Song of the Week - October 16, 2006 - Take Me Down

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Becky
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Song of the Week - October 16, 2006 - Take Me Down

Postby Becky » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:11 am

I'm a one man line at the twenty-four hour store
I'm in a town that reminds me of my home town streets
I roamed the aisles a thousand miles from what I was looking for
A familiar face that would smile at me sweetly

(If you)
Take me down
to where I'm whole
Where everybody knows me
deep as a soul can go
If you take me down
I gotta know
Did you really know me,
deeply,
as a soul can go?


We'd drive up the canyon to watch the stars fall down
Watch them turn off the lights on the church down on second street
There's Jack's old man, he's still the only cop in town
He's patrolling the sidewalk on the graveyard beat


And everybody needs a place to call home
A roof over head a bed for dreams of their own
I've never been so lonely as when I told you I was leaving
This time I'm really leaving



© Ellis Paul Music (SESAC) 1998


Whenever I hear this song, it inevitably takes me back to that very first show I attended. It wasn't the first song I heard that evening (that would be TWASD), and it wasn't that I listened to this song a lot the weeks that followed that first show. (even though this song was on the new CD at that time, Ellis had already sold out the by the time he got to OKC) But the words to this song stayed with me..."do you really know me deeply as a soul can go" was one of those catch phrases I couldn't get out of my head and it seems to be there at the front and center of my brain and in the weeks that followed, I seem to notice in encounters with friends/family, that there was always something that would be said or would happen that made me think that nobody knew me that deeply. I know it's silly, but the very next day after that show, my husband went out to get us some sandwiches for lunch and when he got back, mine had mayonnaise which I just cannot eat. He said something like he didn't know I didn't like it, and I thought ohmygoodness...we've been married for so many years and he still doesn't know???
Even though sometimes I think that Ellis's song refers more to being back home or in that place where everyone knows your name (and for me being in Okemah...although I'm not from there, but whenever I exit off the interstate onto Woody Guthrie Boulevard, I feel like I'm home), to me "Take me down" makes me realize that I don't think anyone can every know someone so deeply as to know everything about them...there's always something that we keep inside that no one else knows, isn't there?
It's all about the paradox that Shari wrote in the book club discussion thread about being separate, yet inseparable, and the lyrics to the song "Just Like Jim Brown" where it goes "we are all in this together, we are all in this alone." I think we want to be home where everyone knows us, but yet we are still always alone.
I'd love to hear other thoughts about this song!
Becky

paddyinthepub
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Postby paddyinthepub » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:25 pm

I have loved and lost, too. Hec, who hasn't at my age? The words to this song speak to the fact that half the reason we ALL get to the point of calling it quits is NOT really knowing the person we're with all that deeply. I mean you think you know them - and you think they know you - and that everything you have to offer is enough to make them happy. Or that all they have to offer you is enough to make you happy. There's always more to it than jusst that. It may be fine on the surface, but when things get a little sticky, and the arguements ensue, you tend to know best what's deep inside of you and NOT so much what's deep inside of the partner you are fighting with. We tend to stick to our guns and fight for who we are and how we want things to go. You've got me all wrong is the way I usually feel at the end of those kinds of battles. If you only knew me. I mean really, really knew me.

I've not had a relationship go south since discovering Ellis' music, but I've definitely had flashbacks to relationships that have. So when I heard this for the first time, it struck a major chord for me. AHA! that's it. Therein lies the answer. She did not know me......deep as a soul can go.

It's not often that I get a chance to have met and spoke to someone who is the subject of a song I love to listen to. It was, however, the case here. For those of you who don't know, this song was written at the time of the breakup of Ellis' first marriage. His first wife had been at the merch table one evening at the Mucky Duck in Houston and I had the chance to chat with her about lEllis' song "Ashes To Dust" and she informed me that it came out WAY more "new-agey" sounding on the compilation CD titled "legacy 2". It was a brief exchange between two strangers, with Ellis Paul being the reason we would speak at all. From that conversation on, Ellis' love songs NOW had a face. I felt I could relate a lil better to who it was he was singing about. And so it was that when I heard this song and the lyric "this time I'm really leaving"......I felt sad for them both.

I've said it before...working late night shifts in my youth...I was often, like Ellis, " A one man line......at the 24 hour store " I love that line!!!

This whole song seems to take place in Ellis' mind as he wanders aimlessly thru this store in the wee hours, likely out on the road trying to make the music thing work. As he thinks back to their early days; the good ole days, Ellis recounts a drive up the canyon...maybe lover's lane? and the vantage point of what whas going on below them......the lights going out at the church on second street.....a friend's dad who has long been the only cop in town.

If we had only gotten to know each other....deep as a soul can go.

Great song Ellis.

It simplified some things for me.

Thanks.
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy

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Sue Ellen
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Postby Sue Ellen » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:39 pm

Becky, thank you. You are very articulate and I need to put some thouhgt into a response. Sue Ellen
"...I implore you, I entreat you, I challenge you to speak with conviction, to say what you believe, in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it, because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker, it is not enough these days to "question" authority, you have to speak with it, too."
Taylor Mali, "Like, You Know?"

shari
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Postby shari » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:14 pm

Hi Everyone,

I hate to break the thread here and please feel free to tell me this is out of place, but it does involve this song (though certainly on a different note). I saw Christopher Williams last year at the Tin Angel in Philly and he told a story about a night (I believe in Utah but I could be really really really wrong on that) anyway, he and Ellis were looking out over a town as it went to sleep and they watched the light in the Church tower go out. It was a moment. They made a bet as to who could write that moment into a song first. As I understand it, Ellis won. :-)

The "sister" song to this one is Christopher Williams song "Every Time I Say Goodbye"

I'm including those lyrics below - I thought it was interesting to see where the two men went with the same moment in lyrics.

Both songs make me think about distance and relationships. Both of these men travel ALOT and that's got to be hard on relationships. And yes, it makes me think about separable and inseparable.

The line/title "Take Me Down" makes me think about being stripped bare and I am not talking about clothing. It is not a physical place at all. There is the physical place that we are from and then there's the place that we come from on the inside. It's the latter that speaks to me in Ellis' words.

Anyway....here are Christophers lyrics.... I hope that everyone is well.

Shari

It’s twelve am and the church bell reminds me that I walk these streets alone
It’s not each ring that hurts but the silence in between every solitary tone
And the cracks in the sidewalk, the way the lights in each window talk, each telling me why I miss your smile
The center of town is a few side streets that meet with nothing much in between
One traffic light that in the dead of the night I can hear turn from red to green
It’s a moment like this, where this silence feeds the lonliness
And everything I see makes me think of you

If I said I love you would it be too soon
Cause timing is everything in this old familiar tune
I would spend my life underneath a wandering moon
If every time I said goodbye, I could come back home to you

This little town fights the end of the day by throwing light into the sky
From second street I watch the steeple light give up, turn off, and say goodnight
It is speaking to me and to the stars that I now can see
Telling us that it’s our time to shine

If I said I love you would it be too soon
Cause timing is everything in this old familiar tune
I would spend my life underneath a wandering moon
If every time I said goodbye, I could come back home to you

Sorry to call so late, I know you were sleeping but this could not wait
Tonight the silence gave me no choice, I had to break it, I had to hear your voice

If I said I love you would it be too soon
Cause timing is everything in this old familiar tune
I would spend my life underneath a wandering moon
If every time I said goodbye, I could come back home to you

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KarenZ
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Postby KarenZ » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:44 am

Shari,

I was actually hoping someone would tell the Christopher Williams story/connection to "take me down" so thanks! :)

Thanks, Becky for the SOTW! Will try to chime in later.

KarenZ
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

paddyinthepub
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Postby paddyinthepub » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:18 am

Shari, I'm glad you brought up the CW story too. I had not heard that story. I believe I once read a liner note on a John Gorka record that has John saying that the "germ seed" for this song was : and the explanation.

For a long time after that I would use John's words in conversations, like: okay, fine, what was the germ seed of that idea? A real where did that come from?

So I appreciate the CW story and the "germ seed" for "Take Me Down".

Thanks for sharing that with us.

Of course, now I'm second guessing a few things I used to take for granted in this song. Most good songwriting allows the listener to impart their own take on things. Ellis once answered a question I'd posed about what happens in a certain song by saying " it's whatever you think happens in the song".

More to come.....
Last edited by paddyinthepub on Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy

shari
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Postby shari » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:31 am

... as I understand it - it wasn't a one man line in the 24 hour store...Christopher made a joke about being written out of the song.

:-)

It was wonderful for me sitting in the audience to hear that connection, knowing the other song. It made me listen to both with new ears.

Have a great day all...

Shari

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Postby paddyinthepub » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:26 am

Shari....that's too funny. Who knew?

For the song to work, for me anyway, Ellis is all alone, in his head AND in this open all night store.

It's clever too that Ellis mentions "roaming the aisles".

We all roam the aisles of stores looking for the next item on the list and are usually "aisles away" from it.

That Ellis roams those aisles " a thousand miles from what I was looking for" .......... is just brilliant songwriting.
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy

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KarenZ
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Postby KarenZ » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:43 am

Thanks (again) Becky for starting our hopefully 32-week SOTW trip through Ellis Paul Essentials.

I listened to "take me down" yesterday, the first time in a while, when I popped the new CD into the CD player on the drive to the airport in Chicago for my flight home from the Schubas show. Believe it or not, I just got the CD Sunday night. :shock: Those opening chords of the song propelled me back in time to 1998 when Translucent Soul came out and I played that song/CD over and over again non-stop for months. :) The production on that song and on that entire CD is just....there's no other word for it.....perfect. I was going through the loss of a friendship at the time, and Ellis' break-up record became my break-up record. The line from the CD that got me through was from "seven" - "I'm letting go cause holding on's killing me." Letting go is so freakin' hard at times.

I love the mental images conjured up in "take me down". We all have hometown memories....and it's funny how they often kick in when home seems far away. One line that means alot to me is "a familiar face that would smile at me sweetly". Who hasn't felt the joy of seeing a familiar face in a strange place or at a time of need? Years and years ago when my son was an infant, I remember seeing my mom's face at my door, coming to lend me a hand, and thinking it was the face of an angel. Wow. Still an incredibly vivid memory...and that line of lyric *aways* makes me think of that moment in time.

In early 1999, when EP didn't know me all that well but knew me as a "familiar face" I went to a show at Gettysburg College scheduled for noon in the college's Student Union. The students didn't really know who Ellis Paul was....and I think most of them were there for a lunchtime diversion. I felt a little awkward (and a little old if truth be told) :) and sat along the side of the little makeshift stage. After a bit Ellis came over to me and asked me to sit in front - saying it helped him to see a familiar face. Well, sure Ellis. :) Then he opened the set with "take me down"....and when he got to that line he looked right at me smiling and sang "a familiar face to smile at me sweetly". I was a puddle.

Fast-forward to 2006 when I'm in a strange country for the first time in my life and don't really speak the language. I'm standing in a busy airport. My plane has landed at a different terminal than was expected and my traveling companion (arriving from another city) won't know where to find me. I'm having a mini-panic attack trying to figure out how I'm going to use a pay phone when I don't have any foreign coins when I hear my name called....or maybe I felt a touch on my shoulder...I'm not sure now...and when I turn around it's Ellis Paul. OMG. Talk about relief at seeing a familiar face smiling at me sweetly. Totally unexpected. Of all the gin joints in all the world.... :)

Great memories associated with that song....

KarenZ
Last edited by KarenZ on Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

Becky
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Postby Becky » Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:03 pm

Oh, Karen, I've been thinking a lot about that line "a familiar face that would smile at me sweetly" so loved reading your stories! I have been reading a book that a friend of our family wrote...I hope he doesn't mind my sharing!!! The name of the book is "I Survived Cancer, but Never Won the Tour de France" by Jim Chastain. It's an incredible beautifully written book. He shares his experiences and in one chapter writes about being in Houston alone for a procedure...his wife went with him, but he was going to have to stay there longer than what they had expected, so she had to leave to go back home (about a 7 hour drive from here) to see about their kids and take care of other responsibilities back home. He was going to fly back home after several days of undergoing this procedure. Anyway, the morning he was going to fly home alone, his wife had unexpectedly flown in that morning to be with him on this journey back home. As I was reading this, I was in tears. I cannot imagine how glad he was to see her familiar face up there in the hospital that morning...

I've been thinking more about this song in the past 24 hours and about if it's possible to know someone as deeply as a soul can go. Maybe, just maybe it really is. My husband probably knows me better than I think. (now he really does know I despise mayonnaise.)

Becky

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Postby emilyg » Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:18 pm

I just had to chime in on CW's song (of course). I had never heard this story and the correlation so I'm glad to learn something new! The first time I heard Christopher was at an Ellis Paul show at the Blue Door and 'Everytime I say Goodbye' was the first songs I remember hearing. My boyfriend (current husband) and I had just started dating and we decided that we would take each to a concert of our favorite musicians - I chose Ellis' show and luckily I stumbled upon Christopher! Anyway, I know this is so cliche, but I knew by our 3rd date he was the one for me but we hadn't told each other how we felt. When Christopher sang
If I said I love you would it be too soon
Cause timing is everything in this old familiar tune
he was saying everything I wanted to say but didn't have the nerve to say.
Now I think sometimes he knows me 'deeper than the sould can go'. He knows me better than I know myself sometimes. It's sometimes scary because I can't hide my thoughts and feelings but sometimes refrehsing. Of course, I don't think anyone can know EVERYTHING about a person's thoughts and feelings but he doesn't let me hide behind mine if he thinks I am holding back. I think that has been a recent breakthrough in our new marriage - we needed one for a while! So much to learn and there are so many areas to grow in.

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Postby IllinoisBill » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:11 am


I had the opportunity to hear "Take Me Down" this past weekend, and it hit me "like a southbound train" (I know -- different song).

It brought back a flood of memories about the whole of "Translucent Soul" that had slipped away with the passage of time.

And then I was thinking about all the songs on that album, and how sometimes personal life strife often sparks the creativity in us, and helps us come out on the other side, stronger, more self-assured, etc.

As a newbie to the list, but most assuredly, no stranger to EP's music and output, it's interesting to look back and trace the path of an artist's career. Some hit their strides early, or peak at mid-career and settle into a groove, and some just keep climbing to achieve personal heights. A career retrospective or overview provides an excellent opportunity to take stock of where you've been, and possibly where you're headed...

It's a pleasure to be a part of this community. I will not be a frequent poster, as I haven't quite honed the multi-tasking protocol as well as some others (you know who you are).

Bill
Chicago, Illinois

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KarenZ
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Postby KarenZ » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:23 am

A hearty welcome to IllinoisBill! :)

KarenZ
Queen of Multi-Tasking ;)
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

shari
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Postby shari » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:44 am

Hi Bill!

Would this be the Bill that I met at Cabin Concerts???

Shari

Becky
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Postby Becky » Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:04 am

And would this be the Bill I met in Austin?? :D I think you must certainly get around, Bill!! It's good to hear from you on the db....
It's so nice to hear everyone's thoughts on this song.
Becky
(who is not very good at multi-tasking like some others are and really must get back to work)

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KarenZ
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Postby KarenZ » Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:10 am

Becky, you may not be good at multi-tasking, but you are:

QUEEN OF ELLIS PAUL PROMOTION!

:lol:
KarenZ
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

paddyinthepub
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Postby paddyinthepub » Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:16 pm

Welcome Illinois Bill - and If memory serves me well, we met this past summer in Exton, Pa. at the Lori Mckenna/mark Erelli show. Hec of a first post big guy and will be looking forward to more when you find the time.

What if I were to bribe ya? Let's say a beer a post.

Right now we're even....... :lol:

Take care and chime in from time to time.

Pat
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy

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IllinoisBill
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Postby IllinoisBill » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:25 pm

Greetings to board participants who have noted a previous corporeal meeting with me at various geographic points strewn across the Northeast, Middle Atlantic and the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin Texas. These mostly happened this calendar year...

It's really wonderful to read about your insights regarding music, musicians, the words, the meanings, etc. As a social scientist, I find it fascinating to understand how we interpret things and the filters that process the same stimuli, and yet generate multiple outcomes.

Side bar: I'm sure the first C-Dub song I ever really remember striking me was the "Every Time I Say Goodbye." There are certain songs (no matter who the artist) that resonate with me, and not just as a passing thing.

There are probably a half a dozen others who are on the list that I've had the pleasure of meeting in person as well. The commonality that exists when someone you meet is as enthusiastic about music and particular musicians as you are; it lays such solid foundation to on-going friendships... This much I know first-hand.

Bill
"When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision -- then it becomes less important whether I am afraid."

-- Audre Lorde 1934-1992

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Postby paddyinthepub » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:12 pm

And everybody needs a place to call home
A roof over head a bed for dreams of their own
I've never been so lonely as when I told you I was leaving
This time I'm really leaving



As this week's SOTW winds down, I wanted to add a few more thoughts, the last verse in particular.

I always thought Ellis was saying to his wife, in essence, my life is such that....I will hardly be home much...as I'll be on the road trying to make this music thing work. That he was telling her that a travelling folkie was his dream, and that she deserved to have both a solid home life where a degree of normalcy could be had as well as the chance to follow her own dreams. In essence, setting her free to live the kind of life she'd maybe always dreamed of.

Now, to the last line. Anyone of us knows that the breaking up process can be long and drawn out. It can go thru a whole lot of off again/on again stages, each phase feeling better and worse than the one before.

But there is that one final knowing.....that it is over. The likely reconciliation has vanished from the realm of possibility.

That is a lonely feeling.

This time I'm really leaving.

Painful to admit that, out loud, in song, for the world to know.

Great discussion everybody, let's keep it up.

Pat
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy


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