Eric absolutely nailed these solos, which rank up there with my favorite of all time. Even Jay looks over to witness those crazy bends and wails. I can't recall any other pedal steel solos which use big bends and that amount of distortion. Phenomenal.
Shiver me timbers, this song is sweet. Never realized how many folks felt the same way about it, but I'm not surprised. Maybe not the best Son Volt song ever (maybe it IS), but my fave since the first time I heard it. Some 15 years later it still wrecks my shit. If you're not at least a little bit moved by this song you probably don't have a soul.
Jay has written a lot of great songs, but this is his best. It's mesmerizing - and Eric Heywood's slide guitar work is incredible. Life is better with Son Volt and UT in it.
Love it. That pedal steel wailing is one of the coolest sounds music has ever made. The album version is great and this live version is even better. This song picks me up by the chest and carries me to another place...
And compliments to Heidorn as well. I also suppose that Farrar dude could write a tune 😎 Early Son Volt was just as good as it gets for their time and place
I saw Jim Boquist playing with the Rails, the British husband and wife team, on UA-cam. They're great. She's the daughter of Richard and Linda Thompson. Check them out.
The first time I heard this song, I immediately had that transported feeling that I was experiencing something "GREAT". Then, the more I listened to it, the more and more beautifully haunting it became, its "Buried-in-the-Heart" poetry unfolding from within. Really moves you in a rare way. Sheer fucking brilliance.
Got to see Son Volt once at the Majestic. I was right there. Standing at Jay's feet. He had his eyes closed most of the show. Hardly talked at all. Smiled twice. Has the stage presence of a turnip. I love Jay's music. So many of his songs. Especially this one just punch me in the gut. Trace is a masterpiece of country music. Son Volt was so awesome live. Jay is my boy.
I think this is one of his great ones. It can put a tear in your eye. The part when he says " the nail below the hand " is strong. I think he nailed it on this one.
Yeah I used to sing well below the hell. I'm an REM fan so I'm used to making up my own words and later finding out I was wrong. I still sing it my way sometimes.
Wow--this is just as good as it gets. In my mind this performance is Son Volt's greatest moment. Eric Heywood, like Ben Keith with Neil Young, is just so in tune with the song and singer. Jay even looks over at him about 2/3 of the way through the solo with an admiring (and of course understated--it is Jay Farrar after all) "what was that?" I'll bet that moment inspired Jay to pick up the pedal steel. Anyway--everybody should hear this. On DVD on a killer 5.1 system this whole show is just tremendous.
First time I heard this song, was listening to "Straightaways". It was 2001. Liked it, but had no idea what was about to happen. In retrospect, in short, Left A Slide took over my life, in a good way. Over next couple of years, I must have listened to it twenty to twenty-five times a day, feeling its depth, trying to figure out what tha fook had commandeered my heart. Told Jay after show at 12th & Porter that, before I die, I want to sing it with him. Said he'd have to learn it again first. :)
JohnOakley0914 amen brother...you can be from any part of the world, from a totally different place, culture whatever...and still, amazing to say - yes, this is my favorite song ever.
The lyrics in the second half of this song make me think of my mother as her Alzheimer's disease progresses. I've never been good at expressing emotion, but I'll listen to this song and burst into tears as it makes me mingle memories of how she used to be with the way she is now, and it feels good to let these feelings of sadness and helplessness get out. Minefield's the word from the start Watching out for the worst Never clear 'til it hurts Call it off make amends This life burns down From both endsThe way we've tried Left a slide into harm's way Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fadeLet it rest on past ages and signs Pull the stops out Let it unwind It's reaching And finding nothing Weighted down one dale below the hill
I am left reassured in the wake of these comments. Thanks; it is comforting that I haven't been the only one for well over a decade who thought this song the apogee of it all. This song - in my heart - has no parallel, no equivalent, no proxy. It is the Tour de force. I don't think there is any overstating it: the family I have had the immense luck in creating today would be not, but for this song.
I feel the same way. i worry the grooves on my record will wear out as I play it over and over and over. Just saw Son Volt last night and was left more inspired than I have been in years. They did not play this beauty song and I knew they wouldn't because I had seen setlists from this tour. i played it the second I got home. my heart is still swelling having witnessed such a spectacular band once again. it is nice to know others think this song is the gem it is.
One of his best. The album version is tuned down a half-step I think, which gives it that haunting feeling, and which also makes it difficult to play it like he does...
I went to see Son Volt last week here in Austin, Texas. I showed up hoping they might play ‘Left A Slide’ for an encore. I went by myself, parked next to a cemetery and walked in hopes of seeing something like a classic Heywood solo. I got a spot in front of what I assumed was his pedal steel… only to realize quickly that there was no pedal steel on the stage. Farrar, someone, decided we don’t need it. I left after the first three songs. I went to hear Heywood’s pedal steel. Not his guitar solo. What happened to the Son Volt that wrote this song.
Always have the Austin show on "speed que" Sometimes, I get a sense of clarity from listening to this epic version. Other times it gets me wound up like an out of control dryer that just dumps it all out, all over the ground. I guess a lot of it depends on the way I feel before... Time to cue it up again!
and how EH creates another pedal lever w/ his hand by bends on the high strng by grabbing just the whole fucking bunch of strings for leverage - never seen another steel player do this..genius.
saw this one done while they were touring the album...outdoor folk/bluegrass weekend gig in Lyons, Colorado. last band of the night...show started mellow the the band went full electric , fucking awesome.
I think that Jay Farrar needs to go back to add something to the title of the song: An Elegy for the Late Great United States of America. This song seems so fitting for the times we now find ourselves. I have always loved this song, along with much of the work of Farrar and company---much preferred over the group founded by Farrar's old bandmate from Uncle Tupelo. I always preferred Farrar's songs over Tweedy's and much prefer Son Volt over WILCO.
Pattern doesn't match Pictures fall from their base Pulling out of the race Put up the red flag Matters close at hand Cross over the land You get so diffused You wanna kiss the ground Leave no sound Take it up next year Chalk it up to remember Wasted lonely fever The way we've tried Left a slide into harm's way Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade Let it rest on past ages and signs Pull the stops out Let it unwind It's reaching And finding nothing Weighted down one dale below the hill Minefield's the word from the start Watching out for the worst Never clear 'til it hurts Call it off make amends This life burns down From both ends The way we've tried Left a slide into harm's way Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade Let it rest on past ages and signs Pull the stops out Let it unwind It's reaching And finding nothing Weighted down one dale below the hill Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
I don't know what happened but the line-up with the Boquist brothers was the "truer sound". I hate that Jay let this line-up die. This is the Son Volt I will always remember. Trace and Straightaways were brilliant albums. Only 2 or three Son Volt songs since this line-up would have made the cut on either album. Highways & Cigs and Meth imo.
I agree. I heard that the band members weren't happy with Farrar about song credits and such. Don't know though. This really is the best version of Son Volt, and Eric Heywood is fabulous, making each song a wonder.
So...where are the Boquist brothers anyway?Minnesota? Great memories ( from back in the day bro!)Mississippi Nights in STL,Columbia,MO. & anywhere in between. Loved Uncle Tupelo & Trace blew me away when I first heard it...still does.
When Farrar was working on the songs for Okemah, he called the Boquist brothers, and he said he was hurt and amazed that they didn't want to participate
Funny, after reading Jay's book (JD&FC) I felt like I could actually know him, crazy as that sounds. I kept having daydreams about marrying into his family somehow (maybe he has a sister?) and being just so happy to have a seat at the dinner table, night after night; asking him to tune my guitar; coercing him into cheering on my Boston Bruins once in a while; cooking some if my "broiled chicken thighs w/onions" for the J-gang... But I digress... regarding this song, obviously it's great (like any Lennon & McCartney, it's above reproach); however, I'm not a fan of ultra-slow, somewhat depressing tracks, but that's just me--perhaps I need to listen to it again (and again) to see what beauty is held within this onion of HIS...
I have decided---if President Tweeto and Rocket Man take us into a nuclear war that is going to end civilization as we know it---this is going to be the last song I want to hear before the nuke for my area comes down...."No surprise it was a long slow fade...."
Great song..defintately one of my favorites, yet I don't feel moved by it as it's filled with vague generalities. This was deeply moving for Jay no doubt but I don't think anyone really knows what this song is really about. One can only speculate.
Pattern doesn't match Pictures fall from their base Pulling out of the race Put up the red flag Matters close at hand Cross over the land You get so diffused You wanna kiss the ground Leave no sound Take it up next year Chalk it up to remember Wasted lonely fever The way we've tried Left a slide into harm's way Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade Let it rest on past ages and signs Pull the stops out Let it unwind It's reaching And finding nothing Weighted down one dale below the hill Minefield's the word from the start Watching out for the worst Never clear 'til it hurts Call it off make amends This life burns down From both ends The way we've tried Left a slide into harm's way Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade Let it rest on past ages and signs Pull the stops out Let it unwind It's reaching And finding nothing Weighted down one dale below the hill Enough concern to ride it out It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Eric Heywood is incredible. His tone and technique are unmatched.
Eric absolutely nailed these solos, which rank up there with my favorite of all time. Even Jay looks over to witness those crazy bends and wails. I can't recall any other pedal steel solos which use big bends and that amount of distortion. Phenomenal.
Eric is as good as any steel player I've ever heard, and likely the best contemporary pedal steel player right now.
When I saw SV live in a really nice room Eric's pedal steel was otherworldly and humbling. Unforgettable!
I've listened to the studio version 8,000 times. Eric Heywood's solos drove another 16,000 listens of this performance.
The most soulful pedal steel ever. So moving.
Shiver me timbers, this song is sweet. Never realized how many folks felt the same way about it, but I'm not surprised. Maybe not the best Son Volt song ever (maybe it IS), but my fave since the first time I heard it. Some 15 years later it still wrecks my shit.
If you're not at least a little bit moved by this song you probably don't have a soul.
One of the great singer/songwriters of our generation. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Jay has written a lot of great songs, but this is his best. It's mesmerizing - and Eric Heywood's slide guitar work is incredible.
Life is better with Son Volt and UT in it.
Love it. That pedal steel wailing is one of the coolest sounds music has ever made. The album version is great and this live version is even better. This song picks me up by the chest and carries me to another place...
M C Very well said. This song has an essence. Tough to describe it words. Definitely feel though.
Not for sure what song is about but its Epic.
@@alexhumphrey5606 It's about divorce.
They’re in standard tuning here but on the studio record they’re down a half step.
Yes, it is about divorce, but divorce also seems to be a metaphor for deeper mysteries in life.
@@ahatcherlps
This is the best incarnation of Son Volt, don't you think? A loss that Jim and Dave Boquist aren't in the band anymore.
No doubt about it. Would love for another album or at least a tour with the Boquist boys.
Boquist brothers, along with Heywood, most definitely made early Son Volt what they were.
And compliments to Heidorn as well. I also suppose that Farrar dude could write a tune 😎 Early Son Volt was just as good as it gets for their time and place
I saw Jim Boquist playing with the Rails, the British husband and wife team, on UA-cam. They're great. She's the daughter of Richard and Linda Thompson. Check them out.
Without question. The Boquist brothers were great, Heidorn too, and Eric Heywood is in a class all by himself.
The first time I heard this song, I immediately had that transported feeling that I was experiencing something "GREAT". Then, the more I listened to it, the more and more beautifully haunting it became, its "Buried-in-the-Heart" poetry unfolding from within. Really moves you in a rare way. Sheer fucking brilliance.
Got to see Son Volt once at the Majestic. I was right there. Standing at Jay's feet. He had his eyes closed most of the show. Hardly talked at all. Smiled twice. Has the stage presence of a turnip.
I love Jay's music. So many of his songs. Especially this one just punch me in the gut. Trace is a masterpiece of country music. Son Volt was so awesome live. Jay is my boy.
Eric Heywood is everything on this jam. Best late night song of all time...
I must confess I sometimes listen to this song half a dozen times in a row.
Mournfully transcendent. A great dirge. Eric Heywood's pedal steel adds a sweet pain to the song, one of Farrar's best.
Legendary. Love the way Jay looks at Eric when he's killin it. 3:05 This line up is the ultimate Son Volt.
Eric Heywood, simply one of the greatest steel guitar players to ever draw breath.
I think this is one of his great ones. It can put a tear in your eye. The part when he says " the nail below the hand " is strong. I think he nailed it on this one.
It’s actually, “One dale below the hill.” But one nail below the hand sounds great too !
Yeah I used to sing well below the hell. I'm an REM fan so I'm used to making up my own words and later finding out I was wrong. I still sing it my way sometimes.
@@daviswall3319 It's actually "the nail below the head" which also sounds great. =)
@@ahatcherlps I hear ya man. But, back in the day, I asked Jay and he said, “Weighted down one dale below the hill.” 😎
Or is it One deal below the land?
Sublime. Maybe Jay’s best song. The sadness and loss jump out and don’t let up
The best Son Volt songs came with the Boquist brothers.
Wow--this is just as good as it gets. In my mind this performance is Son Volt's greatest moment. Eric Heywood, like Ben Keith with Neil Young, is just so in tune with the song and singer. Jay even looks over at him about 2/3 of the way through the solo with an admiring (and of course understated--it is Jay Farrar after all) "what was that?" I'll bet that moment inspired Jay to pick up the pedal steel. Anyway--everybody should hear this. On DVD on a killer 5.1 system this whole show is just tremendous.
I would like that dvd version uploaded!
I agree. This song and performance may be Son Volt's apotheosis.
There are very few performers that can express emotion in a song better than Jay. That steel and his vocals say it all.
This is a great live harmony
First time I heard this song, was listening to "Straightaways". It was 2001. Liked it, but had no idea what was about to happen. In retrospect, in short, Left A Slide took over my life, in a good way. Over next couple of years, I must have listened to it twenty to twenty-five times a day, feeling its depth, trying to figure out what tha fook had commandeered my heart. Told Jay after show at 12th & Porter that, before I die, I want to sing it with him. Said he'd have to learn it again first. :)
Watched this whole pperformance on PBS in1996 with my Wife. It takes me back.
Mid 90’s nostalgia man .. yea this was MY 90’s music!!
This is the Best tune of all time !
JohnOakley0914 amen brother...you can be from any part of the world, from a totally different place, culture whatever...and still, amazing to say - yes, this is my favorite song ever.
Very possible.
Certainly great
A top 10, no doubt.
This is one incredible song---one of my favorites from Son Volt-----amazing song!!
The lyrics in the second half of this song make me think of my mother as her Alzheimer's disease progresses. I've never been good at expressing emotion, but I'll listen to this song and burst into tears as it makes me mingle memories of how she used to be with the way she is now, and it feels good to let these feelings of sadness and helplessness get out.
Minefield's the word from the start
Watching out for the worst
Never clear 'til it hurts
Call it off make amends
This life burns down
From both endsThe way we've tried
Left a slide into harm's way
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fadeLet it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
This comes from somewhere magic, and brings you there.
I am left reassured in the wake of these comments. Thanks; it is comforting that I haven't been the only one for well over a decade who thought this song the apogee of it all. This song - in my heart - has no parallel, no equivalent, no proxy. It is the Tour de force. I don't think there is any overstating it: the family I have had the immense luck in creating today would be not, but for this song.
Sounds like what Jesus may have said to the father during the crusifiction. Been a fan for 15 years. What a wonderful display of melancholy bliss!
I feel the same way. i worry the grooves on my record will wear out as I play it over and over and over. Just saw Son Volt last night and was left more inspired than I have been in years. They did not play this beauty song and I knew they wouldn't because I had seen setlists from this tour. i played it the second I got home. my heart is still swelling having witnessed such a spectacular band once again. it is nice to know others think this song is the gem it is.
One of the best things I've ever heard.
Eric Heywood.
and it's the 1st time i ever saw a pedal player actually grab the string/s to raise an isolated string note...Hendrixian.
one of my favorite solos
I used to watch Jay play this 1996 with his eyes closed, and I would cry.
Leo Hoersting
I've cried at a couple son volt shows as well
@@johnhutto1068 I gave mouth-to-mouth to a fallen young woman at a Son Volt show at the Paradise in Boston Ma, around November '98. Then I cried, too.
Me too. Dont know the year. In Frankfurt, Germany. Great.
There's a deep sadness in there, for sure.
Eric Heywood is otherworldly good on pedal steel.
2018 and God I still love this song...
I listen to this song about 300 times a year easy...
One of his best. The album version is tuned down a half-step I think, which gives it that haunting feeling, and which also makes it difficult to play it like he does...
The band at their peak.
Still peaking!
Eric Cummins different members entirely, minus Jay....
yowza...amazing stuff...live music haint daid just yet, zanies
all son volt songs are the best I want to also see them live really bad as well
❤ CUANDO LA BELLEZA FLUYE COMO AGUA DE RÍO ❤
My favorite Son Volt line-up / era.
Every time I listen to this song Damn !!!
Yes !
I went to see Son Volt last week here in Austin, Texas. I showed up hoping they might play ‘Left A Slide’ for an encore. I went by myself, parked next to a cemetery and walked in hopes of seeing something like a classic Heywood solo. I got a spot in front of what I assumed was his pedal steel… only to realize quickly that there was no pedal steel on the stage. Farrar, someone, decided we don’t need it. I left after the first three songs. I went to hear Heywood’s pedal steel. Not his guitar solo. What happened to the Son Volt that wrote this song.
The most beautiful song, ever!
Obviously the best song, ever.
It's certainly in a short list. Very short. It's got the whole meaning of life in it, somehow.
One of my favorites
Man, what a steel tone
Always have the Austin show on "speed que"
Sometimes, I get a sense of clarity from listening to this epic version.
Other times it gets me wound up like an out of control dryer that just dumps it all out, all over the ground.
I guess a lot of it depends on the way I feel before...
Time to cue it up again!
Eric fucking Heywood
and how EH creates another pedal lever w/ his hand by bends on the high strng by grabbing just the whole fucking bunch of strings for leverage - never seen another steel player do this..genius.
saw this one done while they were touring the album...outdoor folk/bluegrass weekend gig in Lyons, Colorado. last band of the night...show started mellow the the band went full electric , fucking awesome.
I was at that show, too. It seemed like the less the crowd responded (they were mostly folkies/hippies), the more they tore into it.
@@tbecker403 exactly
I would do some very bad things to hear this live. Don't think it's been played in years.
God I love this song
Simply beautiful
Good lord--how in the hell could anyone with an ounce of brain matter give a thumbs down on this song???
This song hits me deep
I think that Jay Farrar needs to go back to add something to the title of the song: An Elegy for the Late Great United States of America. This song seems so fitting for the times we now find ourselves. I have always loved this song, along with much of the work of Farrar and company---much preferred over the group founded by Farrar's old bandmate from Uncle Tupelo. I always preferred Farrar's songs over Tweedy's and much prefer Son Volt over WILCO.
what you think of the times now buddy?? joe doing a grand job huh
This makes me miss my youth!
i think that of these 5700 views, 4000 are mine.
Dave Karpinski the other 1700 are mine
56k now. I added a couple dozen thousand.
The Band I always wished I was in lol.
I've always wished I had Dave Boquist's talent on guitar, fiddle and banjo.
Pattern doesn't match
Pictures fall from their base
Pulling out of the race
Put up the red flag
Matters close at hand
Cross over the land
You get so diffused
You wanna kiss the ground
Leave no sound
Take it up next year
Chalk it up to remember
Wasted lonely fever
The way we've tried
Left a slide into harm's way
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Let it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
Minefield's the word from the start
Watching out for the worst
Never clear 'til it hurts
Call it off make amends
This life burns down
From both ends
The way we've tried
Left a slide into harm's way
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Let it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Yeah. Where are the Mad Brothers? I miss them and the greatness that was the original band.
Love him, he's himself and nobody else
I don't know what happened but the line-up with the Boquist brothers was the "truer sound". I hate that Jay let this line-up die. This is the Son Volt I will always remember. Trace and Straightaways were brilliant albums. Only 2 or three Son Volt songs since this line-up would have made the cut on either album. Highways & Cigs and Meth imo.
I agree. I heard that the band members weren't happy with Farrar about song credits and such. Don't know though. This really is the best version of Son Volt, and Eric Heywood is fabulous, making each song a wonder.
Thanks for this!
Does not get old!
I hope Jay reads your comment. It is beautiful. Thank you for it. Your family sounds awesome.
Eeh by gum that wor grand!
So...where are the Boquist brothers anyway?Minnesota?
Great memories ( from back in the day bro!)Mississippi Nights in STL,Columbia,MO.
& anywhere in between.
Loved Uncle Tupelo & Trace blew me away when I first heard it...still does.
When Farrar was working on the songs for Okemah, he called the Boquist brothers, and he said he was hurt and amazed that they didn't want to participate
I think they were upset about song credits on earlier Son Volt albums. Also Jay might be hard to get along with.
Funny, after reading Jay's book (JD&FC) I felt like I could actually know him, crazy as that sounds. I kept having daydreams about marrying into his family somehow (maybe he has a sister?) and being just so happy to have a seat at the dinner table, night after night; asking him to tune my guitar; coercing him into cheering on my Boston Bruins once in a while; cooking some if my "broiled chicken thighs w/onions" for the J-gang... But I digress... regarding this song, obviously it's great (like any Lennon & McCartney, it's above reproach); however, I'm not a fan of ultra-slow, somewhat depressing tracks, but that's just me--perhaps I need to listen to it again (and again) to see what beauty is held within this onion of HIS...
Let it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
I need a repeat button!
Bravo!
fuckin perfect
Wish I could have been there.
I love the steel tone....best ever except when Sam Polland was playing
Masterpiece. "Put up the Red Flag. Matters close at hand. Crossover the plan." What does this song mean to you? Add in the replies.
To all the new comers, Tyler Childress and the rest. Gotta do it better than the greats. I know you're capable, just ain't seen it yet
Anyone ever seen a pedal steel player grab a string and bend it like Eric does at 2:47?
In a word, no.
Fucking Beautiful
What you said.
I meant 1997
I have decided---if President Tweeto and Rocket Man take us into a nuclear war that is going to end civilization as we know it---this is going to be the last song I want to hear before the nuke for my area comes down...."No surprise it was a long slow fade...."
Michael Garrity I will join you in that brother
Jays band members certainly have changed quite significantly over the years. High turnover. I wonder Why?
Great song..defintately one of my favorites, yet I don't feel moved by it as it's filled with vague generalities. This was deeply moving for Jay no doubt but I don't think anyone really knows what this song is really about. One can only speculate.
that's the idea dumbshit
Pattern doesn't match
Pictures fall from their base
Pulling out of the race
Put up the red flag
Matters close at hand
Cross over the land
You get so diffused
You wanna kiss the ground
Leave no sound
Take it up next year
Chalk it up to remember
Wasted lonely fever
The way we've tried
Left a slide into harm's way
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Let it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
Minefield's the word from the start
Watching out for the worst
Never clear 'til it hurts
Call it off make amends
This life burns down
From both ends
The way we've tried
Left a slide into harm's way
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Let it rest on past ages and signs
Pull the stops out
Let it unwind
It's reaching
And finding nothing
Weighted down one dale below the hill
Enough concern to ride it out
It's no surprise that it's a long slow fade
Thank you for posting the lyrics here. It occurs to me someone ought to put some subtitles on a version of this exceptionally beautiful performance.