locked in the car.

I never properly examined the ending to this one until now and need to think on it a little more. I've always just enjoyed listening to this one and loved certain lines without really putting it all together. But the way this one unfolds is just beautiful. From a scared out of place country boy to one of defiance. If this is his favorite one he's written, he's got good reason. Excellent story telling.

This one is going to find itself a little heavier into the rotation.

Mr. B
Posts: 787
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:18 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Mr. B »

I've become fascinated by this song in the last month or so -- listening to it once or twice a day on average. For whatever reason, despite my obsession with Stroker Ace and all that he stands for, I somehow ignored one of his best songs until now. In retrospect, I'm not sure how I could do that as this is classic Cooley. He tells a story without really telling a story. You know what I mean? Unlike Patterson's songs, we have to read between the lines and fill out the rest of the saga ourselves. I love these lines, which to me is the heart of the song:


I remember him saying that Chicago was a hell right here on earth
and twenty five years later I was saying the same thing about Memphis

It's no wonder everybody's scared of downtown Birmingham
it's just a little too close to home
But there's more crooks down here and the cops don't care,
and old white men wearing ties can do anything they want.


One more thing -- for the record, his old man is wrong about Chicago, one of the greatest cities on earth. And less than two weeks to the rawk show at Otto's!

User avatar
Smitty
Posts: 10900
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:30 pm
Location: Fruithurst, Al
Contact:

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Smitty »

Quite possibly my favorite Cooley song - I love the original, hard-rocking version, but it also works as a ballad, as the TDU version reveals - an anthem.
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

User avatar
ariedl
Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:24 pm
Contact:

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by ariedl »

While I don't know that it's my favorite DBT song (who can pick just one?) this is the song that has had the most impact on me. In the late 90s I was listening to a lot of Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt/Wilco, and was on the Postcard listserv, where I heard frequent references to DBT. I didn't check them out for a while, as I was afraid from the name that they might be a hillbilly parody, redneck kitsch kind of thing. Late in the summer of 1999 I finally bought a used copy of "Pizza Deliverance", but the first time I listened to it I didn't "get" it. The different singers threw me off, the songs seemed all over the place, etc. For whatever reason, it just didn't click for me. I gave it a couple more listens, though, and by the time I heard "One Of These Days" for the third time, I could make out the lyrics to this line:

Once a country boy has seen
the way steam rises off a man's insides on the sidewalk,
tends to change the way he thinks, the way he sees everything
when he goes back to where he came from.


THAT was the moment I 'got' the Truckers. I had never heard anything like it, and my mind was blown. It was funny, because after this song clicked, the others did, too. But this is the song that won me over. So when I got around to building a setlist database, "One Of These Days" seemed like a great name for the site.

I'm pretty sure that Jenn said that Rob Malone played the amazing guitar solos throughout the song. I can't say for sure, but whoever it is, it does a great job of setting the song's mood.

Finally, I love the line about his face looking like a road map; just another great example of Cooley's ability to paint vivid pictures with just a few words.

Alec

RMD
Posts: 725
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Location: CT

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by RMD »

If I wrote this song I would stop at this one, how do you top it? And I agree with OtisThe Bulldog, the pacing is perfect. I was chasing this one live for awhile and will never forget when Cooley started it one night, felt like a kid on Xmas morning.

OtisTheBulldog
Posts: 111
Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 7:49 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by OtisTheBulldog »

Mr. B wrote: For whatever reason, despite my obsession with Stroker Ace and all that he stands for, I somehow ignored one of his best songs until now. In retrospect, I'm not sure how I could do that as this is classic Cooley. !


^^^^^^^^^^^
This!

I feel like I should be publicly humiliated and shamed. Caning seems reasonable.

Ariel - great post & story.

Week #6 is such a great choice. I love these posts.

User avatar
Monty610
Posts: 237
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:50 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Monty610 »

My favorite Cooley song from PD and the song that finally brought that album into perspective for me. For a long time it was my least favorite DBT album, but now it's one of my favorites.

LOVE the opening lyric. Really reminds me of my own father, who always promised that we'd go to one of the vacation spots he visited as a younger man "one of these days". But I never got to go to those places with him. "One of these days" never came, and I had to make the effort to go on my own after he passed away. Nothing malicious, it's just that we always went to the same place on vacation and he never got around to switching it up.

Reminds me that life is short and there may not always be "one of these days" to fall back on...

User avatar
BigTom
Site Admin
Posts: 1020
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:32 am
Location: Arlington, VT

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by BigTom »

I have always lumped One of These Days and Uncle Frank together, not because they sound the same or anything but for the shock value. Both have lines that throw you off when you hear them for the first time. Both gave me goosebumps when I first heard them.

Once a country boy's seen
the way the steam rises off a man's insides on the sidewalk.
Tends to change the way he thinks, the way he sees everything
and he goes back to where he came from.

Uncle Frank couldn't read or write
so there was no note or letter found when he died.
Just a rope around his neck and the kitchen table turned on its side
Tumble down shack in Bigfoot County

User avatar
dfw2010
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:10 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by dfw2010 »

Absolutely one of Cooley's best songs. I can't think of anybody in any band who does a better job of creating a mental image of a place or scene as Cooley does. I became obsessed with this song the first time I heard it off of the vinyl version of Pizza Deliverance. The guitar parts are so distinct, I felt like I was in the room while they were recording it. I've tried playing it with my "band" but I really couldn't make it stick, unlike Whiskey Without Women which is more of a straight forward rocker. Anyway, a big thumbs up to One of These Days.

User avatar
Jeremy
Posts: 424
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:14 am
Location: Inman SC

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Jeremy »

Great song, one of my top 5 cooley songs, along with Daddys cup, Where the devil dont stay, panties and love like this. Any show I get to catch this one live, I get a big old smile on my face.

User avatar
dime in the gutter
Posts: 9013
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:46 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by dime in the gutter »

amazing guit.

User avatar
'Scratch
Posts: 1310
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 4:39 pm
Location: Along the Locatong

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by 'Scratch »

One of Cooley's best. I love the acoustic version. That guy can write some songs.
Not forever, just for now.

User avatar
Clams
Posts: 14850
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:16 pm
Location: City of Brotherly Love

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Clams »

The steam rising off a man's insides, I almost always picture a dead guy who got shot or something. But sometimes I think it's a homeless guy sleeping on a sewer grate on the sidewalk.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

User avatar
never going back
Posts: 503
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:40 pm
Location: You'll never lose your mind as long as your heart always reminds you where you left it.

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by never going back »

Love this one.

I thought the "I wouldn't be like my old man today" line was "I wouldn't be lying in my own bed today" for the longest time. My husband finally corrected me but it's in my head that way and I still sing it wrong, knowing it's wrong.

The best line for me is "One of these days when my face looks like a roadmap gonna find my way back home." So simple, so complex, so deep.
Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold...

User avatar
helmespc
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:58 pm

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by helmespc »

This is one of my all time DBT favorites.... for some reason, I've never really cared for the wah-wah guitar on the recording, but the song is strong enough to fight through the lackluster production. The lyrics are absolutely killer.... and Chicago really is hell on earth. Memphis is more like a deserted hell.

User avatar
ariedl
Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:24 pm
Contact:

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by ariedl »

never going back wrote:Love this one.

I thought the "I wouldn't be like my old man today" line was "I wouldn't be lying in my own bed today" for the longest time. My husband finally corrected me but it's in my head that way and I still sing it wrong, knowing it's wrong.


For the longest time I couldn't decide if it was "lying in my old van" or "lying to my old man", both of which made some sense to me. Go figure.

User avatar
Mrs Swamp
Posts: 1723
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:09 am
Location: 20 miles south of Buttholeville

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by Mrs Swamp »

I've heard tales of what goes down there ...

dbtfan4life
Posts: 994
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 12:00 pm
Location: Athens,TN

Re: DBT Tracks - Week # 6 - One of These Days

Post by dbtfan4life »

great song. my favorite album pizza deliverance. just love the dbts

wolfgang
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:59 pm

Question about One of These Days

Post by wolfgang »

Regarding the following lyric:

Once a country boy's seen
the way the steam rises off a man's insides on the sidewalk.

Do you think 'a man's insides' refers to a man's guts after he's been killed, or somebody, a homeless person perhaps, had pooped on the street?

I can see both making an impact on a country boy that's never been to a big city.

beantownbubba
Posts: 21745
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:52 am
Location: Trying to stay focused on the righteous path

Re: Question about One of These Days

Post by beantownbubba »

The former.

There's a whole thread on this song, which u may find interesting. It was a "DBT Song of the Week."
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

wolfgang
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:59 pm

Re: Question about One of These Days

Post by wolfgang »

I was afraid of that. Where can I find that thread? I did a search but didn't find anything relevant to my question.


Post Reply