Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately (Steve Earle)

Subject: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 07:07 AM

JOHNNY COME LATELY
   (Steve Earl)

I'm an American, boys, and I've come a long way,
Born and bred in the USA
So listen up close, I've got something to say
Boys, I'm buying this round
Well it took a little while, but we're in this fight
And we ain't going home 'til we've done what's right
We're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight,
If I have to spend my last pound


When I first got to London it was pourin' down rain
Met a little girl in the field canteen
Painted her name on the nose of my plane
Six more missions, I'm gone
Well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might
Then the warden came around yelling "Turn out the lights"
Death rainin' out of the London night
We made love 'til dawn


But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
With a chest full of medals and a G.I. loan
They'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
When Johnny comes marching home


My P-47 is a pretty good ship
And she took a round comin' cross the channel last trip
I was thinkin' 'bout my baby and letting her rip
Always got me through so far
Well they can ship me all over this great big world
But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl
I'm taking her home with me one day, sir
Soon as we win this war


CHORUS


Now my grandaddy sang this song
Told me about London when the Blitz was on
How he married grandma and brought her back home
A hero thoughout his land
Now I'm standing on a runway in San Diego
A couple Purple Hearts and I move a little slow
There's nobody here, maybe nobody knows
About a place called Vietnam


CHORUS


copyright 1987
Steve Earl

I do not think this has been posted before.
The history is very dodgy but a great folk club song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: GUEST,clockwatcher
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 07:59 AM

You could even spell his name right

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 08:16 AM

Well, it was a lot easier than yours, Cockwatcher.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Shaneo
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 09:13 AM

The Pogues done a great version of this with Steve,Spider Stacy singing with The Pogues

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 12:32 PM

I always liked this tune, but the time line is strange. "Now my grandaddy sang this song" about service in WW2, but the grandson is in Nam? Maybe "my Daddy sang this song" just wouldn't scan?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 01:45 PM

Perhpas Joe offer or another Mudcat Elf can correct the spelling to Earle so folks googling might find it more easily.

I've been listening to Steve Earle and awful lot lately. I'm told he is an acquired taste but I've always loved his phrasing. My husband finds his accent to be mildly annoying since it sounds to him like something of a put-on. Does anybody know if his singing accent is a real regional texas accent or is it a stylized sort of thing along the lines of Bruce Springteen's evolving singing accent that went from a South Jersey/Delawarian accent over the years to some kind of idealized nasal Americana-accent that exists nowhere and everywhere?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Ebbie
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 10:55 PM

From the UNofficial Steve Earle website:

"Stephen Fain Earle was born on 17 January 1955 in Ft. Monroe, Virginia, where his father was stationed as an air traffic controller. When Steve's due date approached, a family member was selected and sent to Virginia with a small Prince Albert tobacco tin of Lone Star dirt from the family farm. Grandmama said the dirt was spread in a flat pan and the little fellow was held up and his feet imprinted in the Texas dirt. While the family had to accept that his birth certificate said Virginia, Steve's granddaddy and uncles were satisfied that the first soil his feet ever touched was Texan."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 26 Sep 07 - 11:06 PM

Ebbie - I know he spent part of his childhood intexas and he considers himself a Texan and that whole possibly apochryphal story about the texas soil and all - what I was asking is if anyone as knowledge of Texas dialects and if they did, could they identify his singing dialect as being Texas regional or not. More than likely it is a hybrid idiolect unique to Earle. However, it could be that like Springsteen, he assumes a certain dialect when singing.

I've heard him speak at length and his speaking dialect is somewhat less marked than that which he uses when singing. Maybe it's on purpose, maybe not - I really don't mind it myself.

Some artists sort of grow into a singing dialect they prefer, over time and often without realizing it. I think Springsteen's current singing dialect, on the other hand, is very conciously acheived. He seems to be able to turn it off and on at will depending upon the material.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 27 Sep 07 - 03:37 AM

So I did get the name wrong.
Sorry Clockwatcher, but it was just copied from another site.
Re timeline EJ, my comment on the dodgy history was because the blitz was long over before US airmen started flying from Britain.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: GUEST,clockwatcher
Date: 27 Sep 07 - 08:12 AM

Thanks for the apology (although I quite enjoyed the insult)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: GUEST,Billiam
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 12:13 AM

I'd highly reccommend the biography on Steve that came out a few years ago: "Hard Core troubador" I think? (sorry bout the spelling). He spent most of his time growing up in texas, but also hung out with a bunch of them (Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell ..) so I'm thinking it would rub off on Steve whose phrasing seems alot like those guys. B

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 12:31 AM

Funny thing about accents when it comes to singing. I spent my teen years in Virginia where I learned to love the kind of music I still most resonate to.

When I sing other songs I don't seem to do it but when I sing one of those songs my accent is pure treacle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Splott Man
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 03:56 AM

Steve Earle will be live on Bob Harris Country on BBC Radio 2 on Thurs 4 Oct at 7pm.

Just thought you might want to know.

Splott Man

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnny Come Lately, Steve Earl
From: Teribus
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 04:30 AM

The "Blitz" referred to in the song is most likely to be the V1 and V2 blitz that occurred between 12th June 1944 and 28th March 1945.