by order of clams. song by my choosing.

sandwiches for the road.

possibly my favorite patterson song. end of the line. self-destructive. defiant. proud. desperate. lonely. simple...but not. tough guy. john neff. eddie hinton. most times, i think the protagonist is talking to himself. wonder where he is going? oddly enough, song makes me hopeful.

All packed to go, baloney and mayonnaise sandwiches for the road
lay them out across the dash in the August sun
and if they turn green don't be afraid
nothing can hurt you but yourself
nothing can hurt you but yourself

I been given to visions from time to time (Mighty fields of vision)
and the voice in my brain can be a little unkind sometimes
Go ahead, point it at me, I ain't scared
nothing can hurt you but yourself
nothing can hurt you but yourself

and if you see me on the street and if I whop you on the head
you probably got it coming
and if you hit me back, we'll call it even, but I ain't going down easy
cuz my mama loves me and I got friends in Decatur, Alabama.

So drink another drink and smoke another cigarette
something's gonna get us yet
Cuz I got ashes in my throat and I ain't got no vote
it's just the way I stand myself
nothing can hurt you but yourself
nothing can hurt you but yourself

have at it.

Decatur's a prison, I assume?

beantownbubba wrote:Decatur's a prison, I assume?

Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 18,147 in the 2000 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name. An intown suburb of Atlanta and part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Decatur's public transportation is served by three MARTA rail stations. Decatur's official motto is "A city of homes, schools and places of worship."[3] Prior to 2000, this motto was "A city of homes, churches, and schools."

beantownbubba wrote:Decatur's a prison, I assume?

never thought of decatur being a prison...maybe. i like that.

just thought of decatur as being a place where our hero has done a few deeds/errands/jobs (possibly illegal) that are known by many. (possibly just in his mind). meaning the deeds may or may not have occured...and even if they did occur, they may not be known by anybody. mighty fields of visions.....self agrandizing? or confessional?

or maybe he's just from decatur....

Love This Patterson song.

I have a killer soundboard copy of this from 12-31-01. They open with Sandwiches For The Road. During the song Patterson says, "Happy New Year MotherFucker". It is the best early boot of the Truckers I have.

I have the whole show if Anyone is interested. It isn't on archive.

I know this song has an eddie hinton connection. Can someone explain it?

beantownbubba wrote:Decatur's a prison, I assume?

perhaps a mental hospital?

I'm a northern boy, so when I hear Decatur, I think of Illinois

That's not what he's singing about at all, of course

Hmm Zip, so this isn't one of the songs that ended up on the cutting room floor of the Zipster mobile?

Gator McKlusky wrote:Hmm Zip, so this isn't one of the songs that ended up on the cutting room floor of the Zipster mobile?

this was a casualty of that ill-fated disc

Great song which they unfortunately don't play live very much. I believe the liner notes say it is about Eddie Hinton and his mental problems. (Can't check since I am at work)

Great song. I heard it live once, at the Myrtle beach house of blues. It was an amazing version. I wish they would pull it out more often.

I can't check either, but isn't "mighty field of vision" a play on an eddie hinton album or song title?

And BC, impressive research, but i'm gonna guess that whatever the Decatur reference is to, it's not the Atlanta suburb.

beantownbubba wrote:I can't check either, but isn't "mighty field of vision" a play on an eddie hinton album or song title?

And BC, impressive research, but i'm gonna guess that whatever the Decatur reference is to, it's not the Atlanta suburb.

There is a town in Alabama called Decatur. I think Hinton was from there originally.

I like Clams think this song is about Eddie Hinton but whatever it is isn't discernable by me from looking at the lyrics.

The Black Canary wrote:

beantownbubba wrote:Decatur's a prison, I assume?

Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 18,147 in the 2000 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name. An intown suburb of Atlanta and part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Decatur's public transportation is served by three MARTA rail stations. Decatur's official motto is "A city of homes, schools and places of worship."[3] Prior to 2000, this motto was "A city of homes, churches, and schools."

He's referring to Decatur, AL - there was a story about after Hintons heyday, he was alcoholic and destitute and walked from Birmingham to Decatur (just south of Huntsville) and was picked up by a friend who saw him on the side of the road and convinced him to go into the studio again.

It is hard to separate fact from legend at his point, but the story goes that Eddie Hinton ended up homeless in the mid-eighties. His career was plagued by record deals that want sour and record companies that went belly up. This put him in a state of depression. Legend has it that someone who knew Eddie from his heyday found him on the streets of Decatur. Eddie was too proud to accept charity, but was willing to accept any help he could get to put his career back on track. Eddie ended up recording an album and performing again with the help of his friends.

One of the things DBT deserve a gold star for is introducing so many new people to Eddie Hinton's music. I first heard of Eddie through DBT and discovering his music has enriched my life. I don't see how anyone can listen to a song like "Everybody Needs Love" and not have a smile on their face.

See if this helps ya'all;

In 1982, Eddie returned to Muscle Shoals to work with Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy took Eddie into the studio and recorded six songs that were pitched to a variety of record labels, but no labels were interested, and the project was never completed.

The set back sent Eddie into a downward spiral leading to the lowest point in his life. He divorced his wife Sandra, and eventually became estranged from his mother, following a family argument. In an effort to travel from his mother's home in Birmingham to Nashville, Eddie ran out of money and became stranded in Decatur, AL

Hinton was sitting on a bus stop bench, when John D. Wyker drove past. Wyker wasn't sure he had seen what he thought he had seen, so he drove around the block, and realized it was in fact Eddie.

Wyker was in the middle of redefining his own musical career, but he soon had redirected his energies to resurrect Eddie's Wyker called on me to help, and together we established a music publishing company for his new material.

Wyker then put together demo-recording sessions at Owen Brown and Jeff Simpson's Birdland Studio. It became evident there was still interest in Hinton as an artist when people kept trying to buy copies of the demo tape.

The demos were eventually combined with the songs produced by Jimmy Johnson, and released in Europe as "Letters From Mississippi." Mobile Fidelity Audio later made the album available in the U.S.

The success of "Letters From Mississippi" led to Eddie signing a contract with Bullseye Blues Records. Working at Birdland Studios, Hinton recorded and released Cry And Moan, and Very Blue Highway on the label.

Co-writer Bill Blackburn recalled how emotional Eddie could be at times. He said, "When me, Eddie and Spooner (Oldham) were writing 'Old Mr. Wind,' Eddie hit a chord on the guitar and tears just started running out of his eyes." Blackburn worked with Eddie several years, and together they had 14 or 15 cuts.

It was during this period that Hinton reconciled with his mother, and moved back to her home in Birmingham where he died of a heart attack July 28, 1995.


This is an excerpt from;

Remembering Eddie Hinton
"A Musician's Musician"
by Dick Cooper

oz, thanks for posting. excellent.

Not a song I listen to often, but one I've never regretted listening to.

I'd kill to see it live (has fingers crossed for Iowa City).

awesome, very strange tune - love it

The first time I heard it, the first line totally threw me. As a great bologna sammi should be fried, crispy with onions and maybe a little hot Chinese mustard. After I got past the bad food reference, I really began to dig this song.

Huge fan of this song and love the delivery on the record. He sells it.

One line that I'm curious of:

"Just the way I stand myself"

At first I always considered it the defiance as in "this is the way I carry myself. Fuck you, this is how I do it"

But then upon reading the lyrics again and thinking of the mental depression, I wondered if "stand" more or less means "tolerate". Maybe he feels his words aint worth a shit anyway. I still lean towards my original interpretation of that lyric, but this thread has me looking at it a little different.

Thoughts?

Excellent choice Dime.

I really love this song too. The emotion in Pat's voice just tears your heart out.

Go ahead, point it at me, I ain't scared
nothing can hurt you but yourself
nothing can hurt you but yourself

The last verse totally gives some hope. I agree with you dime.

So drink another drink and smoke another cigarette
something's gonna get us yet
Cuz I got ashes in my throat and I ain't got no vote
it's just the way I stand myself
nothing can hurt you but yourself
nothing can hurt you but yourself

Thanks for the info OZ, I never knew much about Eddie.

Hey Ya'all welcome for the info,
Here's some background I had in the computer about the tibute Hinton 45 the trucker's did :

Hinton was a member of the fabled Muscle Shoals (Ala.) rhythm section in the late 1960s. He was there during an era when many of the great R&B and Pop stars came to the city’s FAME Studio to get the kind of gritty, authentic mixture of Soul, Country and Blues that Muscle Shoals musicians knew how to play. Hinton’s guitar is featured on records by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, The Box Tops, The Staple Singers and many more top artists.



One side of the Drive-By Truckers’ release features Patterson Hood singing “Everybody Needs Love” to a soulfully bluesy Country Rock arrangement. On the other, bassist Shonna Tucker wails her forlorn heart out on a slowly building, thrillingly melodramatic arrangement of a ballad called “Where’s Eddie?” (The Truckers wrote an original tribute to Hinton, “Sandwiches for the Road,” which appeared on the group’s debut album.)

You really have to know Hinton to know that last one — he co-wrote it with Donnie Fritts for an album that Scottish pop star Lulu recorded in Muscle Shoals back in 1969. And the Truckers do indeed know him — they’re all from the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama and Hood’s father, David Hood, is a bassist who played with Hinton in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

“Patterson’s daddy played bass on that song, so that’s how it came into my life,” Tucker says in a phone interview before a Texas gig. “It’s a cool track and not that many people have heard it. I happen to be good friends with Donnie Fritts, who co-wrote the song, and he’s told me vivid details of the night they wrote it. I’m not sure I can tell you all the details, but I’ll just say they ended up finishing it in a tree. It’s always been a special song to me. It’s incredibly beautiful and it’s funny that Eddie wrote this song about himself for a woman to sing.”

" Coments By Steven Rosen "

OtisTheBulldog wrote:Huge fan of this song and love the delivery on the record. He sells it.

One line that I'm curious of:

"Just the way I stand myself"

At first I always considered it the defiance as in "this is the way I carry myself. Fuck you, this is how I do it"

But then upon reading the lyrics again and thinking of the mental depression, I wondered if "stand" more or less means "tolerate". Maybe he feels his words aint worth a shit anyway. I still lean towards my original interpretation of that lyric, but this thread has me looking at it a little different.

Thoughts?

I vote for "Tolerate "

from the request show

As usual, great under the radar choice dime. Very cool song.

Swamp wrote:from the request show

I think often and way more than I should or is healthy how cool it would have been to win the pick the setlist contest aka the request show.

https://newatlas.com/sandwiches-global-warming/53128/

Too many road sandwiches? It's a sad day....