Lyr Req/Add: Ford Econoline (Nanci Griffith)

Subject: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 16 Nov 97 - 08:23 AM

Hi! I'm looking for lyrics to this, it was sung by Nancy Griffith on the Chieftains' 'An Irish Evening' album -- I tried searching for stuff on Nancy Griffith hoping that it would work out, but I got was sent to some very strange places...Can anyone help me? It starts out with, "She drove west from Salt Lake City to the California coastline...." and that's all I understood.

cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Peter T.
Date: 16 Nov 97 - 10:45 AM

Dear Cleod, I vaguely remember the song, and you may have had a problem with Nancy as opposed to Nanci with a search engine. The home page is "www.sover.net/~rschrull/ngriffith/gchpage.html" . I gave it a try, and it loaded so slowly (I have an old machine) that I gave up -- but the lyrics may be on there somewhere. Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 04:03 AM

cleod, you will recall that I said I did that work already (I did it with success for each song on that CD). Finding it then was long and hard work (with many false leads), refinding it now is easy: go here. (BTW, if you happen to have "This is the season to be merry" from that "Bells of Dublin" CD, I'd be very pleased. And don't mind asking for the other ones from "Irish Evening") Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 05:18 AM

Ara! And truly you're a lovely laddie, Wolfgang! (I'm assuming you ARE a laddie, are ye?) Anyroad, many thanks for the lyrics you've given me!

As for the "This Is the Season to be Merry", isn't this "Deck the Halls"? I'll muddle around the DT for this first...

^_^ cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 05:29 AM

Whoops...double posting...

Okay, I'm back, and from what my ears tell me and what the DT database says, the Chieftains' version seems to change in the third line of the stanza...

Deck the halls with boughs of holly 'Tis the season to be jolly (Don we now) our gay apparel Troll the ancient Yuletide carol

Fast away the old year passes. Hail the new ye lads and lasses (Sing we joyous) all together. Heedless of the wind and weather.

The stuff in ( ) is what changes... sorry to let you down, but I can't make out what they're singing here...

^_^ cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 09:18 AM

I had no idea how close I was. I had looked for [season to be merry] and a "season merry" would have led me to this song. Thanks, cleod, for the help, and, yes, I'm a lad.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 11:46 AM

Yes, but didn't you recognize the tune?

cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Nov 97 - 06:46 AM

don't forget, cleod, I have a different cultural background. To the best of my knowledge I had never heard the tune before. And there I was stuck with a song of which I literally didn't understand a single word (quite below my usual standards) and the title of which was of no use whatsoever for search. Your "Deck the halls" hint was great and the version in the DT-database is close enough for me. Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 18 Nov 97 - 08:35 AM

What IS your cultural background, laddie? And where exactly are you?

cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Nov 97 - 09:36 AM

Born, brought up, and living in Germany, but interested in Irish and British folk (including former British colonies like, e.g., the U.S.A.), music and lyrics. Not being a native speaker of English makes it most of the times difficult and sometimes impossible for me to find out the lyrics I'd like to know. So when I get a new CD like "An Irish Evening" two weeks ago , I peruse the web until I hopefully have found all the lyrics I do not have filed yet. If that fails I listen closely. If that fails I hope for help from this group. "cleod" sound like part of a Scottish name. Are you from there? Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 18 Nov 97 - 10:55 AM

Actually...I'm from the Philippines, of Chinese descent and with no Scottish/Irish/English ties whatsoever... I just like the name MacLeod so it's my online nick. I'm also interested in Irish/Scottish songs (or did you guess that already?) ^_^ English was my first language, which makes understanding Kevin Conneff much easier for me!

cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang
Date: 19 Nov 97 - 07:42 AM

noe I'm definitely surprised (except that I had guessed your interest), Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 19 Nov 97 - 11:04 AM

Hmmm...I don't suppose you know where I can find the lyrics of Past Three O' Clock, do you?

Why so surprised?

cleod

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: Wolfgang
Date: 19 Nov 97 - 11:20 AM

"Past three a clock" has been recently in this forum. A Forum search should bring it (be careful: a clock, not o'clock). It must have been in one of those Christmas/Yuletide/Halloween songcircles.

Well, I pictured you as a Scot, or an American with Scottish forefathers.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Ford Econoline
From: cleod
Date: 20 Nov 97 - 10:15 AM

I can but dream...however, I'm DEFINTELY Asian...

Thanks for the tip!

cleod

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ford Econoline (Nanci Griffith)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 08:25 AM

Lyrics to FORD ECONOLINE have been posted (twice; I don't know why) in the thread called Lyr Req: Songs about Fords.

In one of those messages, it says John Stewart wrote FORD ECONOLINE. However, both Allmusic.com and Repertoire.BMI.com say that Nanci Griffith wrote it.

Either way, Nanci Griffith recorded it, and it's on several of her albums, starting with "Lone Star State of Mind" (1987).

Subject: ADD: Ford Econoline (Nanci Griffith)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 09:59 PM

I think I'll post the lyrics here, since they're likely to get lost in a generic thread about Fords. I think the Econoline was one of the ugliest and worst-designed vehicles ever to come from Detroit, but it's a good excuse to remember good old Dale Rose. I compared Dale's transcription with the recording, and it's quite accurate.

Thread #80670   Message #1471989
Posted By: GUEST,Dale
27-Apr-05 - 12:52 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Songs about Fords
Subject: Lyr Add: FORD ECONOLINE (Nanci Griffith)


To give at least a little balance for the Econoline, here's Nanci Griffith's tribute to Rosalie Sorrels.

FORD ECONOLINE
(Nanci Griffith, 1987)

She drove west from Salt Lake City to the California coastline
She hit the San Diego Freeway doing sixty miles an hour
She had a husband on her bumper
She had five restless children
She was singing sweet as a mockingbird in that Ford Econoline

CHORUS
She's the salt of the earth
Straight from the bosom of the Mormon church
With a voice like wine
Cruising along in that Ford Econoline

Now her husband was a gambler, he was a Salt Lake City rambler
He built a golden cage around his silver-throated wife
Too many nights he left her crying with his cheating and his lying
But his big mistake was him buying her that Ford Econoline

CHORUS TWICE

Now she sings her songs around this country
From Seattle to Montgomery
Those kids are grown and that rounder knows
You cannot cage your wife
Along the back roads of our nation, she's become a living legend
She drives a Coupe DeVille but her heart rides still
In that Ford Econoline
She drives a Coup DeVille but her heart rides still
In that Ford Econoline

Idle aside: this was from Nanci's first MCA album, Lone Star State Of Mind, 1987. It was my very first CD purchase, a couple of months before I even had a player. I had no faith in MCA's willingness to keep it in print long enough for me to get a player. I'm glad to say I was wrong on that count, as it is still available.

Rest in peace, Dale.
-Joe-